Lovato’s surprise appearance on the meme-friendly singing competition show was a brilliantly goofy PR move.
Last week, Variety revealed that Demi Lovato (who goes by she/they pronouns) had signed to Brandon Creed’s Good World Management after parting ways with former A-list manager Scooter Braun. Presumably, under a more attentive manager—Braun has made his C-suite aspirations with entertainment company HYBE America known for a while now—Lovato will have a flashier rollout for her upcoming remix album, Revamped, than her previous pop-punk venture Holy Fvck.
Her latest major press stop? The Masked Singer.
Yes, you read that right. Last night, Fox’s wildly popular singing competition show nabbed its most “what the hell are you doing here?” guest since Lil Wayne and Rudy Giuliani when Lovato showed up and showed out as a giant rodent named “Anonymouse.”
Leading up to Sunday’s Season 10 premiere, Fox had teased the cameo with a clip of a then-anonymous singer dressed like a Hot Topic version of Minnie Mouse performing Heart’s “What About Love.” Naturally, Lovato’s smoky, powerhouse vocals were instantly recognizable for many social media users. Yet nothing could prepare audiences for the sight gag that was host Nick Cannon standing beside Lovato as she ripped off her headpiece like a Chuck E. Cheese mascot clocking out of work. And the internet seemed equally confused and delighted.
As one Twitter user pointed out, hosting a singer whose vocal pipes are as distinguishable as Lovato’s seems antithetical to the show’s “mystery” premise. And yet, the choice to appear on such a thoroughly silly show seemed just right, given that Lovato has displayed a “no fucks given” attitude toward her career in recent years.
From her decision to go full punk (an identity she seems to take more seriously than her more palatable fellow Disney alums Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus) to hosting a reality show about extraterrestrials, Lovato has been navigating her unpredictable career and historically tragic image on her own terms. Compared to former child stars like Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, who had less rocky ascents to global pop stardom, Lovato has embarked on a more difficult and, by her own choice, eccentric path.
Additionally, it’s hard to think of a viral platform better suited for Lovato right now than The Masked Singer, a show that shamelessly capitalizes on its bizarreness and innate meme quality. Given those undying and incredibly cringey clips from her Disney Channel movie franchise Camp Rock and the numerous iconic memes Lovato has spurred on her own, she was destined to appear on a show made for the internet to poke fun at—and to now be in on the joke.