Masked Singer announces
Published on January 15, 2026 EDT

Season 12 of The Masked Singer is coming in like a wrecking ball.

Fox on Thursday announced the upcoming season's theme nights, which have become a mainstay of the masked celebrity singing show for the past few seasons. New themes will include a Miley Cyrus night, which per a network release promises to be a "pop culture-piercing night that salutes her music catalog."

There will also be Barbie night, which will pay tribute to the 65th anniversary of Mattel’s famed doll, celebrating over six decades of breaking down boundaries and inspiring girls to explore their limitless potential. The show will also celebrate Footloose as the Kevin Bacon film rings in its 40th anniversary.

Michael Becker / FOX

All-new themes will also include Sports Night, 60’s Night and a first-of-its-kind Who Are You Fest, featuring music from memorable festival lineups. Thanksgiving Night and Soundtrack of My Life themes will also return.

As has been the case in past seasons, the themes will be woven throughout the performers’ song selections, costumes, special celebrity guests, set design, and therefore may even provide clues as to who is under the mask.

Masked Singer is shaking things up even more, though. The show also announced the addition of Masked Ambassadors, which, for the first time in the show's history, will endorse each of the 15 masked celebrity contestants.

These Ambassadors, all alums of the series, have a special connection to each singer and provide major new clues about their friends’ identities. Fox isn't revealing all of the Ambassadors just yet, but they have teased that Dick Van Dyke (season 9’s Gnome), Jewel (season 6's winner Queen of Hearts), Ne-Yo (season 10's winner Cow) and DeMarcus Ware (season 11’s Koala) will be among them.

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Additionally, Fox also revealed the first costume art for season 12. Meet Chess Piece, below.

Fox

The Emmy Award-nominated singing competition once again features host Nick Cannon, alongside panelists Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Robin Thicke. In June, EW revealed exclusively that British singer-songwriter Rita Ora, who first joined the hit disguised celebrity singing show in season 11 to replace longtime panelist Nicole Scherzinger, will be returning as a panelist once more in season 12.

The Masked Singer unmasks its twelfth season beginning Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

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