John Lydon revealed as surprise star on ‘Masked Singer’
Former Sex Pistols frontman, John Lydon, was officially revealed to be the singer behind the Yak costume on the UK television show, The Masked Singer.
The reality singing competition, which premiered in 2020, pits celebrities against each other in wacky disguises in a bid to disguise their identities from a judging panel and a studio audience. Audiences are invited to vote for their favourite singer, and the celebrity with the least number of votes must unveil their true identity.
In an episode that aired on January 9th, the character Yak performed a rendition of Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’, after performing ‘Sex Bomb’ on an earlier episode.
Later in the show, it was revealed that Yak and another anonymous character, Monkey Business, were facing the sing-off, whereby one of the celebrities would be eliminated and forced to show their face.
After losing the sing-off, Lydon literally lost his head and was exposed to the judging panel and the general public.
In a brutal exit interview, Lydon was asked if his appearance on the show was a career highlight. He replied, “I hardly think so. For me, I hope the fun comes across.”
He continued, “Rather than going up there and doing sing-along and guessing who I am straight away, I thought, show the other side of me. An absolute funstar. I’m the court jester by nature. It’s just the way it is.”
When Lydon was asked whether he was sad to be leaving the television show, he replied stoically, “Certainly not. I think it’s been a privilege for you to have me.”
Lydon has been a prominent figure in the news lately, due to public feuding with his former bandmates, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock, which has escalated following the release of the Disney+ limited series Pistol, as well as their reunion, which saw Frank Carter replacing him on vocals.
Recently, Lydon shared that he was surprised none of his former bandmates contacted him after his wife, Nora, whom he married in 1979, died in 2023 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.
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