In the most glamorous breakup since Ross and Rachel (yes, we’re still debating it), Nicole Scherzinger has officially traded glitter-covered kangaroo costumes for stage lights, jazz hands, and—wait for it—a freakin’ Tony nomination! That’s right, the former Pussycat Doll and professional “Was that T-Pain?” guesser on The Masked Singer said “thank u, next” to Fox and sashayed straight to the West End stage in Sunset Boulevard.
Nicole, 46, packed her bags, her vocal cords, and possibly three entire suitcases of sequins, and waved goodbye to the panel of zany animal impersonators after season 10 wrapped in late 2023. Why? Because she had a date with Broadway destiny. And honey, it paid off—girl just got Tony-nominated. Cue dramatic musical crescendo.
Right after the Tony noms dropped (aka Broadway’s version of the Oscars-meets-the-Hunger-Games), Nicole popped into Today with Jenna & Friends and decided to ambush—er, surprise—her former Masked Singer ride-or-die Ken Jeong, who just happened to be guest-hosting. Because of course he was. The universe knew we needed this reunion.
“It’s been like eight years since we met on Masked Singer, and Ken’s basically my soul-twin,” Nicole gushed. “He’s been my hype-man, life coach, emergency contact, and occasional backup dancer since day one.”
She confessed the decision to leave the show was harder than guessing who was in the Taco costume that one season. “I had to say goodbye to my Masked Singer fam,” she said, dabbing her eyes with what we assume was a rhinestone-studded tissue. “Ken took like eight emotional support phone calls from me, and then he brought his entire family to my show. Like, I don’t even do that.”
So yeah—she left a show where people dress as mythical sea creatures and sing Beyoncé… and now she’s officially Broadway royalty.
Moral of the story? If you’re gonna quit your job, make sure it leads to a Tony nomination and your bestie still brings snacks to your opening night.
🎭 Watch the full emotional ambush below and prepare to feel things. 🎭