Trans icon Laverne Cox unveiled as Chess Piece on The Masked Singer
Laverne Cox was unmasked during The Masked Singer US’s Barbie week. (Fox)
Trans actress Laverne Cox has been unveiled as one of the competitors on hit Fox series The Masked Singer, after failing to make it through Barbie week.
The Orange is the New Black star and trans activist was unmasked as the mystery celebrity singer inside the elaborate chess piece costume during Wednesday night’s (23 October) episode of the US series.
The Masked Singer features celebrities disguised in outlandish costumes, singing on stage for a panel of fellow celebrity judges, who, along with the studio audience and viewers at home, have to guess their identity.
Viewers are given a series of tricky clues to help.
During this week’s episode, which paid homage to Mattel’s toy brand Barbie, Cox tried to wow the judges with her take on Chaka Khan’s anthem “I’m Every Woman.”
Having been voted least-popular by the judges and the studio audience, Cox had to remove her elaborate costume.
After host Nick Cannon revealed that it was “Emmy-Award-winning superstar and trailblazing activist Laverne Cox”, actress judge Jenny McCarthy yelled: “What?” and singer Rita Ora said: “No way!”
Following the big reveal, Cox explained what the experience meant to her as a trans woman.
“I have so much trauma around singing, and there is something about this that maybe with the mask on, I can get over some of these fears. Maybe I can work through some of this trauma. I didn’t even realise how deep it was until I started,” she said.
“What was so much fun about tonight was I got to sing and dance like I did when I was a little kid, and it didn’t have to be right, it didn’t have to be perfect, it just had to be fun. Hopefully, this is the beginning of me healing.”
The big reveal happened last night. What an incredibly stressful experience singing live on @maskedsingerfox. But facing our fears and anxieties is how we grow or have full on panic attacks. Lol. What an absolutely incredible team at #themaskedsinger. Producers, choreographers,… pic.twitter.com/WdGLYse7xH
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) October 24, 2024
In response, judge and Crazy Rich Asians star Ken Jeong told Cox: “You are a role model, a pioneer and an inspiration. We’re so honoured for you to bless our stage.”
Earlier, Cox had said that Barbie night was special to her because she never got to play with dolls as a child.
“As a kid, I was a rich target for others to tease. It seemed like every piece of me was something others could poke at,” she said. On top of that, I loved Barbie.
“But the part that hurt was that I wasn’t allowed to play with her. The criticism and scrutiny continued over the years and made me question everything I love about myself. So, I had to take control of my own board, and the one thing that helped me heal was the one thing I was missing all along: Barbie.”
“I started buying them for myself and realised it’s never too late to have a happy childhood, even decades later. And now, they [have] modelled one after me,” she added, referring to Mattel creating its first trans Barbie in 2022.
“Barbie can be anything. She made me and every woman feel we can be anything too.”
Cox left the competition in 10th place.
The Masked Singer US airs on Fox in the US on Wednesdays.
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