The Purple Wiggle John Pearce’s adult side hustle leaves fans shocked

He’s the purple Wiggle delighting young audiences on stage and screen. But when John Pearce isn’t wearing a purple skivvy and rhyming about science, he’s still serenading adults with his smooth voice.

According to the Daily Mail, Pearce, who joined The Wiggles in 2021, was caught on camera at a nightclub performing “Que Sera” - a track from his former role in Australian pop band Justice Crew.

Singing to an enthralled crowd and looking almost unrecognisable without his side part and purple skivvy, fans were reportedly shocked to see 31-year-old Pearce performing the iconic song.

“I don’t know how this happened but the nostalgia was real,” said a fan who posted footage to TikTok.

Others shared their surprise as the video circulated online.

Photo / TikTok

One fan of seemingly both The Wiggles and Justice Crew noted: “I love that he’s now ‘the Purple Wiggle’ but him and Lenny were part of Justice Crew before he was a Wiggle.”

While another shared: “He will forever be Justice Crew in my mind.”

It turns out it’s not the only time Pearce has revived his pop star past. Another fan revealed: “[John] and his brother sung Justice Crew songs at the Wiggles reunion tour! It was amazing.”

Pearce and his dance-pop group who shot to fame after winning season four of Australia’s Got Talent, haven’t released an album since 2014 and their last tour was in 2019.

Meanwhile, some said they could never accept Pearce as anything beyond Justice Crew. “John will forever be Justice Crew for me. The Purple Wiggle will always be Jeff.”

Another echoed her sentiment, saying: “I’m old. I read Purple Wiggle and thought Jeff.”

And when he’s not engaging with kids or giving parents a dose of nostalgia for Justice Crew, Pearce is making TikTok videos of his own including one that shows his “transformation” from a quick at-home workout to purple Wiggle-ready.

When Pearce joined The Wiggles, a statement was released noting the former personal trainer would “bring his love of getting strong and working out” to the Wiggles’ new series.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.