SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer, including the identity of Cuddle Monster.
The only times Cuddle Monster sings are in the shower and on The Masked Singer stage.
“I’m not a great singer. So I really had a good time getting some tips so I can carry some notes because… I wanted to at least have some fun,” the NBA champ told Deadline, explaining he was instructed to sing from his gut and scrunching his nose to reach certain notes. “When I got the tips, I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool. I can actually perform a little bit better than I would have without [them].’ So from that perspective, it was fun.”
If you’ve read this far then you’re probably ready to know that Cuddle Monster is none other than Metta World Peace.
The former basketball player, who notched 19 seasons for six NBA teams including the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, became interested in the show after he saw another basketball legend compete.
“I saw Dwight Howard on it [in Season 6]. That was kind of the first time I was introduced to it,” he said.
This isn’t World Peace’s first foray into reality competition series. He’s taken the ballroom floor on Dancing With The Stars, traversed the jungle in Beyond the Edge, played mind games in the Celebrity Big Brother house, and even pretended to sing in Lip Sync Battle. Still, the nerves set in a but when he stepped on stage for The Masked Singer, “mainly because I’m not doing reality shows anymore.”
For World Peace, the show was a chance to “give it one more shot and then call it a career.”
While his time on The Masked Singer was short-lived, he certainly made an impression with his massive, adorable, pink and, well, cuddly costume — which was somehow both his favorite and most challenging part of competing.
“I had to get some massages on my back. It was really heavy,” he explained. “But other than that, it was a fun experience.”
As his name would suggest, World Peace was also just really excited about being able to get the audience going and spread positivity with his renditions of “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids On The Block and “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.
“That’s something I always kind of wanted to do,” he said.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
