Exclusive Interview – Hollywood Life

And the Beetle is… Jerry Springer! After singing Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” the talk show host was unmasked. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Jerry about his Masked Singer experience and what was the most “difficult” part of the show.

“I don’t get a big audience there, but I’m gangbusters in the shower. But in the shower, you don’t wear a costume. On a serious note, that was the most difficult part of all,” Jerry said. “Obviously, I’m not a singer. I mean, I can carry a tune, but 50% of America can carry a tune. That was nothing special. But to suddenly be on national television and you’re going out to sing and dance a little bit and wear this outfit… I was sweating to death and couldn’t see out of it because the eyes weren’t aligned with where my eyes were. There were places on the stage I had to walk to and I said, ‘This is going to be a disaster.’”

He continued, “Honestly, that was the scariest part of doing it. I’ve made a fool of myself before so the singing wasn’t going to bother me. I would just sing the song as well as I could. I really was worried about how am I going to maneuver the stage with the outfit, but they were so creative. Everybody working on that show, they are so professional. That I guess is the most thrilling part of all just to be around so many really talented people, not just famous people but talented people. That’s kind of exciting because most of us don’t get to do that every day.”

Jerry, who hosted The Jerry Springer Show for 27 years, noted that the show “just seemed like fun” to him. “I’m at a point in life where I’m lucky I don’t need to make a living anymore, so this was a fun thing to do. Why not?” Jerry added. “I figured my grandson would be laughing at me as well as my daughter and my wife and everybody else when they saw me. I couldn’t tell my family — well, my wife I told — but I couldn’t tell anyone what I was doing. It wasn’t an experience I could share. And then last night, I told them. They still think I’m kidding.”

During Jerry’s performance, Kermit the Frog was perched in the background. Miss Piggy also served as a guest panelist.

“Well, for once I wasn’t the biggest pig on the show. It was a thrill,” Jerry quipped. “I mean, that’s the thing. There’s no negative part to that show. Period. It’s just a whole bunch of people having fun. There’s no cutting edge to it where people are being insulted. Nobody’s angry. It’s an absolute feel-good show, and I understand why it’s so popular with the kids.” The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.