Nick Cannon has a special connection to Ugly Sweater on season 11 of The Masked Singer — and he thinks he might know who’s under the costume.
“I’ll never forget giving you dating advice,” Ugly Sweater tells Cannon, 43, in Us Weekly’s exclusive clip of the Wednesday, April 17, episode of the Fox competition series. “And obviously, you didn’t forget either.”
While Cannon doesn’t share his thoughts with panelists Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy and Rita Ora, he hints that the “advice” clue tipped him off to Ugly Sweater’s identity.
“Ugly Sweater is a wild boy. We’re both wild boys. I learned from the best,” Cannon says before joking that he wants to take the prop bicycles used for the clue. “Wrap those bikes up for me backstage. I’ll take ’em home. … I love Ugly Sweater even more now. I’m definitely picking up on who this is.”
Ora, who is filling in for Nicole Scherzinger as she performs in a revival of Sunset Boulevard on London’s West End, thinks Ugly Sweater is a true professional.
“We probably have one of the best vocalists of all time right now, right here,” Ora, 33, tells her fellow panelists.
Since Ugly Sweater made his debut during the March 6 season premiere, the judges have guessed that an R&B legend is hiding under the suit. The guesses the group have tossed out include Smokey Robinson, Aaron Neville, Ronald Isley, Eddie Levert, Lionel Richie and Charlie Wilson.
Ugly Sweater has previously hinted that his significant other has been a major force in his life. “When I met my soulmate, we couldn’t be more opposite. My life was unraveling, and hers was all buttoned up,” he said in one clue package. “I was consignment; she was couture. I was on top of the charts, and she didn’t know who I was. … Sometimes unlikely pairings just work together like plaids and stripes. She built me up, one brick at a time.”
In another clue package, Ugly Sweater hinted that he hasn’t always been on top of his game when it comes to success.
“When I hit the scene as a young, handsome ugly sweater, I was the epitome of style, on top of the world. But I lost focus, and my whole world unraveled,” he explained. “I went from living in penthouses to sleeping on park benches. My life was hanging on by a thread, and, when I hit rock bottom, I realized I had to change. And I started fighting to reclaim my voice.”
Contestants unmasked so far on season 11 include Kevin Hart, Savannah Chrisley, Joe Bastianich, Billy Bush, Sisqó, Colton Underwood and DeMarcus Ware.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
