Fans don't have too much longer to wait before The Masked Singer returns her in the states. All the while, a competitor on the UK spinoff is going viral for filming his parents' reactions to his unmasking. Comedian Matt Lucas kept his participation in the series a secret from his folks. As a result, they were quite shocked, and the video of their reactions really made my day.
As it stands, TMS is set to return to Fox on January 7th as part of the 2026 TV schedule, and I'm eager to tune in. In the meantime, Matt Lucas, a former co-host of The Great British Bake Off was at home with family, eagerly awaiting them to discover he had competed on the UK version. Check out the Instagram video below, filmed inconspicuously on his laptop as they watched:
Lucas' mother can hardly believe it, and I absolutely love her response. Based on this situation, my only guess is that when you're a celebrity, it's a lot easier to keep people in the dark about when you're on set and what you're up to than it is for the average person. Even so, I'd imagine it can be a challenge to keep everyone in the dark. Even a competitor like Drew Carey a.k.a. The Llama had to tell someone he was dating that he was on Masked Singer.
Full disclosure, Matt Lucas wasn't on The Masked Singer UK nearly as long as the usual competitor. While he was suited up as Emperor Penguin, he was unmasked not long after performing, and he then joined the panel as a special guest for the episode. It was just a one-off appearance for the season, similar to how Joel McHale pops in the American version to offer his best guesses and rib Ken Jeong.
I'm sure some would've loved to see Lucas on a proper season of The Masked Singer UK but, if it's anything like the Fox version, it's quite a commitment. Celebrities who participate get paid enough to accommodate travel and lodging, but that's about it. It can be a lot of work and, sometimes, celebrities sign up without even knowing they're expected to sing, somehow.
Now, Matt Lucas' viral video has me psyched to see The Masked Singer premiere for Season 14 in the United States. This season will jump on the Wicked trend by having a Wizard of Oz night, which I can say will be enough for many people in my life to fire up their Hulu subscription to watch that one episode. That said, I would encourage everyone to watch the entire season, as 14 seasons in, the singing show remains as entertaining as it's been from the start.
The Masked Singer kicks off on Fox on Wednesday, January 7th at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'm ready to see who they got for this season, which panelist will get the most correct guesses, and who will win the Golden Mask trophy at the season's end.
