Ken Jeong Gets Emotional as David Archuleta Gets Unmasked in Tear-Filled Finale
The Season 9 finale of "The Masked Singer" which aired on Fox on Wednesday, May 17, witnessed Macaw and Medusa engaging in an intense battle as they sang for first-place boasting privileges and the Golden Mask trophy. Host Nick Cannon declared the winner of the contest at the end of the episode, and it was everyone's favorite serpent queen "Medusa" who won.
Medusa was one of the first entertainers of the show and was protected by the bell in her group. On the other hand, Macaw was the winner of group two and effortlessly overpowered different opponents in the latter phases of the show.
As the runner-up, it was Macaw who revealed his identity first. To everyone's shock, Macaw was unmasked to reveal the bestselling recording performer and "American Idol" season 7 finalist David Archuleta. In the finale, Archuleta bedazzled the audience with an inspirational performance of James Bay's "Hold Back the River." The panelists were impressed by his rendition and Ken Jeong said that it was the "strongest performance [he has] seen [him] do all season."
The moment his second piece finished, Macaw broke down in tears with his mask still up and said, "I had a lot of anxiety before coming onto the show because I was afraid to show myself. I didn't think I would make it this far," he acknowledged before singing "All By Myself" by Celine Dion. "And honestly, I didn't even know if I'd still be singing at all. Not a lot of people know this about me, but I had a major injury last year that left me completely silent for three months."
Archuleta also spoke up about his sexual orientation and how it affected him. "I was also going through some pretty big life events, and I began to wonder if this is really for me," Archuleta continued, apparently alluding to his coming out in 2021. "But after taking time to reflect, I realized there was still a part of me in performing, and that I should keep trying, even with all the changes."
A heartfelt moment between the Archuleta and "Masked Singer" judge Ken Jeong was the highlight of the show. When asked to share his definitive answer regarding Macaw's identity, the doctor-turned-comedian assumed it to be Archuleta.
"The Community" alumnus also shared his rather unique relationship with the singer. "I just have to say, real talk," Jeong began, "When my wife was on bedrest in the hospital not knowing whether our kids would live or die, we would watch 'Idol' every week, and you were like a ray of light for my family," he explained as he wiped away tears from his eyes. "It's an honor to see you in this capacity," Jeong noted. "Thank God for you, and I love you."
