Illusionist David Copperfield reveals plans to make the moon disappear

David Copperfield has announced his plans to make the moon disappear.

The legendary illusionist, 67, appeared on the Today show on Friday 27 October, where he revealed his next trick. “I’m going to make the moon disappear,” he said.

The world’s highest-paid magician, who has an estimated net worth of $1bn, explained that his plans to make the moon disappear have been 30 years in the making. While it may seem like an impossible feat, Copperfield said that it’s all for a good cause.

“It’s taken 30 years of work, that’s literally 30 years of our lives to develop it,” he told Today, while speaking from Las Vegas. “There’s multiple methods to make it work and I’m collaborating with Save the Children, an amazing organisation to show the world the difference one person can make.”

He continued: “If one person can make the moon disappear from the sky, imagine how together we can make poverty and hunger and danger disappear for our children on Earth.”

Copperfield revealed that rehearsals for the event have been “going well”, and he’s on track to pull off the stunt in February 2024. “They’re going well,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been testing them the past few months and people have reported seeing strange things in the sky at night, all around the country.

The magician also encouraged his fans to reach out to him on his social media accounts if they see “anything weird up in the sky”. In addition, Copperfield will be holding a contest for people to “win a chance to see the moon vanish live and in person”. He explained that details for the stunning sky-event will be revealed “over the next few months” on his socials.

This isn’t the first time the American illusionist has attempted a jaw-dropping magic trick. Copperfield began his career in 1977 hosting a magic special on ABC, titled The Magic of ABC. He later starred in several The Magic of David Copperfield specials on CBS between 1978 and 2001, for a total of 18 television specials and two documentaries.

Some of his most famous illusions include the disappearance of a Lear jet, the vanishing of the Statue of Liberty, levitating over the Grand Canyon, walking through the Great Wall of China, escaping from Alcatraz prison, the disappearance of an Orient Express dining car, and flying on stage for several minutes.

In 1983, Copperfield invited a live audience of 20 tourists to Liberty Island in New York City, where the Statue of Liberty stands today. For the trick, he lowered a curtain to reveal the spot where the iconic statue once stood was empty. Copperfield then raised the curtain again, and when it dropped the Statue of Liberty was back in its original place.

He holds 11 Guinness World Records, including most magic shows performed in a year and highest career earnings as a magician.

Copperfield was previously engaged to supermodel Claudia Schiffer for six years. He popped the question in January 1994, but they called things off in September 1999. In February 2010, he welcomed his daughter, Sky, with current girlfriend Chloé Gosselin, a French fashion model 28 years his junior. Copperfield - whose real name is David Seth Kotkin - has two other children, a son named Dylan Jacob Kotkin and a daughter, Audrey Anna Kotkin.