Ken Jeong got a 'Masked Singer' guess right for the first time — and we’re as surprised as you are
It seems like Ken Jeong has improved his guessing skills over the years! During a February 2023 episode of 'The Masked Singer' Season 9, Jeong was left stunned after he managed to guess the celebrity hiding under the Rock Lobster costume. At the time, Jeong was the only one who guessed the secret celebrity was 'America's Got Talent' judge Howie Mandel. On the other hand, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger thought it was 'Only Murders in the Building' star Martin Short, meanwhile, Robin Thicke went with famous comedian Steve-O.
When Mandel was unmasked on the Fox singing show, a surprised Jeong jumped upon the panel desk and said, "Oh my gosh! I never get anything right! I got one!" In the episode, Jeong picked Mandel due to two particular clues. The first clue was the judge's gavel, which was a subtle nod to Mandel's recurring stint on the NBC talent competition 'America's Got Talent', and the second clue was hospital scrubs, which referred to Mandel's role on the beloved show 'St.Elsewhere', For the unversed, Mandel played the role of Dr. Wayne Fiscus in the medical drama series.
As per Gold Derby, after Mandel sang a rendition of 'S.O.S.' by ABBA, Jeong went on to say, “This is someone who is a legendary comedian — someone who is one of my influences." Throughout his entire performance, Mandel was seen running all over the stage. The studio audience and the panelists praised Jeong after he guessed that it was Mandel behind the Rock Lobster costume. Nick Cannon, the show's host, even exclaimed, "For once, Ken Jeong has a good guess!”
Once the episode dropped, fans of the show were also taken aback when Jeong guessed that the crustacean was Mandel. One social media user stopped by the comments and wrote, "First, Ken got one right in the 2nd episode of the new season! Wow! Howie had fun, loved his costume!" Followed by a second user who penned, "Can't believe Ken got it right, he usually guesses people wrong." Another netizen went on to say, "I was so happy to be proven wrong because this was one of the funniest characters I’ve seen, I watch AGT, I’ve seen Gremlins…. and I’m just happy Ken got another one right." A user chimed in, "Masked or Unmasked, he's quite perfect from the X Factor! Ken Jeong got the point!"
In a conversation with People magazine following his elimination, Mandel quipped, "I'm disappointed I didn't make it all the way to the finale. I did a lot of preparation, and I felt that my voice and my moves were a gift. And the gift was returned." When Mandel was asked why he decided to appear on 'The Masked Singer', he replied, "I wanted to sing, I wanted to dance, I wanted to share. I hope people smile. But I hope they realized, "Hey, he's so much more than just a judge. He's so much more than just a host. That man can move. That man can sing. That man is the whole package." I took it very seriously. The night before, I bathed in hot butter just [to] get into character."