Justin Willman was born on July 11, 1980, in St. Louis, Missouri, and discovered his passion for magic at a young age under unusual circumstances. After an accident left him with broken arms, a doctor suggested that he learn card tricks to supplement his physical therapy. He mastered his first trick at the dinner table and never stopped. He built his act performing on the St. Louis birthday party circuit while still in his teens.

Willman eventually relocated to Los Angeles and built a television hosting career alongside his magic work. He hosted Cupcake Wars, Halloween Wars, and King of Cones on Food Network and Win, Lose or Draw on Disney. He also made regular appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Conan.

In 2015, his debut comedy-magic special Sleight of Mouth premiered on Comedy Central. This was followed by Netflix’s Magic for Humans (2018), his critically acclaimed series blending street magic with social experiments. The show ran for three seasons through May 2020. In 2024, Netflix released its follow-up, The Magic Prank Show, a large-scale hidden-camera prank series. His live special Magic Lover premiered on Netflix on June 17, 2025, filmed at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.