Piff the Magic Dragon, aka John van der Put, became the focus of an episode of Queer Eye thanks to his partner on and off the stage, Jade Simone.
The latest season of the series includes an episode called “Poof Goes Piff!” and centers around getting the man behind the dragon spiffed up for the 2023 Academy of Magical Arts award ceremony, where he was honored as the Magician of the Year.
For those unfamiliar with Queer Eye, the show features five queer hosts who give makeovers to schlubby heterosexual guys nominated by their loved ones. The Fab Five were on form. “I love a magic show,” the fashion guru Tan says at one point in the episode. “I’ve never been to one before in my life, but I’m excited.”
Jade was the one who nominated Piff/John, and we see her love get a new wardrobe and haircut, and even take the stage with the dancers from Magic Mike in the lead-up to the three of them— John, Jade and Mr. Piffles—heading to Los Angeles for the AMA Awards. The episode ends with excerpts from John’s acceptance speech at the award ceremony (an event—a room full of magicians— that one of the Five calls “kind of my worst nightmare”) and includes another surprise that I won’t spoil here.
Season Nine of Queer Eye, which includes the “Poof Goes Piff!” episode, is currently streaming on Netflix.
