Kumari Shreya
As a touted Jamaican shaman, Youree Dell Cleomili Harris, or Miss Cloe she became a sensation across the USA in the late 1990s. Through her infomercials, she asked people to call a particular number in order to avail of a few minutes of free psychic services. Given the numerous ups and downs in her career, as explored in HBO Max’s ‘Call Me Miss Cleo’ as well as Lifetime’s ‘Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall,’ people cannot help but wonder more about her professional career and overall wealth before her passing in 2016.
How Did Miss Cleo Earn Her Money?
Reportedly hailing from a Catholic Afro-Caribbean family, Miss Cleo completed her schooling at an all-girls boarding school called Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, California. She claimed to some that she even had a theatre degree from the University of Southern California. However, the fact was disputed by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in their 2002 article on her. According to the news outlet, the university had no record of a student of her name or a different iteration of it.
In 1996, Miss Cleo purportedly opened a theatrical production company while living in Seattle, Washington. Yet, her last project there as an artist in the city was the 1997 play ‘Supper Club Cafe,’ which was unfortunately not very successful. Many people affiliated with the project later also claimed that Miss Cleo had failed to compensate them financially. She then found herself in Florida and starting in the late 1990s, she joined Psychic Readers Network (PRN), just to soon adopt the persona of a Jamaican shaman.
Miss Cleo’s portrayal on television as a psychic quickly made her a country-wide sensation. Many who saw her in her infomercials actually could not help but be attracted to the offered services and call the number flashing on the screen owing to her vibrant persona. While affiliated with the television network, she also launched Waghwaan Entertainment in 2001 and published a book titled ‘Keepin’ It Real: A Practical Guide for Spiritual Living.’ However, following a fraud lawsuit in 2002, Miss Cleo’s time on television with PRN was over.
Following the aforementioned infamous legal case, Miss Cleo’s role as an entertainment personality diminished. She was credited for voicing the character of Auntie Poulet in ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,’ but the work likely took place before the case was over. In 2003, the self-proclaimed psychic was apparently hired as a spokesperson for the music network Fuse, following which she reportedly began offering public readings, officiating weddings, and hosting a podcast. She also briefly appeared in ‘Becoming Psychic’ and ‘Hotline,’ which were released in 2011 and 2014, respectively. Though she appeared in several advertisements for General Mills breakfast cereal French Toast Crunch in 2015, it soon stopped following an intervention from PRN.
Miss Cleo’s Net Worth
Miss Cleo unfortunately passed away on July 26, 2016, due to colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, in the years before her demise, she had seemed rather active as an actor in advertisements as well as a shaman. The average salary for the former in the state of Florida, where she reportedly spent the last years of her life, is around $70,000. Moreover, according to reports, while she charged anywhere from between $75 to $250 for private readings, her wedding hosting services were priced from $350 and up. Assuming she did 3 readings a week while hosting 3 weddings a month, her average revenue from these avenues potentially totaled up to approximately $50,000 per year.
We should also mention that while it’s unclear how much Miss Cleo earned through her podcast, she did once reveal that her income from PRN infomercials was not much. “For the first 30-minute infomercial I did for them, I made $1,750 for the two and a half days on set. I had a bad contract,” she told Vice. However, it’s very likely that this number went a lot higher as the years passed by, that is, until the fraud lawsuit between them effectively terminated any relationship between them. Therefore, considering her early experiences in performing arts, her book, her career as a shaman, her lifestyle expenses, possible investments, and more, she managed to accumulate a fortune for herself. Therefore, as per our best estimates, her net worth at the time of her death was $1 million.
Read More: Lou Ann LaBohn: Where is Miss Cleo’s Ex-Partner Now?
