'The Masked Singer's' Queen Corgi: Why she withdrew & which judge told her she could win
Queen Corgi was unveiled as “The Toast Podcast” co-host Claudia Oshry!
PauseRewind spoke with Claudia right after she withdrew from the competition, where she revealed who knew she was going on the show before she did, which judge told her she could win it all, and what she learned about herself and her family through the experience.
“The Toast” has a loyal fanbase that loves Claudia and her co-host (and sister!) Jackie for their honesty and openness, often sharing almost everything about their lives. So, keeping her “Masked Singer” secret was especially hard for a self-proclaimed gabber like Claudia.
Claudia told PauseRewind, “I knew they were gonna figure it out, because it's a show all about, like, voice recognition, and I am a podcaster by trade, and I have a kind of unique voice, so I knew they were gonna figure it out. And then once they did figure it out, I did feel relieved, like I saw so many TikToks, I was dying to leave a comment. You know me, I'm like, so drama. I'm like, ‘Oh, everyone's talking about me, and I can't even leave a comment.’ It was really hard.”
Oshry also revealed that her husband knew she was being asked to go on “The Masked Singer” before she even found out!“So my husband knew before me, because we were out to dinner and we have the same agent, and my agent calls Ben and is like, ‘Listen, we got an offer for Claudia, The Masked Singer. I'm about to call her. I need you to film her reaction.' I'm so glad we have that moment memorialized. So we're out to dinner, and Ben starts to take a video of me. I'm like, ‘Get out of here.’ I was like, not feeling myself. I was not wearing makeup. I'm like, ‘What are you doing?’ And then my phone starts ringing, and I'm like, ‘Oh my God, who died?’ Like, it was just so serious. And I'm like, ‘Hello. And sometimes when your agent calls, he has either amazing news or just, like, devastating news. And he was like, ‘You're gonna be on the next season of The Masked Singer,' and I have the whole thing on camera. So, Ben actually knew before me, which is so crazy.”
She also pats him on the back for being so supportive of her, helping with their son and picking up the slack when she would be dressed as Queen Corgi.
“I really had to thank my husband, because he picked up so much slack, like, for the time that I was on the show. He was the primary caretaker. He came to set. He visited me. He helped me with the feedings. He helped me, you know, package my milk. We were shipping my milk across the country. He has a whole life and family and career, and he picked up and moved to LA. I said to him last night, like, ‘Now that this chapter has ended, like, thank you, by the way, for everything you did.' And he was so supportive the whole time.”
When it comes to Jackie, her co-host, there was no way Claudia was able to NOT tell her. Between filming their podcast and figuring out the logistics of that, Jackie had to know about her sister’s whereabouts.
“So, due to the sensitive nature of my schedule and Fox executives, please don't get mad at me. Jackie did know. She had to know, and I'm so glad she did, because, like the few people in your life who know you really rely on them, because it's such an I think some people who go on the show are used to singing live. They're used to being on TV. I'm a digital girly I'm a podcaster. I don't do a lot of TV, so this was such a big deal for me, and I needed people to chat that through with, so my husband, my sisters, yes, it was imperative that I had those people in my life.”
What got the toasters really clued in was “The Masked Singer” judge Jenny McCarthy, who appeared on “The Toast” and Claudia revealed they left some easter eggs in the interview to get their fans guessing.
Claudia tells PauseRewind, “So we recorded that interview maybe a month after the show wrapped, so she had seen me be unmasked. This was like a fun little easter egg that we did with Fox, so that now people can go back and listen to it and, like, find those little easter eggs. So yes, she was fully aware that we were talking about it before she told me I was so good she thought I was gonna win. So yeah, it was like all cards on the table.”
What the most important thing to her was learning about herself during this process, “I feel like there was a point in my life where I was just like, you know, you have to take everything all the way and you know, no matter what the cost is. And now I feel like I made such a good decision. Ever since I decided to unmask and I did it, I have not regretted it. Once, I feel so fulfilled and so accomplished by like, singing on TV, which is my dream, and then also prioritizing myself and my family. I don't know. I think I crushed it, like what I learned is like, just trust yourself. I feel like I used to doubt myself all the time. Like, I make bad decisions, and now I'm like, no, you make good decisions. You're a smart person. Make them and follow trust yourself.”
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