Chip Coffey

thumb|right|165px|Susan Gerbic (left) and Chip Coffey at a 2014 sting operation, "Operation Bumblebee"
Chip Coffey is an American self-proclaimed psychic medium who claims to have a "God-given ability to provide others with insight, guidance and direction" for which he charges $650 for a 45 minute "reading", or $59 (+ service charges) to attend one of his personal appearances.Chip Coffey's Website When not busy talking to dead people, he's performed as a cast member, ghost hunter, and all-purpose woo-meister on A&E's Psychic Kids and Paranormal State, where he specialized in encouraging supernatural beliefs among young people.
==Psychic Kids==
Should a parent whose child claims to see ghosts and talk with dead people consult a medical or mental health professional? Coffey says no. He believes those kids are misunderstood and "misdiagnosed". "Parents will take their kids to physicians or mental health experts who really don't understand the children," he lamented.Debra Ollivier, Chip Coffey On "Growing Up Psychic", Huffington Post (Although in a later interview, he claimed he encourages parents to rule out brain damage or schizophrenia before concluding a child has paranormal powers.)
Coffey, along with his cohorts on A&E's Psychic Kids, believe such children need to be encouraged and nurtured in the ways of the paranormal,Robert T. Carroll, Crazy Therapies & Psychic Kids, The Skeptics Dictionary and maintains that the power of God can help kids deal with annoying or frightening spooks:Chip Coffey Growing Up Psychic: My Story of Not Just Surviving But Thriving-and How Others Like Me Can, Too Three Rivers Press, 2012 
If you're concerned by a TV show led by a self-proclaimed psychic who targets those too young to make informed decisions, you're not alone. Skepchick founder Rebecca Watson observes:Rebecca Watson Psychic Kids skepchick.org
Yet Coffey dismisses critics who say he's exploiting of children for attention or profit with the rebuttal "Ask the children if they felt exploited." When asked how he deals with those who are skeptical of his ability to speak with the dead, Coffey stated:Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Skeptics don't bother 'Psychic Kids' host TimesUnion.com, July 9, 2014
==Exposed on the internet==
GSoW founder Susan Gerbic and several members the Bay Area Skeptics "stung" Coffey in September 2014 when they showed up at one of his public appearances in the guise of true believers. The skeptics created personal details useful to a cold reader and even carried photos of "dead family members" that, unknown to Coffey, were entirely fictitious. As expected, Coffey took the bait, and claimed to be communicating with these nonexistent individuals.Sheldon Helms Operation Bumblebee stings psychic medium Chip Coffey Randi.org, 9/29/2014
Nearly a year after details of the expose were published on the internet,Ohlone professor 'stings' TV psychic Ohlone College Monitor, October 30, 2014 Coffey posted a response on his blog, claiming he had known at the time he was being duped by skeptics but chose to say nothing and play along.
Coffey maintains he didn’t immediately address the matter publicly "because there will always be those whose intent is to discredit or destroy others".Who REALLY Got “Stung”? Chip Coffey's Tumblr blog
==Talk radio confrontation==
During the course of a 2013 interview with KFAN morning talk show host Cory Cove (a.k.a. “Sludge”), Coffey was asked for proof of his psychic powers. Coffey, no doubt used to being treated deferentially, cited the fact that he once told a woman who was trying to get pregnant that she would get pregnant, and she did! After enduring an array of similar bullshit answers, Cove called Coffey a “fraud”. Coffey walked out of the studio, complaining of a "combative" atmosphere.Coffey confronted by skeptical host on live SportsTalk Radio, flees the studio. KFAN.comMorning Radio Host Interviews Psychic and Puts Him to Shame Patheos
==References==
Category:Living people
Category:Psychics
Category:Entertainers
Category:Shysters