The Masked Singer (abbreviated as TMS ) is an American reality singing competition television series that premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019. It is part of the Masked Singer franchise that originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer, which features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. Hosted by Nick Cannon, the program employs panelists who guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided to them throughout each season. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Rita Ora, Robin Thicke, and previously Nicole Scherzinger appear in each episode and vote alongside an audience for their favorite singer after all performances have concluded. The first least popular is eliminated, taking off their mask to reveal their identity.

To prevent their identities from being revealed before each pre-recorded episode is broadcast, the program makes extensive use of code names, disguises, non-disclosure agreements, and a team of security guards. While television critics have had mixed reviews for the series and particularly negative opinions of its panelists, the costumes have attracted praise. Inspired by haute couture, they were designed in the first six seasons by Marina Toybina, who won a Costume Designers Guild Award and two Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Other production staff won or received nominations for various labor union awards, and the show has won or been nominated for awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Critics Choice Association, and Hollywood Critics Association.

The first five seasons received the highest Nielsen ratings for a non-sports program in the key demographic of adults 18–49. Two spin-offs—an aftershow and a dance version, The Masked Dancer—followed as a result. The growth of the Masked Singer franchise has been credited to the show's success, as has an interest in adapting similar South Korean reality television series and other television formats centered on costumes. Media and merchandise associated with the series includes a podcast, clothing, accessories, NFTs, and a stage show.

The show's fourteenth season aired January–April 2026. In May 2026, the show was renewed for a fifteenth season.

Format Each season of The Masked Singer features a group of celebrity contestants. In a typical episode, four to six contestants anonymously in costume each sing a 90-second cover for panelists and an audience. Hints to their identities—known as the "clue package"—are given before and occasionally after each performs. The perennial format is a taped interview with a celebrity's electronically masked voice narrating a video showing cryptic allusions to what they are known for. During screenings of the clue packages, after performances, and before an elimination, the panelists are given time to speculate on each singer's identity out loud and write comments in note binders. They may ask questions and the host may offer additional clues. After performances conclude, the audience and panelists vote for their favorite singer using an electronic device. The show uses a weighted voting system; panelists' and audience members' votes are worth 50percent each and combined to form a score. The least popular contestant then takes off their mask to reveal their identity. This process of elimination continues for a set number of episodes until three contestants remain in the season finale, and one is declared the winner after they perform again. The "Golden Mask" trophy is awarded as a prize.

Voting does not occur for certain performances; contestants in an episode might occasionally sing as a group, and each episode concludes with the eliminated celebrity singing an encore unmasked. Occasionally, the eliminated celebrity sings their signature song unmasked. To continue attracting viewers, producers often modify the format each season. Except in the first, fifth and sixth seasons, a "smackdown" round is featured in select episodes in which the two least popular competitors from their first performances sing one after another on the same stage, and a second, eliminating vote occurs. Since the second season, the contestants are initially divided and only compete in a designated subgroup. A "Golden Ear" trophy awarded to the panelist with the most correct first impression guesses at the end of a season was introduced for the fourth, and until the sixth, as was a reduction of performances and the audience viewing and voting remotely. These elements continued in the fifth seasons, and "wildcard" contestants who perform at the end of certain episodes competed for the first time.

Panelists and host The permanent panel consists of actor and comedian Ken Jeong, television personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, recording artist Nicole Scherzinger until season 10, and singer-songwriter Robin Thicke. A guest occasionally appears as a fifth panelist during an episode; Joel McHale has served as a guest panelist in almost every season,

and previous seasons' winners have appeared.

Nick Cannon hosts the show; his role was considered unclear in July 2020 after making anti-Semitic statements Fox said "inadvertently promoted hate". The network accepted Cannon's apology, and he pledged to donate his first paycheck from the fourth season to the Simon Wiesenthal Center after visiting with its officials. Niecy Nash acted as guest host for the first five episodes of the fifth season after Cannon tested positive for COVID-19. Recording artist Rita Ora, a panelist on the British version of the show, has substituted for Scherzinger since the eleventh season while Scherzinger appeared in the West End and Broadway revivals of Sunset Boulevard.

Production Conception and development

The Masked Singer is based on the 2015 South Korean television series King of Mask Singer, which is the originator of the Masked Singer franchise. Executive producer Craig Plestis noticed the format in October2017 at a Thai restaurant in Los Angeles. While waiting for dinner, he observed the other patrons staring at a television playing an episode of the Thai version of the show. Intrigued, Plestis researched the series online and contacted an executive of MBC America, a subsidiary of the producer and broadcaster of the South Korean program, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). With the help of his agent, Steve Wohl of Paradigm Talent Agency, Plestis secured the rights to produce an American adaptation from the company. Following the creation of a showreel, he pitched the series to several outlets, all of whom rejected the idea. Plestis then met with Fox executive Rob Wade who said he "responded ... right away" to the concept and considered its uniqueness among celebrity singing competitions a strength. After successfully pitching the program under the condition A-list celebrities participate, Plestis began developing it in November.

In January2018, executive producer and showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra became involved to help cast celebrities and Americanize the format. While The Masked Singer retains elements of the South Korean version, the structure and style are different. Rather than follow a tournament process in which singers perform against each other in multiple rounds, with the winner of the final round facing the previous episode's champion in an attempt to become the new "Mask King", Pick Ibarra opted to produce one elimination per episode, emphasize the clue package and guessing components, and have the celebrities wear more extravagant costumes. Plestis agreed, wanting to create a story arc throughout the episodes and—unlike the South Korean show—reuse the costumes. During performances, the production value is emphasized rather than panelists guessing which celebrity is singing.

On August2, 2018, Fox ordered the series and released a trailer. Endemol Shine North America produced the first season due to Plestis' relationship with the studio. Following it, production transitioned to a new in-house studio, Fox Alternative Entertainment, which is more financially favorable for the network. Since the second and third seasons, respectively, Rosie Seitchik and Cannon have served as executive producers alongside Plestis. Pick Ibarra exited the series following the third and James Breen assumed her roles in subsequent seasons. Season 2 executive producers: Season 3 executive producers: Season 4 executive producers: Numerous production and format changes were implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and testing and safety requirements increased the show's budget.

In May 2026, it was reported that Fox would be subcontracting production to Fremantle-owned Eureka Productions beginning with season 15. It was also reported that Eureka intended to relocate production from Los Angeles to New Jersey to take advantage of local tax credits for television production, and also enhance its ability to book New York City-based talent to appear on the show. It was later revealed that filming would relocate to the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Casting Since signing a deal with him in 2018, Fox offered Cannon multiple opportunities to host or produce other television programs, though none interested him. After being fascinated by the Masked Singer concept when presented with it, Cannon joined the show, believing it was "either going to be a huge failure or a huge hit". Pick Ibarra cited him as her number one choice for the role because of his personality and experience. Regarding the panelists, she said the production team was less concerned with selecting those with an ability to critique participants' singing abilities than creating a comedic tone for the series as one of their goals was to reassure celebrities they would not be ridiculed for appearing. Jeong was the first panelist to be signed on due to his humour and pre-existing knowledge of the South Korean version, followed by McCarthy Wahlberg and Thicke because of their enthusiasm regarding the concept, and Scherzinger for her positivity and experience as a singer. According to Plestis, he "only wanted [to cast] people who loved the program, not people who wanted to work on [it]". Unsure whether it would last more than one season, Jeong originally considered The Masked Singer a temporary job while he looked for a permanent role following the cancellation of his sitcom Dr. Ken. Thicke later questioned whether he would have taken the role "if [he had] still been 1 on the radio" and Scherzinger said she signed on to the show the day before filming began. In March2019, Sharon Osbourne stated she was supposed to be signed on as a panelist, claiming those plans fell through when she was being contractually obligated to appear as a judge on The X Factor.

The show's producers reach out to celebrities via agents or vice versa. Wade said producers' goal is to cast celebrities of varying ages, genders, and backgrounds to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. In addition to "super big names", they prefer lesser-known celebrities because it is harder to guess them. To surprise viewers with an unknown talent when unmasked, those who are not professional singers are desired, though some must send producers recordings of them singing as a quasi-audition. All are given questionnaires before competing and asked if they have claustrophobia. Due to her strategy of sending potential participants sketches of costumes that might be featured, Pick Ibarra said casting for the first season "was not nearly as hard as [she] anticipated", though several celebrities were reluctant to compete. Following its success, an increased number were interested in participating in the second. By the third, Plestis said casting became "a lot easier".

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