- Self-identified psychics and mediums claim they’re channeling Gabby Petito’s spirit.
- TikTok’s spiritual category is very popular, with videos of Petito attracting millions of viewers.
- Some TikTok psychics have been subject to backlash due to comments calling them exploitative.
“Psychic” TikTok, a site where self-described mediums and spirit guide compete for viral attention is under fire after psychics spread conspiracy theories about the murder of Gabby Petito (22 years old).
TikTok videos about Petito’s disappearance, which has since been ruled a homicide investigation, using the hashtag “#GabbyPetito” have amassed 820 million TikTok views in total. A TikTok search for “medium gabby petito” — an auto-filled search term recommended by the app — delivers dozens of self-professed psychics weighing in on what’s now a homicide investigation.
In tandem with true-crime’s obsession with this case, Petito TikTok’s spiritual corner has seen an explosion. While creators face backlash from viewers who call their content exploitative, some interviewed by Insider said they’re just working to raise awareness.
Many psychics don’t spread awareness about Petito’s case but claim to be able to provide insight into the details. And even when their theories are baseless or proved to be untrue, they keep going — to the tune of millions of views.
Kelly Ferro stated that she began to have visions of Petito and Brian Laundrie on Thursday. The practicing medium from Illinois filmed a TikTok in a gray crop top outside her house to hypothesize about Laundrie’s role in his once-fiancé’s disappearance and share baseless theories about what happened to Petito.
“I know this is vivid and sad,” Ferro stated this in the TikTok of September 16. “I really hope they find her.”
Three days later, Petito was found dead near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On Tuesday, the FBI declared her death a homicide.
YouTube/Nomadic Statik
Ferro, who did not respond to a request for comment, has accumulated 2.4 million views and more than 25,000 followers from her spiritual readings about Petito, the 22-year-old who had journeyed west in a van with Laundrie. Laundrie, who was returned to North Port, Florida on September 1, without Petito, is an individual of interest in this investigation.
Psychic beliefs and practices are part of American “New Age” spiritualism, whichtakes inspiration from Indian, Native American, and African diaspora religions. According to a 2018 poll from the Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 Americans believe in psychics.
Ferro is one of many women who can make hundreds of bucks an hour by offering psychic readings. These readings claim to connect you with a loved one deceased or give you guidance from your guardian angel.
Although not all psychics are mediums, those who claim to be mediums can communicate with the dead. The New York Times reported in March 2019 that psychic mediums are becoming the new life coaches, thanks to the wellness-industrial complex.
Online videos of Petito being criticized by psychics are also very popular.
“This is disgusting,” Dustin Dean, a mentalist and magician who pushes back against TikTok mediums, said in a video with 750,000 views. “Using false claims to gain clout off something so tragic, all the psychics and mediums on this app should be ashamed of themselves.”
YouTube news personality Philip DeFranco also devoted a segment of his Wednesday show to the Petito-TikTok psychics, calling them “trash” and Ferro a “horrible person.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” DeFranco said. “I hope that when you sit alone, you really feel that.”
North Port Police Department
Ferro responded to “haters” on Thursday and said people leaving negative comments don’t understand her.
Before Ferro disabled comments on her Petito post, one viewer wrote, “I’m just imagining Gabbys family coming across these videos from mediums and psychics saying these things and how they’d feel… Not ok IMO.”
Ferro responded: “Ive helped find missing pets and even a missing person. I believe this gift is used to help others. I’m sure the family will take with a grain of salt.”
TikTok psychics have even faced criticism from other mediums. A TikTok medium named Angela who has 115,000 followers said last Friday that posting on TikTok about missing-person psychic readings is “unethical,” especially when the readings are conducted without permission.
“Regardless of what information we get, the police are the ones who have to prove it. You can’t prove a psychic vision in court,” Angela said. “You send information to the correct people, not post it on TikTok.”
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