Teen Girls Who Perform Exorcisms Have Reality Show in the Works?
Rev. Bob Larson Explains His Ministry to Anderson Cooper
The Rev. Bob Larson, appearing on Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show Wednesday, hinted at the possibility of a reality program focused on his team of teenage exorcists, while Cooper expressed doubts about the authenticity of Larson's work.
"Something about this I just don't buy," Cooper said to a chorus of applause from his "Anderson" audience. He then went further, providing detail for his doubt, saying of the three teenage girls, "You three seem coached, and you don't seem like you're really talking like real people to me."
The Rev. Bob Larson, of Spiritual Freedom Churches International, has been running a school and training program for exorcists in Scottsdale, Ariz., for years. He began the school because, as he told the Daily Mail, "The Church just can't keep up with the demand [for exorcists]." Larson has been having quite a bit of success, he said, telling the British publication, "Our phone lines are ringing constantly – we receive up to 1,000 individual requests monthly."
While Larson's program has both teenage and adult students, Larson told the Daily Mail, "We have found that our female, teenage exorcists are particularly effective at curing the possessed."
Now it appears that Larson is trying to give his school and teenaged exorcists a national audience with a reality show, although he insists it is not the case.
"Major press got this story, and then they started contacting us," Larson told Cooper. "We're not pitching anything, they're coming to us." Larson did not mention any specific network that may have expressed interest in developing his ministry into a reality show.
"Anderson" provided a series of clips from Larson and his teen exorcists' appearance on the program.
The Rev. Bob Larson shares how much he makes performing exorcisms:
The teen girls explain how they became involved in performing exorcisms: