Why ITV Royal Variety star Penn Jillette always paints his left-hand ring finger red

Magicians Penn and Teller will be hoping to dazzle King Charles with their act at The Royal Variety Performance tonight, but keep your eyes peeled and you might notice Penn Jillette has one of his fingernails painted bright red. The 69-year-old has often sparked intrigue among fans with the style statement since their rise to fame in the '80s.

Plenty have speculated that it could be part of his trickery or just a fashion statement, but as Penn disclosed in 2012 the meaning is far more heartfelt. "People asking about my red fingernail," he once took to Twitter, now X, to explain.

"It's for my mom. I wear my dad's ring and my mom's nail polish. It reminds me of them. Momma's boy."

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Penn revealed that his late mum thought it was very important for people to have neat hands to engage an audience, as reported by the New York Post.

His mum Valda passed away in 2000. He paid tribute at the time, saying: "My mother was everything to me. My mother and I were the same person - no doubt about it.

"She was a little old lady; I was a big hippie. We were the same person. All the important decisions made in my life, before she died, were run by my mom."

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Penn shared that he was always "proud" of both parents, emphasising they both "loved him" and had a deep love for one another.