Colin Cowherd takes Pablo Torre to task for exposing Oz the Mentalist

Pablo Torre exposed Oz the Mentalist for not being an actual mentalist, and Colin Cowherd wonders whether the Easter Bunny might be next on his list.

Oz the Mentalist, whose real name is Oz Pearlman, is one of the hottest acts in entertainment. In recent years, Pearlman’s profile has taken off, with invitations to perform in front of sports teams, features during March Madness, appearances on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and even a recent booking to headline the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, the Pulitzer Prize winner devoted an entire investigative piece to finding out whether Pearlman is a fraud. It was met with some support from sports fans who have grown tired of seeing Pearlman show up as the predictable guest at notable events. But Cowherd seemed to think Torre’s efforts were a complete waste of time.

“We’ve gone from investigative journalism to debunking the Easter Bunny…Pablo, take a deep breath…Is Pablo’s next venture proving Penn & Teller didn’t really saw a woman in half?” – Colin Cowherd on Pablo Torre “exposing” Oz the Mentalist pic.twitter.com/nfIffh6tkS

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 21, 2026

“Is he a fraud? No, he’s a magician,” Cowherd argued. “A mentalist is a magician without the props. Both get invited to birthday parties. We’ve gone from investigative journalism to debunking the Easter Bunny. Breaking news, David Blaine didn’t really float. Pablo, take a deep breath. I love you, man. Magic isn’t some peer-reviewed medical journal…NFL coaches invite Oz the Mentalist to lighten the mood from the grind physically, mentally and emotionally of camp. He’s wildly entertaining. And we all know he’s not a mind reader. Except Joe Rogan, he’s still on the fence.”

“It’s entertainment,” Cowherd insisted. “Is Pablo’s next venture proving that Penn & Teller didn’t really saw a woman in half? Reportedly, there’s a couple whistleblower reindeers going to out Santa…I like Pablo, he’s super smart. I couldn’t get into Harvard. I can barely get into Whole Foods. But the point being is, when you win a Pulitzer, there is a certain standard you have to live by; this ain’t it.”

Maybe it wouldn’t have been more Pulitzer-worthy if Torre found out Pearlman actually is a mentalist. Because yes, everyone knows Pearlman isn’t really a mentalist. Torre knows Pearlman isn’t really a mentalist. No one should be surprised by the fact that Pearlman uses traditional tactics that magicians use instead of supernatural telepathy to read people’s minds.

But during this episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out with amateur magician Stevie Baskin, they attempted to determine whether Pearlman uses tactics in pre-show conversations that border on fraud.  This is the gist of what Torre set out to do when he launched his investigative podcast nearly three years ago. He “wanted to do stupid things seriously.” And nearly three years later, Torre is still living by that mission statement, as evidenced by his attempt to expose Oz the Mentalist.