None other than former Alaskan GOP Governor Sarah Palin appeared on FOX’s “The Masked Singer” Wednesday night.
Wearing a colorful furry bear costume, Palin rapped to the Sir Mix-a-Lot classic “Baby Got Back” both with and without the mask. When the moment came to reveal her true identity, host Nick Cannon appeared most stunned.
“This might be the most shocked I’ve ever been on this show,” said Cannon after seeing Sarah Palin underneath the bear costume.
As to why she chose the bear, Sarah Palin said that she wanted to reflect her native Alaska.
“The bear is part of my nickname growing up and the whole ‘Mama Bear’ thing, and they’re in Alaska. Bear was easy,” she said, as reported by The Guardian.
Prior to the unmasking, Palin’s bear gave several clues as to her true identity. Here’s how US Weekly described the episode:
Introducing … Group C! The Masked Singer presented the next group of singers and so many new clues. Judges Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong tried their best at their guesses but they never saw this coming.
The Bear was introduced and revealed her clues. She said that her entire life, she’s dealt with people talking “bologna” around her, but just wants the best for her “cubs.” The video referenced a full house, hockey skates, french fries and showed a calendar that had Saturday bookmarked with “Live.”
She performed “Baby Got Back” and had the judges dancing in their chairs — but they still couldn’t guess who it was. Ultimately, she was revealed as Sarah Palin and even Nicole said, “What is our show?” as the governor danced and sang the Sir Mix A Lot song.
Given that Sarah Palin’s rapping unfolded on the same night that President Trump delivered an address to the nation on the coronavirus – almost at the same time – people on Twitter were baffled by the viral moment (the “Masked Singer” is taped well ahead of time, however, and Trump’s address was aired live).
“Sarah Palin rapping ‘Baby Got Back’ on The Masked Singer with a fade into a Trump coronavirus update is the psychedelic dystopia we’re living in now,” tweeted writer and journalist Ashley Spencer.
“Sarah Palin rapping, Trump and coronavirus warnings: this is the weirdest 40 seconds in television history,” tweeted The Independent.
“Sarah Palin rapping dressed like a giant puff of tie-dyed cotton candy. This is not a drill. You are not hallucinating. This is not the way Nostradamus predicted it was gonna end,” tweeted Billy Baldwin.
“If you were watching Fox at 9pm tonight, video of Sarah Palin in a bear suit singing ‘Baby Got Back’ and the president’s solemn address about a worldwide pandemic were separated by 107 seconds,” tweeted Timothy Burke.
Sarah Palin’s appearance on “The Masked Singer” comes within months of former Trump administration Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.” Spicer was a controversial guest who caused voting mayhem; Trump supporters, occasionally at the behest of the president, voted to keep Spicer on the show, even as other, more talented contestants were voted off.
Unfortunately for Palin, she couldn’t reap the same rewards. The “Masked Singer” deliberately obscures the faces and identities of its celebrity contestants.