John Edward

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This article is about the professed TV psychic. For other uses, see John Edwards (disambiguation).
John Edward
Born: October 19, 1969 (age 37)
Glen Cove, New York
Occupation: professed psychic medium
Spouse: Sandra Edward
Children: 2
Website: johnedward.net

John Edward McGee, Jr. (born October 19, 1969), better known as John Edward, is an American author and television personality who describes himself as a psychic medium. He is best known for his TV shows Crossing Over and John Edward Cross Country, which are premised on Edward communicating with the spirits of the audience members' deceased relatives.

Born in Glen Cove, New York, Edward says he was convinced at a young age that he could become a psychic.[1] After writing his first book on the subject in 1998, Edward became a well-known and controversial figure in the United States through his shows and other media appearances. His current show, John Edward Cross Country, has been aired on Woman's Entertainment Television (WE) since May 2006.

Contents

The son of an Irish-American policeman and an Italian-American homemaker,[2] Edward was raised Roman Catholic. Although Edward later became non-practicing, he has said he never stopped feeling connected to God and is still closely connected to his Catholic roots.[1] Edward once said, "This is something that is driven by a belief in God. It's the energy from that force that I think allows us to create this energy."[3]

According to Edward, when he was 15 and "a huge doubter" (in psychic abilities), he was "read" by a New Jersey woman who convinced him that he could become a medium.[4] "She told me things that there is no way she could have known. And the first part of the reading was that this was the path that I was supposed to be on and that I was supposed to be a teacher and help people and — I thought she was nuts."[4] Speaking of the same encounter in a 2002 interview, Edward said, "She told me I would one day become internationally known for my psychic abilities through lectures, books, radio and TV. I thought she was full of it until she started to tell me things no one in my life knew about. . . . The details were unbelievable."[5]

Later, Edward worked in nursing as a phlebotomist while pursuing a degree in health care administration at Long Island University.[6] He met his wife, Sandra, when he was a student in a dance studio, and he became a ballroom dancing instructor before entering his current field of work.[4] He and his wife had their first child, Justin Michael, on September 25, 2002, and their second child, Olivia Gabriella, on January 25, 2007.

Edward published his first book, One Last Time, in 1998. His related appearance on Larry King Live later in the year prompted enough phone calls to overload the show's switchboard.[7] The next year, Edward had a show of his own.

From 1999 to 2004, Edward was the producer and host of the show Crossing Over with John Edward, which has been syndicated and aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States and on LIVINGtv in the UK. In Crossing Over, Edward performs what mediums call "readings".[8]

Readings in Crossing Over involve Edward questioning audience members with information presented as being communicated by their deceased friends and relatives. Edward says he receives his information in images and clues which the audience must assist him in interpreting. Aside from quesionaires filled out prior to taping, the audience is not supposed to supply Edward with any prior information about themselves, their family or who they are trying to connect with "on the other side."[8] Audience members respond to Edward's statements and questions, adding any details they feel are appropriate. The show often employs a split screen, showing a reading without sound on one half of the screen while on the other half the subject of the reading is shown in a later interview as they discuss their experience. A voiceover by Edward is also implemented at times, sharing further insights and inspirational messages.

In other instances, Edward conducted private sessions away from the studio audience. The subjects of these segments later talked in greater detail about the situation that led to their reading with Edward and the effect the reading had on their lives. Periodically, segments revisit people who have previously appeared on the show.

Edward's current show, John Edward Cross Country, has been broadcast on the Women's Entertainment Channel since March 2006. In this forum, the audience is not supposed to supply Edward with any prior information about themselves, their family or who they are trying to connect with "on the other side."[9] The show opens with a statement that he simply 'lets his guides draw him to the people that spirits are trying to connect with, and the audience should only validate the information he gives them'.[9]

Gary Schwartz, a psychologist and researcher in the controversial field of parapsychology, tested Edward and several other mediums and published his belief that Edward's abilities were genuine in his book The Afterlife Experiments.[10] Although the study did not undergo scientific peer review, CSI's Ray Hyman, a psychologist and noted critic of parapsychology, wrote a detailed critique of Schwartz's methodology and conclusions in a 2003 issue of the Skeptical Inquirer.[11] Schwartz responded to the critique,[12] leading Hyman to write a rebuttal.[13]

Critics of Edward believe he performs the mentalist technique of cold reading.[14][15][16] Choosing the first reading from a two hour tape of edited shows as a sample, magician and debunker James Randi found that just three of twenty three statements made by Edward were confirmed as correct by the audience member being read.[17]

A 2001 Time article suggested that Edward used hot reading on Crossing Over.[18] In another incident, Edward was said to have used foreknowledge to hot read in an interview on the television show Dateline.[19] James Underdown of the Skeptical Inquirer attended a Crossing Over show in November 2002 and said "there were no indications of anyone I saw collecting information... none of his readings contained the kind of specific information that would raise an eyebrow of suspicion."[20]

Another accusation has been that Edward's accuracy on television is inflated by the editing process.[15] After watching the broadcast version of the show he had attended and recorded, Underdown attributed a great deal of Edward's accuracy on television to editing and wrote, "Edward's editor fine-tuned many of the dead-ends out of a reading riddled with misses."[20] In 2002, Edward said, "People are in the studio for eight hours, and we have to edit the show for time, not content. We don't try to hide the 'misses.'"[5]

John Edward has denied ever using foreknowledge, cold or hot reading.[21]

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Edward began filming at least one special in which he met with some relatives of the victims, with the intention of communicating with those who were killed. According to Edward's autobiography, he did not know that the producers had chosen the victims' families to appear on the show. The trade magazine Broadcasting & Cable sent a story, "'Psychic' Plans WTC Victims Show", on the daily subscription-fax sent to news media and TV-station executives on October 25, 2001. Steve Rosenberg, president of domestic television for Edward's production company, Studios USA, had tentatively scheduled the program(s) to air during the November sweeps period, but news of the taping sparked a national outcry. Both Sci Fi and the Crossing Over with John Edward production office were flooded with phone calls and e-mail, some expressing outrage at the exploitation of the national tragedy, others at what they perceived as extreme tastelessness in search of ratings. Rosenberg initially ignored the criticism, insisting the programming would go on as scheduled, but within hours terminated plans.[22][23]

On the March 24, 2005 episode of the FOX News Channel morning show FOX & Friends, in response to a question as to whether Edward could communicate with the braindead Terri Schiavo, Edward said "[Schiavo is] definitely clear on what's happening now around her."[24] Later, an autopsy confirmed that the cortex of Schiavo's brain was no longer functioning, drawing Edward some criticism about this statement, which seems to be incorrect if the brain is considered to be necessary for the production of consciousness.

Edward has appeared in many television shows, including: Entertainment Tonight, Live with Regis & Kelly, The Early Show, The Crier Report, The Tony Danza Show, The View, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Fox and Friends, Maury, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Wayne Brady Show, Dateline, Oprah, 20/20, and the HBO Special, Life After Life: America Undercover.[25]

Other notable appearances include:

Edward and his award on South Park.
Edward and his award on South Park.
  • David Cross: In his comedy album It's Not Funny, Cross jokes: "Oh, man, so I was watching that show ... there's this guy on stage, and everybody in the audience believes he has contact with the dead and spirits talk to him? (The audience shouts "Crossing Over".) Crossing—? no, no, no, no, no, it was, it was church."
  • PvP: In a story arc beginning April 1, 2002, three members of the cast win tickets to Crossing Over. Brent thinks Edward is "a total fraud" and commands him "in the name of James Randi" to admit it.[27]
  • Will & Grace: Edward made a cameo appearance in the 2004 episode "East Side Story".

Edward's first book, "Crossing Over".
Edward's first book, "Crossing Over".


  1. ^ a b Edward, John (1998). One Last Time. Berkley Trade. ISBN 0-425-16908-1. 
  2. ^ Edward, John (2003). After Life. Princess Books. ISBN 1-932128-12-3. 
  3. ^ Edward, John (2001). Crossing Over. Jodere Group, p. 21. ISBN 1-58872-002-0. 
  4. ^ a b c "John Edward: An Alleged Psychic Who Claims to Communicate With the Dead". Larry King Live. CNN. 1998-06-19.
  5. ^ a b Ling, Lisa. "Connecting With the Dead", USA WEEKEND, Gannett Company, 2002-10-13. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
  6. ^ "Interview With John Edward". Larry King Live. CNN. 2003-10-02.
  7. ^ About John. Crossing Over with John Edward. Sci Fi Channel. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
  8. ^ a b Edward, John. (1999). Crossing Over with John Edward [Television series]. U.S.: Sci-Fi Channel.
  9. ^ a b Edward, John. (2006). John Edward Cross Country [Television series]. Women's Entertainment.
  10. ^ Schwartz, Gary (March 2003). The Afterlife Experiments. Atria Books. ISBN 978-0-7434-3659-5. 
  11. ^ Hyman, Ray (January/February 2003). "How Not to Test Mediums". Skeptical Inquirer 27 (1). Retrieved on 2006-12-04. 
  12. ^ Schwartz, Gary (2003). How Not To Review Mediumship Research. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
  13. ^ Hyman, Ray (May/June 2003). "Follow Up Reply". Skeptical Inquirer 27 (3). Retrieved on 2006-12-04. 
  14. ^ Blumenfeld, Jon (2000-07-21). Medium Dead. New England Skeptical Society. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  15. ^ a b Endersby, Andrew (December 2002). Talking the John Edward Blues. SkepticReport. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  16. ^ O'Dell, Cary. Crossing Over with John Edward. Television Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  17. ^ Randi, James (2006-04-21). John Edward Revisited. Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
  18. ^ Leon Jaroff. "Talking to the Dead". Time Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-06-14.
  19. ^ Nickell, Joe (November/December 2001). "John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved". Skeptical Inquirer 25 (6). Retrieved on 2006-12-13. 
  20. ^ a b Underdown, James (September/October 2003). "They See Dead People — Or Do They?". Skeptical Inquirer 27 (5). Retrieved on 2006-12-11. 
  21. ^ Edward, John (2001). Crossing Over. Jodere Group. ISBN 1-58872-002-0. 
  22. ^ de Moraes, Lisa. "Medium Crosses The Line: WTC Segment Canned", The Washington Post, 2006-10-26. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
  23. ^ Radford, Benjamin (January/February 2002). "John Edward's televised tragedy seance scrapped". Skeptical Inquirer 26 (1). Retrieved on 2006-12-18. 
  24. ^ Fox's psychic friend. Media Matters for America (2005-03-25). Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
  25. ^ About John Edward. JohnEdward.net. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
  26. ^ "Talking to the Dead". Bullshit!. Showtime. 2003-01-24. No. 1-01.
  27. ^ Kurtz, Scott (2002-04-01). Strip for April 01, 2002. PvP. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  28. ^ "Drew Barrymore / Macy Gray". Saturday Night Live. NBC, New York City. 2006-10-13. No. 3, season 27. Skit transcript.

Persondata
NAME Edward, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McGee, John Edward Jr. (real name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION American author and professed psychic
DATE OF BIRTH October 19, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Glen Cove, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../j/o/h/John_Edward_0cf9.html"
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