Before The Masked Singer returns with new episodes, here’s a sneak peek at the beloved Fox reality show:
Nicole Scherzinger will not appear in Season 12.
Of course, as viewers of the show know well, the former Pussycat Dolls member was also absent from Season 11.
Now that she’s agreed to star in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway later this year (an impressive feat!), Entertainment Weekly confirms that Rita Ora will once again replace Scherzinger on the show. in the group.
The British singer-songwriter took over the same role last season and will once again join forces with series regulars Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Walhberg, Robin Thicke and host Nick Cannon.
To be clear, no casting decisions have been made beyond Season 12, and Entertainment Weekly stressed that the door is “open” for Scherzinger to return at some point.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Scherzinger initially exited “The Masked Singer” after ten seasons and landed the lead role in “Sunset Boulevard” in London’s West End.
Her performance won her an Olivier Award (the British equivalent of the Tony Awards) for Best Actress in a Musical.
Now, as previously mentioned, the artist will be taking the character to Broadway—shows will begin on September 28th, with an official opening on October 20th.
Before Season 10 began, Scherzinger sounded very keen to stay on The Masked Singer as long as the producers wanted to.
“Oh my god, I would love to, are you kidding me?” she told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “I love my [Masked Singer] family. This is a great job. Are you kidding me? I like it. Yes.
As for Ola?
She was actually a member of the British version of The Masked Singer for five seasons.
Before season 11 began, the same publication asked Ora if she would be willing to film more seasons in the United States, if the opportunity arose.
“I would love [that],” she told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “I had a great experience, yeah, who knew? I’m really grateful that they had me on this show. I loved it. It was so much fun.
Fox has not yet announced a premiere date for The Masked Singer Season 12, but it is expected to begin later this fall.
