Getty Taraji P. Henson attends the 8th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at NASA Ames Research Center on November 3, 2019.
With just six acts remaining in this season of The Masked Singer, fans are wondering who exactly is behind the sparkling pink mask and subtle vibrato of Night Angel.
So far, fans have been given a number of clues as to the singer’s identity, including a mob of weapon-wielding old ladies, duck-billed men, sweet tea, a castle, a strawberry, an ostrich, a tricycle, and the number 4.
While many have speculated that this batch of clues applies to Brandy or Kandi Burruss, references to building an empire have led fans to guess that the starlet is in fact Empire actress Taraji P. Henson.
Here’s what you need to know:
Henson’s Acting Career Fits With A Number of Clues
Henson’s name first came up when one of the clues for Night Angel mentioned building an empire because of the star’s recent role in the Fox drama series Empire, for which Henson won a Critic’s Choice Award. Nicole Scherzinger doubled down on the guess when Night Angel’s clues included mentioned an astronomy quiz because Henson starred in the film Hidden Figures, which celebrates the contributions of black women to American space exploration.
Henson was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Howard University. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Henson recalled, “I worked at the Pentagon during the early part of the day, the middle part of the day I went to school full-time, and at night I was a singing-dancing waitress on this small dinner cruise.”
On April 8, when one of Night Angel’s clues was a “BOSS” luggage tag, Ken Jeong joined in on Scherzinger’s guess.
Henson Has A Long History With Performing
Henson found fame with a breakout performance in Baby Boy in 2001, before going on to star in a number of films and television series. In 2006, Henson sang during a live performance of “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” at the Oscars. The Three 6 Mafia song was the theme song of Hustle & Flow, which Henson starred in. Night Angel’s clue about hustling furthered suspicion that Henson is behind Night Angel’s mask.
When asked about the performance, Henson told Vanity Fair, “Oh, God. It was quite horrifying. The Oscars is like royalty. It’s the cream of the crop, and here I am onstage singing about pimps and hos and bitches.”
Despite her fears, she recalled, “There was one point where I glanced out at the audience, and they were all with it. They were pumping their fists, nodding their heads, and singing along. That put me at ease.”
Over the course of their time on The Masked Singer, Night Angel has repeatedly mentioned their stage fright, insisting, “[e]very time I step out on the stage to sing I’m a ball of nerves.”
This Season Is Has Kept Fans Guessing
While fans have long suspected that Night Angel is Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Buress, Henson fits the bill for a number of clues. Fans can expect even more clues in the coming episodes. Tune in to The Masked Singer on FOX on Wednesday nights at 8/7c.
READ NEXT: Fans Think the Frog is Longtime Actor and Rapper on ‘Masked Singer’