PoliticsMentalist Oz Pearlman Reveals What Was Written on the Paper He Showed Melania Trump and Karoline Leavitt Before WHCD Shooting

Mentalist Oz Pearlman explained his shocking reveal to Melania Trump and Karoline Leavitt before gunshots and chaos ensued at WHCD.
April 27 2026, Published 11:22 a.m. ET
Mentalist Oz Pearlman, the headliner at the now-infamous White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, revealed a name on a piece of paper he showed to Karoline Leavitt and Melania Trump, which appeared to shock the first lady before the dinner was canceled due to gunshots.
According to Pearlman, a well-known mentalist who has appeared on America's Got Talent and frequently performs mind-reading demonstrations for celebrities and high-profile individuals, who detailed the experience on CNN's State of the Union, the reveal was part of a close-up mind-reading trick performed at the head table shortly before a security breach occurred.
Pearlman had asked the 28-year-old White House press secretary to think of the name of her soon-to-be-born child.

Oz Pearlman was the entertainer at the WHCD.
Pearlman was in the process of guessing the name letter by letter on a notepad when the FLOTUS suggested involving President Donald Trump.
“Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, said, ‘Challenge me. I’m having a baby next week.’ We were talking about it because we both have children, and she goes, ‘Can you guess what I’m naming my daughter?’ And so this was happening backstage. We were interrupted because the president walked in. And so I said, ‘Let’s save it for when we get up on the dais,’” he explained.

The mentalist wrote down a name on a piece of paper and showed it to Melania Trump.
Oz wrote down the name "Vivian" on a piece of paper and held it up to the table.
Just as the reveal was taking place, Melania reacted with shock, and the Secret Service began moving to secure the room due to an active shooter incident outside the ballroom.
“I was coming to say hello to the president and to the first lady, and I was guessing letter by letter how many letters were in [Karoline’s unborn child’s] name. Then, right at the moment you see it happen, I wrote down the name and said, ‘How did I do?’ And I turned around, and that’s when you see the first lady go, ‘Oh! Is that the name?'" Pearlman explained.
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Karoline Leavitt began her maternity leave on Friday, April 24.
“I believe the name is Vivian. So yeah, that’s what I guessed,” he said.
Karoline officially began her maternity leave on Friday, April 24, as she prepares for the birth of her second child, a baby girl, due in early May.

The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended after firing shots near a security checkpoint.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended after firing shots near a security checkpoint; one Secret Service officer was saved by their ballistic vest.
Oz confirmed in interviews with The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter that he has been invited back for a rescheduled event.

