‘Masked Singer’ finalist revealed a heartbreaking reason behind joining the show: 'Grieving a little...'
‘The Masked Singer’ often stuns audiences with its surprise unmaskings. However, in December 2023, fans were moved when Donut was revealed to be 'Dukes of Hazzard' actor and singer John Schneider. Throughout the season, Schneider often brought the judges to tears, and his final performance was no exception. Donut performed Joe Cocker's ‘You Are So Beautiful’ and Dobie Gray's 'Drift Away.' Before his reveal, the singer opened up about his personal life and how 'The Masked Singer' helped him get over the loss. Schneider’s wife, Alicia Allain Schneider, died in February 2023 at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer.
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Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Schneider said that he chose to be on the show for his late wife. “It was one of the shows that Alicia wanted me to do. She's the one that got me on Dancing With the Stars, and she said, next, it's going to be Masked Singer.” The actor also believed that Alicia had something to do with his stint on ‘The Masked Singer.’ “I really think that somehow she put a bee in somebody's bonnet, and there I wound up on 'The Masked Singer.' I know that she enjoyed it,” the actor from ‘To Die For’ stated, adding, “I think I'm going to usher in a whole new area of healing because people have said that they feel better for having heard what I was talking about on the show.”
He called his time on the show “a wonderful experience” and admitted he wished he had joined earlier. However, for him, it was a perfect time to be on ‘The Masked Singer.’ Talking about his healing journey, Schneider expressed, “I tell you, watching the judges respond to the story and to the songs, that, for me, was the most healing part of it.” In a December 2023 interview with People, Schinder stated, "What an amazing opportunity to be able to honor Alicia, to be able to honor people who are grieving, maybe educate people who are grieving a little bit, in front of millions of people." The highly talented personality further added that when the producers asked him to be a Donut on the show, it was a sign that his late wife was still running things for him. “Every Saturday, Alicia would go down to our local donut store, get me a bag of apple fritters. And I would eat one, only one, but donuts had been part of my life,” he went on to recall.
Donut was the runner-up of the show and lost the title to R&B singer Ne-Yo, who was seen dressed as a Cow. For the finale performance, Ne-yo performed ‘Take a Bow’ by Rihanna. Ne-Yo was the runner-up of Season Two of ‘The Masked Singer’ U.K. During his stint on the 2020 reality show, the ‘She Knows’ singer had dressed as a Badger.