Peter Popoff facts for kids

Peter George Popoff was born on July 2, 1946, in Occupied Berlin, Germany. He is an American televangelist, which means he preaches on television. He became well-known for claiming he could heal people and know their secrets through divine power.

In 1986, a magician named James Randi showed that Popoff was using a hidden earpiece. Through this earpiece, his wife would tell him information about people in the audience. Popoff then pretended that God was giving him this information. He claimed he could use this "God-given" knowledge to heal people.

After this was revealed, Popoff faced financial difficulties. However, he later returned to television. In the 2000s, he began promoting "Miracle Spring Water" on TV commercials. He claimed this water could bring health and financial benefits. These promotions are still shown on TV channels in the United States and Canada.

Early Life and Beginnings

Peter Popoff was born in Occupied Berlin on July 2, 1946. His parents were George and Gerda Popoff. When he was a child, his family moved to the United States. He later went to college and graduated in 1970.

Peter's father was also a preacher. Peter started preaching in 1960, when he was still young. Advertisements called him "The Miracle Boy Evangelist." They claimed he could heal sick people and see into the future.

Popoff married Elizabeth in 1971. They lived in Upland, California. He then started his television ministry. By the early 1980s, his shows were broadcast across the country. A main part of his sermons was his "curing" of various health problems. Popoff would tell people to throw away their medicines. He also told people in wheelchairs to stand up and walk. Critics later said that many of these "cures" involved people who could already walk.

The Investigation by James Randi

In the 1980s, Peter Popoff was very popular. During his "healing sermons," he would correctly state people's home addresses and specific health issues. He suggested this information came from God. However, in 1986, a group called the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry suspected he was using electronic devices. Popoff denied this, saying his messages were from God.

The magician and skeptic James Randi and his team exposed Popoff's methods in 1986. They used a special radio scanner. This scanner showed that Popoff's wife, Elizabeth, was using a radio to send information to him. She and her helpers gathered this information from prayer request cards filled out by audience members. Popoff received these messages through a hidden earpiece. He then repeated the information to the audience, making it seem like a miracle.

Randi also placed his own people in Popoff's audience. These people helped show how Popoff's tricks worked. Randi and his team recorded Elizabeth's messages to Popoff. These recordings showed her giving him instructions and sometimes making fun of audience members.

In May 1986, Randi showed one of these videos on a TV show called The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Popoff first denied the accusations. He claimed the video was fake. But he later admitted he used a radio device. He said his wife only "occasionally" gave him names for "special prayers." He also claimed "almost everybody" knew about the radio system. After the TV show, donations to his ministry dropped a lot. In September 1987, he declared bankruptcy. His ministry owed over $1 million.

Peter Popoff's Comeback

In 1998, news reports said that Popoff was trying to restart his ministry. He began buying TV time on the Black Entertainment Television network. He received criticism from people who felt that preachers with a history of disappointing followers should not be on such a network.

In 2007, a TV show called Inside Edition reported on Popoff's new commercials. They showed him "healing the sick" in the same way he did before Randi's exposé. Some people who felt cheated were interviewed. Popoff did not comment. James Randi explained that "Flim flam is his profession." He meant that Popoff is very good at tricking people. Other TV shows also covered Popoff's return.

In 2008, the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom warned TV channels about showing Popoff's material. They felt it targeted people who might be easily influenced. These programs offered "Miracle Manna" for free, claiming it would bring health and money. In 2009, Popoff started advertising a free cross with "blessed water" and "holy sand." He claimed the water came from a spring near Chernobyl, Ukraine, where animals and people were supposedly safe from radiation. People who responded received a small wooden cross and many letters asking for donations.

Popoff's organization was a for-profit company until 2006. Then, it became a church. This change meant it no longer had to report its income or salaries to the IRS.

Financial Information

In the late 1980s, Peter Popoff was collecting almost $4 million each year. By 2005, his "ministry" received over $23 million. In that year, he and his wife earned nearly $1 million in salary. Two of his children also received over $180,000 each. Since 2006, financial details for his ministry are not public because it became a religious organization. In 2007, Popoff bought a home for $4.5 million. He drives expensive cars like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.