John Edward: Abortion Confession Ends Live Readings

Celebrity psychic John Edward is in Australia for a series of his famous live medium events in the coming weeks. 

But the American mystic left the stars of The Project less than impressed when he refused to do a reading live on air on Sunday night. 

The 55-year-old was asked by host Sam Taunton, ‘are you feeling anything from anyone at the desk right now?’ 

‘Not at the moment, not at the moment’ Edwards admitted, to which co-host Waleed Aly replied, ‘Well I could have done that!’ 

The mockery sparked laughter from the show’s panel of hosts, leaving a red-faced Edward to explain why he won’t do readings live on television.

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‘I tell you why. If I read for a host of a show and I get something private, this is not taped, it’s live, and it’s not something that someone wants to discuss publicly, you’re going to say no’ he said. 

‘I’ve had a bad experience. On radio, many, many years ago. I was reading for a Christian conservative host of a radio show. 

‘He said, “I have legacy in the marketplace, my audience knows everything about me”. I said, “okay.” 

‘He was being very difficult. In the commercial break, I said, does your audience know you decided not to to have a fifth child and terminate the pregnancy? 

‘He was like, “no”. I asked him, “If I would have said that on the air, what would you have said? [he replied] “I would have had to lie because my mother-in-law listens to the show.”‘ 

John recently has issued a strong message to his non-believers. 

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the medium said he has no qualms about people questioning his abilities – as they have done for decades – but only if they are willing to open their mind. 

‘I think we’re living at a time on the planet where people’s critical thinking skills need to be really sharpened and addressed because of whatever the latest AI thing that’s happening or just social media – so I think it’s really important for people to go, “hey, wait, I’m not sure, let me see what kind of validation is there”‘ he said. 

‘So I welcome it [scepticism] – it’s important – as long as we can have a conversation about it.

‘But when somebody pushes a little bit too much more, then I have to push back, and I have to be like ‘woah – you can’t define me, you don’t know me’. 

The New York native also said that he can’t wait to return to Australia, as he has always loved the country’s ‘energy’.

He praised the nation’s strong sense of community and said Australians always make him feel welcome when he visits.

Edward rose to fame in 2001 with his controversial Crossing Over program, in which he claimed to speak to the deceased relatives of audience members. 

His supposed psychic abilities have been dismissed by many, with critics claiming the reality star is merely practicing a form of cold reading.

He has been married to Sandra McGee since 1995 and the couple share two children: son Justin and daughter Olivia.

Back in 2017, Edward told news.com.au that he never set out to be a celebrity and that it simply happened as a result of his psychic abilities.

‘I never woke up and decided, ‘I’m going to be a world famous medium’,’ John said.

‘And I never wanted to be on TV, it was an opportunity that came as a byproduct of my work.’