Well, it’s official: the internet’s favourite mystery man, Peggy Sue, is about to have his voice (kind of) heard. TikTok’s own Kayla Jade aka BlueEyed Kayla Jade — yes, the Gold Coast’s queen of “candid confessions” — is prepping for what might be the most anticipated podcast episode ever.
In her latest TikTok, Kayla Jade let her followers in on the chaos:
“You guys, we effing did it. I’m literally on my way to film a podcast episode with the most requested person on my page, my client, Peggy Sue,” she said excitedly.
“Still can’t believe he agreed to this. Do I have like, a producer or an engineer in the room? No. He’s asked me to do it all solo, so I’m kind of freaking out.”
Who is Peggy Sue?
If you’ve somehow missed the lore, “Peggy Sue” isn’t just a Buddy Holly song or a 1986 time-travel flick. In Kayla Jade’s world, Peggy Sue is the code name for her most infamous client — a high-profile bloke who, according to Kayla, pays thousands for her, uh, specialist services. The details are always delivered with a wink and a nudge, but the running gag is that Peggy Sue is into things that would make your grandma’s pearls shatter.
The name itself is a nod to the “Peggy Sue” trope — a reference to the film Peggy Sue Got Married, where a woman wakes up in her own past, knowledge intact, and gets a shot at changing her life.
But in TikTok land, “Peggy Sue” is less about time travel and more about, well, pegging. The internet is nothing if not creative.
Why does everyone think Peggy Sue is Peter Dutton?
The hints that we’ve gotten from Kayla include that Peggy Sue of course likes to be pegged, specifically with everyday objects from cucumbers to sneaker shaped candles.
We also know that he is a “man of power in the workplace” who can afford to pay Kayla thousands for her services.
The rumour mill, fuelled by TikTok comments and a healthy dose of political mischief, has latched onto the idea that Peggy Sue is none other than former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. It started as a tongue-in-cheek meme, thanks in part to creators like Holly MacAlpine, who encouraged her followers to spam Dutton’s socials with “Peggy Sue” comments. For a hot minute, every post on his feed was flooded with references, until his media team presumably hit the panic button and cleaned house.
Some fans have speculated that Peggy Sue is fake. TikToker, @chlo13515, said “Don’t get me wrong I love Kayla Jade, but I think [Peggy Sue] is fake or he was real in the beginning — like he was a real person — and now she’s going along with it because everyone loves him.”
The power of Peggy Sue
No matter if Peggy Sue is real or not, the speculation of who it could be was actually a powerful tool young women have used to make their voices heard in the election this year.
Even MP Julian Hill joined in on the action, posting a TikTok in February where he claimed, “Australians have Peter Dutton pegged. He tries to hide it, but people aren’t fooled by the new fake smile,” before going on to talk about his policies.
The social media team needs a raise immediately, if not, sooner.
McAlpine did clarify on the LISTNR Newsroom that she doesn’t think that Peter Dutton is actually Peggy Sue.
“We all know it’s satire, we all know it’s tongue and cheek, but it’s definitely a harmless way of the younger demographic being able to express a level of frustration with Dutton.”
It’s a meme, not a manifesto, but it’s managed to wedge itself into the national conversation.
As Crystal Andrews wrote for Crikey, “There’s at least one group of young voters taking great satisfaction at presumably having forced someone in Dutton’s office to explain the references to Ms Sue. It’s sending a message, Game of Thrones-style: Young women want Dutton to know it was them.”
So is there any concrete evidence Peggy Sue is Peter Dutton? No. Are we suggesting he could be? Also no. But who will let literally thousands of comments — and one rogue Labor staffer’s TikTok video — get in the way of a good story?
What’s next for Peggy Sue?
Kayla Jade is promising to vlog the whole podcast recording experience and already prepping for a night of chaos.
“I’m gonna try to vlog the whole thing so i’ll take you guys wit me as much as I can,” she said.
“I have no idea how this is gonna go, like anything could happen in this episode.”
Kayla has teased that Peggy Sue was “more unhinged than [she] could have prepared for” and I can’t wait for the episode to drop!
Will we finally learn Peggy Sue’s true identity? Will Peter Dutton ever be able to check his Instagram comments in peace? Only time — and Kayla’s post-production skills — will tell.
Stay tuned, and maybe keep your candles in a safe place.
Lead image: TikTok
