History of The Masked Singer (American TV series) in Timeline

The Masked Singer is an American reality singing competition on Fox, derived from the South Korean show King of Mask Singer. Celebrities perform songs in elaborate costumes and masks, concealing their identities. Hosted by Nick Cannon, the show features panelists (Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Rita Ora, Robin Thicke) who, along with an audience, guess the singers' identities based on clues. After each performance, the panelists and audience vote, and the least popular singer is eliminated and unmasked, revealing their identity.

2003: First Unscripted Series to Rank Number One Since Joe Millionaire

In 2003, The Masked Singer became the first unscripted series to rank number one in its first season since Joe Millionaire.

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2011: The Voice Premiere

In 2011, Entertainment Weekly noted that The Masked Singer was the most captivating competition series since "The Voice" premiered.

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2011: Highest-Rated Unscripted Premiere Since The X Factor

In 2011, The Masked Singer's premiere was the highest-rated for an unscripted television series in the country since The X Factor.

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2012: Most Viewed Super Bowl Lead-out Since 2012

In Canada, the post-Super Bowl LIV premiere of the third season was viewed by 2.35 million, the most for a Super Bowl lead-out in the country since 2012.

2015: King of Mask Singer Originates

In 2015, the South Korean television series King of Mask Singer originated, and it later became the basis for The Masked Singer franchise.

October 2017: Craig Plestis Discovers King of Mask Singer

In October 2017, Executive producer Craig Plestis discovered the format for The Masked Singer at a Thai restaurant in Los Angeles and decided to adapt it for American television.

January 2018: Izzie Pick Ibarra Joins The Masked Singer

In January 2018, Izzie Pick Ibarra joined The Masked Singer as executive producer and showrunner to help cast celebrities and Americanize the format.

August 2, 2018: Fox Orders The Masked Singer

On August 2, 2018, Fox officially ordered The Masked Singer series and released a trailer, marking a significant step in bringing the show to American audiences.

2018: Fox Offers Nick Cannon Hosting Opportunities

In 2018, after signing a deal with Nick Cannon, Fox offered him multiple opportunities to host or produce other television programs, before he accepted The Masked Singer concept.

2018: The Masked Singer Concludes Season as Highest-Rated New Series

The Masked Singer concluded the 2018-2019 American television season as the highest-rated new series in the key demographic of adults 18-49.

January 2, 2019: The Masked Singer Premiere on Fox

On January 2, 2019, The Masked Singer, an American reality singing competition television series, premiered on Fox. The show features celebrities singing in disguise and a panel guessing their identities.

January 2, 2019: The Masked Singer Debuts

On January 2, 2019, The Masked Singer debuted on Fox as a mid-season replacement to Star.

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January 2019: The Masked Dancer Parody

Following the premiere of The Masked Singer in January 2019, Ellen DeGeneres began conducting a parody, "The Masked Dancer", as a recurring segment on her daytime talk show.

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February 27, 2019: The Masked Singer Renewed for Season 2

A month before the season finale, on February 27, 2019, Fox renewed The Masked Singer for a second season.

March 2019: Sharon Osbourne's Panelist Role Falls Through

In March 2019, Sharon Osbourne stated she was supposed to be signed on as a panelist for The Masked Singer, but those plans fell through due to contractual obligations with The X Factor.

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May 2019: The Masked Singer Renewed for Season 3

In May 2019, during its upfronts for the 2019–2020 United States television season, Fox renewed The Masked Singer for a third season to launch as the lead-out of Super Bowl LIV.

September 25, 2019: The Masked Singer Season 2 Premieres

On September 25, 2019, The Masked Singer's second season premiered, preceded by a "Super Sneak Peek" episode.

October 2019: Costume Exhibition

From August to October 2019, selections from the first season's costumes were present at the annual "Art of Television Costume Design" exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum in Los Angeles.

December 18, 2019: Season 2 Pre-empted by 2019 World Series

Before concluding on December 18, 2019, The Masked Singer Season 2 was pre-empted for two weeks by the broadcast of the 2019 World Series.

2019: The Masked Singer Was the Eighth Most-Watched Series in Canada

During the 2019–2020 Canadian television season, The Masked Singer was the eighth most-watched series overall.

2019: The Masked Singer Named "Hottest Reality/Competition Series"

In 2019, The Masked Singer was named the "Hottest Reality/Competition Series" in the United States by Adweek.

2019: Series Premiere Ratings

In 2019, the series premiere received a 1.4 rating in the adults 18–49 demographic and about 5.5 million viewers.

January 7, 2020: The Masked Dancer Television Series Announced

On January 7, 2020, Fox Alternative Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television announced plans to broadcast "The Masked Dancer" as a television series.

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February 1, 2020: Costumes Displayed at Natural History Museum

On February 1, 2020, two costumes were displayed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County as part of a meet-and-greet promotion.

February 2, 2020: The Masked Singer Season 3 Premieres After Super Bowl LIV

On February 2, 2020, The Masked Singer's third season premiered following Super Bowl LIV.

February 2020: Live Tour Announced

In February 2020, a live tour was announced with shows in over forty American cities, featuring two celebrity hosts and a local mystery celebrity, originally scheduled for mid-2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 2020: The Masked Singer on Tubi

In April 2020, The Masked Singer became available on the American ad-supported service Tubi, quickly becoming the most-watched series on the platform.

May 20, 2020: The Masked Singer Season 3 Concludes

On May 20, 2020, The Masked Singer Season 3 culminated after a "Road to the Finals" episode aired the previous day.

July 2020: Nick Cannon's Anti-Semitic Statements

In July 2020, Nick Cannon, the host of The Masked Singer, made anti-Semitic statements that Fox initially stated "inadvertently promoted hate." Cannon apologized, and Fox accepted it. Cannon pledged to donate his first paycheck from the fourth season to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

September 23, 2020: The Masked Singer Season 4 Premieres

Following a preview episode on September 13, The Masked Singer season 4 premiered on September 23, 2020.

September 30, 2020: The Masked Singer Debuts in Australia

On September 30, 2020, The Masked Singer debuted in Australia to ratings significantly smaller than others in its timeslot, attributed to a culture barrier and well-publicized reveals.

October 2020: Official Podcast Launched

In October 2020, the show launched an official weekly podcast hosted by Bow Wow, featuring celebrity interviews, guests, and clues.

December 16, 2020: The Masked Singer Renewed for Season 5

Two weeks before the finale, on December 16, 2020, The Masked Singer was renewed for a fifth season.

December 27, 2020: The Masked Dancer Premieres

On December 27, 2020, "The Masked Dancer" television series premiered on Fox.

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2020: The Masked Singer: After the Mask Created

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on television in 2020, Fox created "The Masked Singer: After the Mask" as one of two shows produced remotely to fill the programming gap. It aired on Wednesdays following episodes of the third season.

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2020: The Masked Singer Named "Hottest Reality/Competition Series" for Second Year

In 2020, The Masked Singer was named the "Hottest Reality/Competition Series" in the United States by Adweek for the second consecutive year.

2020: I Can See Your Voice Premieres

In 2020, an American version of the South Korean game show "I Can See Your Voice" began airing on Fox, following episodes of The Masked Singer's fourth season.

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2020: Average Viewership

In 2020, the program concluded the United States television season with an average viewership of 5.29 million and an average 18–49 rating of 1.4.

2020: Increased Viewership During COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the latter half of the third season in 2020, which aired amid the COVID-19 pandemic, The Masked Singer experienced a rise in viewership compared to episodes broadcast before the outbreak.

March 10, 2021: The Masked Singer Season 5 Premieres

On March 10, 2021, The Masked Singer's fifth season premiered.

April 2021: Broadway's Masked Singer Fundraiser

In April 2021, an unofficial online fundraiser version of the show featuring Broadway performers, titled "Broadway's Masked Singer", was held in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

May 2021: Costumes Shown for Emmy Consideration

For a week in May 2021, costumes from the fifth season were shown in a West Hollywood, California storefront as part of a For Your Consideration campaign for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

May 17, 2021: The Masked Singer Renewed for Season 6

On May 17, 2021, Fox renewed The Masked Singer for a sixth season, a week before the fifth season's finale.

June 2021: Tour Plans Materializing

In June 2021, Plestis said plans were being materialized for the live tour and that he hoped it would occur in 2022.

October 2021: MaskVerse Online Community Launched

In October 2021, Fox launched an online community known as the "MaskVerse" in which users can trade mask NFTs and communicate on a Discord server.

November 1, 2021: Tour Reannounced for 2022

On November 1, 2021, the tour was reannounced for 2022, with Natasha Bedingfield as host. It later began on May 28.

2021: Ad Prices Increased for The Masked Singer

During the 2020-2021 United States television season, ad prices for The Masked Singer increased 12 percent to about $226,000 per 30 seconds.

March 9, 2022: The Masked Singer Season 7 Premieres

On March 9, 2022, The Masked Singer's seventh season premiered.

2022: Hopes for Tour

In June 2021, it was hoped that the live tour would occur in 2022.

May 15, 2023: The Masked Singer Renewed for Season 10

On May 15, 2023, it was announced that The Masked Singer was renewed for a tenth season.

May 7, 2025: The Masked Singer Skips Fall 2025, Returns January 2026

On May 7, 2025, it was announced that The Masked Singer would skip its usual fall season slot for 2025 and return with season 14 in January 2026 instead.