Photo: Instagram
Oh to have been a fly on the wall when she barged into the impeachment hearing.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Nov 17, 2019
As though the current House Intelligence Committee's impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine wasn't entertaining enough, New Jersey-based Pissi Myles made waves showing up to report on Wednesday's hearing in full, glorious drag.
Because sure, why not add a fabulous drag queen to the mix in the current political climate?
Who is Pissi Myles and how did she end up reporting at this week's Congressional impeachment hearings?
The self-proclaimed accomplished drag comedian, singer and hostess hails from Asbury Park, New Jersey (the same hometown paid tribute by the great Bruce Springsteen in his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, so she's in good company).
She performs regularly in NYC, Connecticut, New Jersey and Philly, and has a stellar competitive track record as the winner of cycle 4 of the Philly Drag Wars, as well as having been crowned Miss Fish NYC 2014, bestowed upon the "fishiest" drag queen in the area. For those not in the know, within the drag community, fishy is a slang term "used to describe a drag queen who looks extremely feminine, or one who convincingly resembles a cis woman."
Here are 6 fun facts to know about drag queen and reporter Pissi Myles, including how she became the most interesting turn of events so far in Trump's impeachment hearings.
1. She first garnered national attention with her viral "Babashook" video in 2017
Legend has it that sometime in 2016, Netflix inadvertently added 2014 Australian horror movie The Babadook to it's LGBTQ section. The "outting" became a popular in-joke among the LGBTQIA+ community, transforming the monster into an unwitting gay icon practically overnight.
Myles' video parady went viral, with PinkNews calling it "the ultimate anthem for everybody’s favourite meme."
Check out the video for "Babashook" below.
2. Her podcast is called "My Spooky Gay Family" for good reason
Myles and her co-host, humorist Sam Baxter, are not only both fanatic horror movie lovers, they are real life siblings!
As stated on their about us page, "We have a lot in common, from our shared love of horror movies to our Pagan beliefs, to our LGBTQ pride, and we want to talk about them with you in the funniest, most irreverent way possible. Join us in our discussions about horror, pop culture, true crime, and what it's like to be from a family where four of our five siblings are gay!"
3. She performs at gay bars throughout the Tri-State area on a frequent basis
A girl's gotta work, a girl's gotta eat, and New York City ain't cheap.
Pissi Myles performs practically non-stop in and around NYC. Just reading her calendar of gigs has us exhausted.
4. How did she end up reporting on the impeachment hearings?
"I was hired to go down as a kind of entertainer/journalist for a startup called Happs TV," Myles told one interviewer. "It's basically an open-source, live-streaming TV network online. It's all done through mobile apps. Anyone who's a contributor will have the opportunity to report on whatever news is happening in front of them.
5. Heads turned the moment she entered the Longworth House Office Building
All eyes were on Myles, thanks to her carefully chosen outfit: the bright red latex dress and equally bright blonde wig she was specifically asked to wear by Jack Bury, political director for Happs TV.
"Some people called me Ruby Giuliani," she said.
6. Sorry fellas, but she's a married lady
31-year-old Myles, whose real name is Joe D'Angio (her drag name is a play on actress Missy Pyle), is married to business partner, David Ayllon, a graphic designer, photographer and superhero afficiando whose drag queen portraits have earned rave reviews for tackling important queer narratives.
“One of the reasons I love drag so much is that as a queer person, you’re very aware of how you’re presenting. All the ways you fit in and all the ways you don’t. You butch it up when you feel you need to and let your guard down when you don’t,” he says.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.