Sex Pistols’ John Lydon Revealed as the Jester on ‘The Masked Singer’

Legendary punk rocker John Lydon was revealed to be the contestant dressed as a jester on reality singing competition The Masked Singer. Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, unmasked himself after performing Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” and subsequently being eliminated.

This jest in! 🃏

Don't miss @lydonofficial’s full unmasked interview on #TheMaskedSinger Facebook page: https://t.co/3xa8txi2tl pic.twitter.com/hJiAU4GQ0M

— The Masked Singer (@MaskedSingerFOX) November 11, 2021

The singer explained his decision to go on the popular show in an interview with Billboard, saying it was mostly as a gift to his wife.

“Someone contacted my manager and we discussed it and I thought it would be really good because it meant my lovely wife, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, might get a great sense of fun out of it if she managed to guess who it was,” Lydon said. “We’ve lived together for 47 years, Nora and I, so she must have some clues as to who I am and what I can get up to.”

Lydon said that his participation shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

“I think you should make fun of everything you do,” the singer noted. “If you take yourself too serious there’s not much place of a place left for you in this world. You have to have a sense of self-deprecation. I can’t bear over-arrogant, overindulgent people. I’ll tear myself down as much as anyone or anything else, probably more so. Hence that’s the sadness in that character, the joker. The smile carries empathy and pathos at the same time.”

He added, “We’ve only got one life, and you must explore all the possibilities and be limited by no one for no reason.”