Michael Becker
Which ‘Masked Singer’ Alums Are Returning to the Show? Season 12 Is Bringing Back Familiar Faces
The Masked Singer is always full of surprises! In season 12, several familiar faces will be making their return to the show for some special reasons.
Who Is Returning to ‘The Masked Singer’?
In a promo for the show released on September 9, 2024, it was revealed that Joel McHale would be returning to the show. It’s becoming a Masked Singer tradition to have him on as a guest judge or commentator.
One of Ken Jeong’s best friends, Joel is a fan-favorite guest star on the show at this point. The promo revealed that comedian Nikki Glaser will also be returning. She previously competed on the show as Snowstorm in season 8 and is absolutely hilarious.
“There will be masks, there will be singing, there will be guessing,” Joel said in the promo. Nikki added, “There will be blood,” to which Joel replied, “What?”
Joel will also be one of the Masked Ambassadors this season. A Masked Ambassador is someone who has been on the show before but has a connection to one of the new contestants.
It was also revealed ahead of the season premiere that Nick Lachey would be one of the Masked Ambassadors as well. He competed and won the show as Piglet in season 5. Additionally, Dick Van Dyke was announced as one of the Masked Ambassadors. He competed as season 9’s Gnome, while Jewel, who won season 6 as Queen of Hearts, will also be making an appearance.
Showrunner Rosie Seitchik told Entertainment Weekly that Masked Ambassadors will be “presenting the new singers to us in newfangled clue packages in their premiere episodes. I’ll leave it at that for right now. But they’re basically being ushered into the season via the endorsement of an old masked singer.”
William Shatner Will Also Be Making an Appearance
The show’s promo revealed that William Shatner would be taking the stage to kick off season 12. The Star Trek legend competed as Knight in season 8 of the series.
Who Are the Season 12 ‘Masked Singer’ Judges?
As for the judging panel for season 12, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy will be joined by Rita Ora. Rita previously filled in for Nicole Scherzinger on the judging panel last season, and season 12 is no different.
Nicole spent this past summer working as a judge on the new Netflix series Building the Band with Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland and A.J. McLean.
“Building the Band is a brave and bold undertaking for all involved as we hand over power to the singers themselves to form their own band based on chemistry first,” executive producer Cat Lawson said. “With looks out of the equation, can they create a deeper connection with their bandmates? With limited bands, there are difficult decisions and heart-stopping moments along the way, but ultimately the outcome is truly amazing, with bands forming who in my opinion are worthy of the very biggest stage!”
It is not yet clear if she plans on returning to the judging panel in the future. However, we can expect there will be speculation as to whether or not she is secretly performing under one of the masks in season 12.
The Masked Singer season 12 premieres on Fox on Wednesday, September 25 from 8-9 p.m. ET.
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