‘The Masked Singer’ spoilers: Ant unmasks and calls out her ‘ex-boss,’ who’s ‘in prison now’
Warning: this story contains spoilers from the Feb. 26 episode of The Masked Singer. Read at your own risk!
After three knock-out weeks on The Masked Singer, Ant was burnt by the magnifying glass of life when she was eliminated on Wednesday night, revealing singer and entertainer Aubrey O'Day. "It's been a year, Nick," she told host Nick Cannon after unmasking. "I just feel truly grateful to be among so many beautiful people, such wonderful judges. You guys are such a positive, loving group."
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The former Danity Kane girl group member went on to explain, "My ex-boss — I'll go there — he calls himself Love. He legally titled himself that and he uses the Love heart to express that everywhere he goes. He's in prison now. And I just want to say to you guys, the Love heart is now here." O'Day was referring to her former mentor P. Diddy, who was arrested in 2024 on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Ant made her debut on the Feb. 12 episode of Season 13 as a member of Group A. The cute critter's first song on Fox's reality TV show was "Just Give Me a Reason" by Pink, and she had the four panelists (Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora) guessing such famous names as Lea Michele, Lindsay Lohan, Kesha, and Ashanti. For her second performance she sang "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry, which had the panelists adding Evan Rachel Wood into the mix. For her third and final week, she belted out "Fever" by Peggy Lee and the judges thought she might be Aubrey O'Day (yep), Mel B, and Charli XCX.
Gold Derby's initial guess for Ant was Kesha, but after reevaluating the clues, we changed our tune last week to O'Day. Take a look at all of the clues that pointed in her direction:
Audio Clues
Here is what Ant had to say about herself: "Why am I an ant? The thing about ants is that they're small and mighty. And did you know, they can carry over 50 times their body weight? But just because you can carry a heavy burden, doesn't mean you should have to. I've been forced to bear a deep, dark secret for my entire career. And because of this secret, powerful people tried to erase me, to brush me off, to stomp me out. The weight of it broke my spirit — broke me. But recently, I made a decision. I could stay broken, or I could be a warrior. That's the reason I'm here. To fight for my voice, to be heard, and, like any ant, march toward real change."
O'Day is the ultimate fighter, having been one of the earliest to speak out about abuse she faced from her former boss, Diddy, who has since been arrested and charged with several crimes. O'Day was signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records with her girl group, Danity Kane, who got their start on the fallen music mogul's MTV show Making the Band in 2005.
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Visual Clues
On-screen hints during Ant's video package include the following: a dollhouse, a candelabra, a tree with a red X, and a purple wizard's hat. Danity Kane's second album was titled Welcome to the Dollhouse (2008). The red X could be a reference to her appearance on Season 3 of the reality show Ex on the Beach. That wizard hat may be a clue about her playing Dorothy in a production of The Wizard of Oz.
On "Shrek Night," Ant was seen grabbing a bottle of hairspray. O'Day made her Broadway debut in 2008 playing Tracy Turnblad's stuck-up arch-enemy, Amber Von Tussle, in the musical Hairspray.
In-Person Clues
Following her performance of "Just Give Me a Reason," Ant revealed: "I'm really here on stage tonight for all the survivors. I see you. Anyone that has had to endure, I see you, I support you. Together, no one will ever stomp us out." O'Day continues her fight to inspire women to speak up about abuse and she's appeared on various talk shows and podcasts detailing her own struggles.
Following her performance of "Wide Awake" she revealed, "My golden voice got me two certified platinums!" Danity Kane's self-titled debut album went platinum in 2006. The group received their second platinum status with the single "Damaged" in 2008. It should also be noted that Ant has a candy cane in her hat — a clear reference to Danity Kane.
Her on-stage clue on "Rat Pack Night" was a moon man, to which Ant responded, "I don't live where the moon man lives, but wherever he landed was where I got a huge start in my career." Danity Kane won two MTV Awards (the trophy is shaped like a moon man) in 2008 for the "Damaged" pop video.
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