Theresa Caputo may be the Long Island Medium, but she still cannot wrap her head around the fact that people actually recognize her. When you speak with her, you may as well be having coffee with one of your neighbors or girlfriends; she continues to be that girl-except this one can speak to the spirits. She is wonderfully humble and tremendously candid, whether we were speaking the breakdown of her marriage, speaking to the spirits whether or not her subject is a famous movie star or not, and why she feels that her kinship with the LGBT community begins with a simple and familiar message; we both were "born this way"
Instinct: We are absolutely thrilled you are heading back to the Borgata Hotel and Casino on February 16th. Is it different connecting people with spirits and talking with a casino based crowd as opposed to a standard theater crowd?
Theresa Caputo: You know, I did used to think that for many years, and now the people that love the show and that love what I do, they are the people that come. It’s not a typical “casino show”, you know? They are my fans and they are people that want to experience spirit communication and more importantly, the gift of healing.
Instinct: You still seem to find it very difficult to wrap your head around the fact that people do see the Long Island Medium when you are out and that they truly know you and are loyal fans of yours.
TC: Yes, I still do (laughs)! I will go out and I may not be filming, and I’ll have on a hat and gym clothes and people will recognize me and I’ll say to myself “how do they recognize me”? You know what though?-they are my fans. It’s amazing and I am so blessed and so fortunate. I never take anything in life for granted. I consider it an honor and a privilege to do what I do and I am so thankful that I am able to continue to do this in such large spaces and venues. Not only because of the amount of healing, but because it is so up close and personal.
I mean, you watch Long Island Medium and it is millions of viewers a week and I am in people’s living rooms and changing millions of lives a week. To be able to do it in such a small and intimate space, if you have been to my shows, we have created such an intimate moment. It is so interactive where I am right in front of you delivering the messages from your loved ones.
Instinct: Respecting the spirits and the messages that they are delivering with you as a vessel is beyond important, Do you ever find that difficult to balance when fans will see you out and want to talk to you when you are not working or having your own private time with friends and family?
TC: You know, interestingly enough, very rarely will people come up to me and ask me to read them or say something like “contact my grandmother”. When I see people out and about, they will try not to bother me and tell me to not ever stop what I am doing. I always end up asking them if they would like a picture (laughs)! It is so sweet and endearing to see the amount of respect that they are showing both for me and the spirits.
I say this to people all of the time; you sense things all day. It is the same thing with me as a spirit. It is whether or not the spirit pushes me enough to say something to someone. That is the difference.
Instinct: You have a tremendous following with the LGBT following and they are rabid fans of both your live shows and Long Island Medium. Phi Phi O’Hara even famously portrayed you on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars during the Snatch Game challenge!
TC: I know (laughs)! I am a supporter and I love people. I get it; I think the reason why I have such a beautiful relationship with the LGBT community is because I understand. I say this-I was born this way. Whoever determined in life or who says what is “normal”? I would say to my mother when I was growing up “I don’t feel right, I feel different than everyone else, I feel like I don’t belong”. It was not until I embraced who God intended me to be, that I felt complete. Whether it be a job, what you want to do in life, where you want to live, what kind of relationship you want to be in, you have to honor, love and respect yourself. Be who it is that God intended you to be!
I was recently in Arizona and I went to a gay bar and you got to watch Drag Race and then they had the drag show after. I mean, the talent! I kept saying “could you show me how to do makeup like that” (laughs)? I wish that I could make myself look that beautiful!
Instinct: You have sat down on Long Island Medium with some amazing people, like Rosie O' Donnell and Jonathan Lipnicki. Is there anyone that you would love to sit down with because you feel that you could truly connect with them on that spiritual level?
TC: You know, without sounding cliche, anyone that would like to experience my gift and the gift of healing, I would be honored to sit down with. I really don’t think that there is one person really. How would I know if someone needs the gift of healing or if they would want to share my gift? It is almost like, to know that Rosie O’Donnell or Kelsey Grammar knew who I was, in-SANE! Who would know that they even knew who I was and wanted to experience this gift?!
Jonathan Lipnicki from Jerry Maguire, what an incredible young man! The thing that I loved about his experience is that I think people saw a side to him that they never would have expected. People see people on television and I think that they have such a different perspective of them. At the end of the day, we are all the same. No matter who we are or what we do for a living, we are all the same.
Instinct: One thing recently that we have gotten to see from you is how your personal life has changed. Of course, we all want to see you happy, no matter what shape that is going to take. Was it difficult to truly turn the cameras around and have your most personal experiences, with your marriage and children, be what was being looked at?
TC: Yes and no. You have to understand, to me what I do is normal. It’s normal having the cameras following me. Of course it was hard, it was hard when I covered my breast cancer scare. Do you know, how many people have come up to me, men especially, and said that they were watching the show and they looked at each other and said “that’s us” and put ourselves in therapy? One gentleman walked up to me and said “I don’t know what is going to happen with you guys, but we knew we were not alone”. He knew that they had an opportunity and that no matter where they went, they were going to do the best that they could.
Larry and I are divorced, but we are friends. We still have a great relationship, we still have two beautiful and amazing children and they will always come first. To be able to go through something like what we went through and still come out as friends and be able to communicate, it is just another blessing. Yes it’s sad-it’s just another blessing. As sad as it is, it was for the best at that time.
Instinct: What inspires you in this new chapter of your life?
TC: My clients. I feel that I have lived a very blessed life. They inspire me. To be able to have someone come and to sit there and feel that they do not know how to go on without the loss of their loved one. They get up and put their best foot forward every day and try to make the most of their day is truly an inspiration to me. People will tell me that they look up to me and that I am their idol an I tell them no-YOU are my inspiration and you are my idol. To watch what they have been through and put their best foot forward and live the best life that they can, that is inspiring to me.
Long Island Medium airs on TLC on Monday evenings (check local listings)
Theresa Caputo appears at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J; tickets can be purchased here:
https://www.theborgata.com/shows/event-details/theresa-caputo-atlantic-city
Tickets for Theresa on tour can be purchased here: