THE Masked Singer host Joel Dommett has sparked feud rumours after appearing to take a pop at one of the show’s judges.
Joel has been hosting the ITV guessing game since its first series in 2020 but did not hold back when it came to having his say on one of the show’s former judges.
During an appearance on the Hits Radio breakfast show, Joel appeared to make a cryptic dig at popstar Rita Ora who left the panel ahead of the start of the current series.
Rita had previously appeared on the first five editions of the programme but after landing a job on the US version of the contest has opted to focus on her role there instead.
She was replaced by Love Island host Maya Jama who made her debut on the panel over the weekend.
Speaking this morning, Joel suggested Rita was no good at her role to uncover who was behind the mask and confessed that Maya was a “great replacement”.
He told show host Fleur East: “She would not really know who anyone was – and she had no guesses.
“She would go through her phone and pick the first person who came up in her contacts, just pick someone really, really famous!
“She was great but Maya is a great replacement too…”
Maya currently sits alongside fellow panellists Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan.
Both Davina and Jonathan have been on the panel since the first episode, with Mo joining in the second series replacing US-based actor Ken Jeong.
Elsewhere in the interview, Joel confessed that he has been bombarded by fans turning up at his home asking him to “take it off” in response to the show’s catchphrase.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Watch The Masked Singer’s Dressed Crab belt out Lean On Me – but who is he” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366780032112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]It forced the host to make some major changes in order to ensure his privacy at the house.
Joel revealed: “I do get ‘take it off’ shouted at me a lot – at one point people were shouting it at my house.
“I had to get a gate and make the hedge bigger because people kept knocking on my door shouting ‘take it off’ and then running away…”
[boxout headline=”Who won The Masked Singer 2025?” featured-image=”32646117″ intro=”Much to the delight of telly fans, The Masked Singer came back in 2025.”]Twelve celebrities were hidden behind intricate costumes, with their identities concealed.
Pufferfish – This year’s winner had flawless vocals throughout the competition. West End powerhouse Samantha Barks told the audience she’d loved every second of the series.
Dressed Crab – Former American football player turned jazz singer Gregory Porter was the man behind the crustacean. He duetted with Keala Settle, who previously competed as Air Fryer, in the final.
Wolf – Wet Wet Wet heartthrob Marti Pellow was unmasked as the rugged character. McFly’s Danny Jones, who won last year’s show as Piranha, was on the panel in the final and paid his respects to the Scottish crooner.
Bush – she didn’t fool viewers and the judges were so close, but Bush was in fact EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy. Davina McCall came closest, guessing Morgana Robinson, who does a mean impression of the Sonia actress
Bear – another success for new judge Maya Jama as she guessed correctly that the singing Bear was none other than singer, songwriter Example – real name Elliot Gleave.
Snail – this singer certainly fooled the judges as the mask was lifted to reveal Andrea Corr. Jonathan Ross admitted to being a huge fan of The Corrs.
Kingfisher – everyone was convinced this was Harry Hill, but the mask was lifted to reveal artist Sir Grayson Perry, who is known for his alter-ego Claire.
Teeth – this character baffled judges and viewers with their changing voice. They were finally unmasked as former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc. None of the panel managed to guess it was her.
Tattoo – despite Davina McCall saying “you sound the same” after this character was unmasked, none of the judges guessed it was 80s singer Carol Decker, whose hit China In Your Hand was a No1 hit for five weeks.
Toad In The Hole – a massive diva strop saw the character storm off the stage after the judges voted them off. They later returned to be unmasked as singer Macy Gray.
Pegasus – the mythical horse was revealed to be Prue Leith, with judge Jonathan Ross correctly guessing her identity.
Spag Bol – this character was first to be unmasked and was none other than Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway.
Plus there was one extra unmasking this season, with Giant Joel – a caricature of host Joel Dommett – unveiled as double-double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
