“The Masked Singer” is back for its 11th season, but longtime fans will notice that one familiar face is missing: Nicole Scherzinger. But, worry not, it was just a scheduling conflict.
Scherzinger has sat alongside Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg since the show debuted in 2019. But on Wednesday night, pop star Rita Ora joined the panel, having previously been part of “The Masked Singer UK.” She’s also helped out on “The Voice Australia” and “The X Factor UK.”
But why was Ora tapped in? Well, she’ll be filling Scherzinger’s spot this season because the Pussycat Dolls singer starred in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” last year. Performances began back in September 2023, and the show ran for 16 weeks.
Unfortunately for Scherzinger, the musical coincided with filming for the Fox singing competition, which also began in September. That means fans won’t see her at all during Season 11 of the show.
However, it hasn’t been officially confirmed whether Scherzinger will return for Season 12 just yet.
In the meantime, Thicke, Jeong and McCarthy-Wahlberg are welcoming Ora with open arms. You can watch a sneak peek at Season 11 of “The Masked Singer” here.
“The Masked Singer” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
Leave a Reply