Fox is currently showing Season 5 of The Masked Singer. From its contestants to its judges — and even its presenter — the hit reality competition show attracts all kinds of talent. However, Nick Cannon was absent during the early 2021 season’s first few episodes. Will he return, and why did he leave the show?
‘The Masked Singer,’ hosted by Nick Cannon
In January of this year, Fox debuted The Masked Singer. The musical reality competition show, which is based on a South Korean programme of the same name, takes the traditional concept and adds a twist: no one knows who the singers are beneath the extravagant costumes. The panellists must instead make educated guesses based on clues.
The show was a tremendous hit right away. Contestants include musicians such as Gladys Knight and Bow Wow, as well as figures from other fields of entertainment such as Tony Hawk, a skateboarder, and Tom Bergeron, a TV personality. Cannon hosts The Masked Singer, in addition to its notable panellists.
In 2020, it was suggested that he be dismissed.
Cannon made news for a different reason between Seasons 3 and 4 of The Masked Singer. Professor Griff (previously of the hip hop group Public Enemy) was interviewed for a July 2020 episode of his podcast, Cannon’s Class, concerning past anti-Semitic statements. Cannon faced flak after agreeing with some of them.
Cannon was sacked from ViacomCBS’s sketch competition show Wild’ N Out, which was recently relaunched. The Masked Singer’s followers urged that Fox do the same. Cannon, on the other hand, issued an apology, which was accepted by the network, and he went on to anchor season 4 of the show.
In early 2021, Cannon did not appear on ‘The Masked Singer.’
The Masked Singer didn’t have Canon as host when it returned for its fifth season in March 2021. Niecy Nash, a previous guest panellist, stepped in to take his place. He wasn’t there for a reason that had nothing to do with his inflammatory remarks from a few months ago.
“The Masked Singer presenter Nick Cannon has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus,” Variety said in February 2020. “This means he won’t be seen in at least the first few episodes of the hit Fox reality show’s fifth season.” The magazine went on to say, “Cannon is currently in quarantine and resting.”
In April 2021, he made a comeback as ‘The Masked Singer.’
Season 5 of The Masked Singer included a new feature: wildcards, in addition to a new host. Following the elimination of a contestant, a new wildcard is introduced. That participant appeared in a bulldog costume in the fifth show, which aired on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
They removed their disguise when the Bulldog was eliminated, revealing Cannon himself beneath. Though he joked that he was “kicked from the show,” it’s for a good reason: he’ll be taking over as host from Nash starting with the April 14 edition.