‘Masked Singer’ Judge Ken Jeong Convinced He Knows Who Woodpecker Is

One of the enduring joys of watching The Masked Singer is seeing how totally wrong judge Ken Jeong is from week-to-week. The joyful panelist is impressively confident in his often wildly off-base guesses and in a Billboard exclusive sneak peek at Wednesday night’s (Oct. 2) Footloose-themed episode the good doctor again pushes all his chips in on last week’s bold guess at the identity of the celeb inside the towering Woodpecker costume.

“This is a clue-based guess,” Jeong says of the singer who impressed the panel in last week’s season 12 kick-off with her bouncy cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.” Admitting that “for the first time ever” he had no idea who the singer was, a cowboy hat-wearing Jeong said he was doubling-down on his previous prediction: Willow Smith.

Now, pay attention as we try to follow Jeong’s logic, which, it’s worth noting drew a subtle eye-roll from host Nick Cannon.

“That director’s chair? Willow Smith also directs as well as performs in her own music videos,” Jeong said of the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith who first broke through in 2010 with her No. 11 Billboard Hot 100 single “Whip My Hair” and whose most recent album is this year’s jazzy Empathogen.

On the subject of bird clues, Jeong also noted that Willow has performed with past Masked Singer contestant Rubber Ducky (aka Anthony Anderson) in “perhaps the best and most precious Mother’s Day special of all time on VH1 called ‘Dear Mama.’” Fellow panelist Robin Thick says that, clue-wise, Jeong’s theory makes sense, but vocally he warned, “you’re going down the wrong tree hole.”

In an earlier clue package, season 11’s Miss Cleocatra, film/TV actress Jennifer Lewis spilled the tea on someone she said she has known “from her start. She’s been called a mogul, a chic CEO,” Lewis said as Woodpecker held up a roll of tape reading “NEXT.” Other clues: she’s friends with Beyoncé and is a “baddie.”

Woodpecker herself teased that “the only doors that open are ones you knock on” as she rapped on a gate next to a panel reading “Family” and said she is on a path to becoming the “youngest billionaire.”

Last week’s season premiere revealed the identity of Leaf Sheep, NFL legend quarterback John Elway, who was booted after singing Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It.” For the record, Jeong somehow got that one right.

Check out the preview video below and tune in to The Masked Singer on Fox tonight at 8 p.m. ET.