Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season 8 finale of “The Masked Singer”
After weeks of speculation and speculation, fans were proven absolutely correct on Wednesday night when Amber Riley was revealed as Veena and crowned the winner of “The Masked Singer” Season 8. And for her, she tells TheWrap that competing on the show was “a bucket list kind of thing” — but she really hated that it meant lying to her little niece.
Fans immediately took to Riley’s voice after her first performance on the show, in which she sang P! NK’s “Perfect” and were pretty sure by the time she finished performing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” during Vegas week. Even Riley’s former “Glee” co-star Kevin McHale got in on the action, posting a TikTok of him reacting to the latter’s performance.
Although McHale didn’t actually say anything in his video, he jokingly captioned it “Check out this brand new singer.” And yes, Riley herself saw that TikTok.
“I did. And I can’t even answer! But oh boy, I’m about to curse him,” Riley told TheWrap with a laugh.
Not being able to respond to people speculating about her appearance on the show was the hardest part for the singer, especially in regards to her family.
“It was very difficult. It was very difficult,” she said. “Like I literally had to sit down and lie down. I actually lied! I had to lie in front of my niece!
She added with a laugh, “It’s not fun to lie to a kid. But, the thing about my family and especially, like, my culture, they weren’t really like, ‘Oh, is that you?’ They’re about to say, ‘Girl, we know it’s you, wait.’ It wasn’t even a question. So yeah, it was tough.
That said, Riley noted that her niece was understanding about the lie, and reassured her that it was okay. Beyond that struggle, Riley has simply enjoyed herself on the show.
“The whole time during the show — I don’t think I’ve had anything that made me happier, the whole time. Like, I was just excited to be there every day,” she said. “It was so much fun. I can’t even stress enough how fun this show is.
Next up, Riley will return to Fox this winter to compete on the third season of “Celebrity Name That Tune,” premiering January 11.
