The supernatural drama Ghost Whisperer starred Jennifer Love Hewitt as a medium who helped earthbound spirits cross into the next realm. The show ran for five seasons and found huge popularity. In fact, after Ghost Whisperer was canceled in 2010 due to a decline in viewership, it was termed one of the most missed axed shows.
The show also had an incredible cast; besides Hollywood heartthrob Love Hewitt who was at the peak of her career when the show started, it also starred two Oscar winners and quite a few celebrated names. Here’s just a few facts you never knew about the cast of Ghost Whisperer.
Aisha Tyler Is A Descendant Of John Hancock
Tyler, who played Melinda’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) best friend Andrea in the first season is actually a descendant of celebrated 19th century Texas congressman John Hancock through his illegitimate heir, Hugh. Hancock was the first member of the Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence and is famous for his bold, enlarged signature on the document.
In fact, in 2016, Tyler is also seen in an episode of the American genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are, which helps celebrities explore their family tree.
Jamie Kennedy Invented An Acting Agent Alter Ego
Kennedy, who played Professor Eli James, started his Hollywood career as an extra in 1989. He was unable to land an agent and also failed to book a commercial even after more than 70 auditions. He eventually started to work as a host at Red Lobster, before starting work as a telemarketer.
The concept of selling things gave him the idea that he could sell himself and he created a sort of a fake Hollywood screen agent persona named Marty Power to reach out to producers. He opens up about his struggles in his book titled Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment
Jennifer Love Hewitt Is A Published Author
Most people don’t know this about the main lead of the show but Jennifer Love Hewitt has actually written a best-selling self-help book titled The Day I Shot Cupid: Hello, My Name Is Jennifer Love Hewitt and I'm a Love-aholic. The book features experiences from her own life and attempts to help people navigate through the modern dating world.
The book came out in 2010 and this was of course, before the boom of social media and dating apps. Though her writing style was panned by critics, it was unanimously agreed that she made some valid, credible points about modern relationships.
Jay Mohr Was Married To Las Vegas Star Nikki Cox And Took Her Name
Jay Mohr, who played Professor Rick Payne on the show, was married to Las Vegas actor Nikki Cox for more than 12 years, before divorcing in 2018. Cox even wrote a stand-up show for him. In 2008, he filed legal papers to change his name to Jon Ferguson Cox Mohr, thus adding his wife's last name.
They have a son together who was born in 2011. It was in 2017 during The Adam Carolla Show, that Mohr admitted that he and his wife were in the midst of a divorce which was finalized in 2018
Camryn Manheim Worked As A Sign Language Interpreter
Emmy winner Camryn Manheim played Delia Banks. She worked as a sign language interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was actually useful to her as her skills were used in The Practice, in an episode of Law & Order, and in her role as a child behavioral psychologist in the 1998 action thriller Mercury Rising.
“I needed two semesters so I took both beginning and intermediate classes at the same time. My intermediate class was at nine o'clock in the morning and my beginning class was at two o'clock. It was ridiculous but I made it through the classes and went right on to university. I had learned the alphabet and certainly a hand full of signs, perhaps fifty words,” she revealed in an interview a few years back.
Anne Archer Was Nominated For An Oscar For Her Role In Fatal Attraction
Anne Archer played Melinda's mother Beth on the show; she could communicate with ghosts but simply chose not to, and does not acknowledge her powers even to her daughter. Fans of the show may not know that Archer was up for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the cult 1987 psychological thriller Fatal Attraction.
Coincidentally, her character in the film was also named Beth; she played Dan’s (Michael Douglas) wife who has a daughter with him, and eventually shoots her husband’s scorned lover Alex at the end of the film.
Ignacio Serricchio Is A Mental Health Advocate
Serricchio, who played a ghost whisperer from the dark side, is a mental health advocate in real life. The actor has an incredible social media presence and often takes to Instagram to raise awareness about mental health-related issues, specifically suicide and depression. A few weeks back he took to Instagram to encourage folks to check in on people around them since holidays can be pretty rough for people in isolation.
“I encourage you to check in on your people a little extra this year and especially during the holiday season which can be very tough. For those of you who are struggling every day to get out of bed, I want to thank you for your perseverance. You are a warrior and I know how hard it is. I admire you and the world is better because you’re in it. Together we’re stronger and no one should carry such a heavy load on their own. We got this!” he wrote.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Loves Festive Instagramming
Jennifer Love Hewitt has more than 976,000 followers on Instagram. She loves documenting her holiday decorations and elaborate, festive set-ups on social media, be it for Halloween or Christmas. Just recently she shared an image of a gorgeously decorated, glamped up dining tent which she set up at her own garden with the help of an LA-based tenting experience company.
She also shared several short videos showing off her adorable Nutcracker-themed Christmas decorations, miniature snow-capped villages, Christmas-y table decorations and more.
Aisha Tyler Revealed Sweatpants Are Why She Loves Playing Lana In Archer
One of Tyler’s most famous roles is, of course, playing the badass superspy Lana Kane in the adult animated series Archer. Tyler revealed in an interview last year that she loved voicing Lana’s character primarily because she doesn’t have to dress up to play her.
“If I’m being really honest, other than the fact that the scripts are relentlessly hilarious and therefore a joy to say out loud, I don’t have to get dressed up to play Lana Kane. I just go into the booth in my sweatpants,” she said.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Gave Solid Advice To Kelly Clarkson During Her American Idol Days
Recently during an episode of the super-popular talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson, who rose to fame as a contestant on American Idol, revealed that while most A-listers were pretty mean to reality TV contestants back then, Jennifer Love Hewitt was very different. Clarkson recalled a time when she ran into the star at an awards show and she showed her a lot of love and also gave her some great advice.
“You came up to me, ran up to me out of nowhere, and were like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm really rooting for you.' You told me, 'Please keep the ones you love so close. It'll end up being about a few people in your life, unfortunately, but this business can be really hard.' You just gave me this advice that was really kind in such an unkind time for me personally... It meant the world to me. You were so nice,” Clarkson said.