Goldfish Says ‘The Masked Singer’ Win ‘Showed Me How Much I Don’t Like Fame’

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 11 finale “One Mask Takes It All.”]

Another celebrity has now walked away victorious on The Masked Singer, with the Golden Mask Trophy.

Goldfish and Gumball each performed twice in the finale, and in the end, it was Goldfish (actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens) who was crowned the winner. (Gumball was actor and singer Scott Porter. Read what he had to share about his experience on the show here.)

Below, Hudgens discusses her time on the show, her emotional response to her win, and more.

Congratulations on winning. How does it feel, especially since you’ve had some time to sit with it and now you’re looking back on the entire season?

Vanessa Hudgens: Thank you so much. I mean, it was such a whirlwind, and I just look back on it so fondly. I think that going through it really brought up emotions that I didn’t necessarily expect, and it meant so much to me to be able to win the season. I had such a riot of a time, and it was just such a unique experience.

What made you say yes to doing the show? Did you have any hesitations?

Kind of, yeah. It’s definitely something out of the box. I’ve been doing this for a really long time and I’ve checked a lot of things off, but this was one of the things that I hadn’t experienced before and we were in the strike and trying to figure out what there is to do. And I know that my fans had been asking constantly for more music or me to be singing, and I was like, well, this is a fun way to see they’re actually my fans. [Laughs]

Which performance made you think you could win or at least make it far?

I don’t know. Honestly, I am my biggest critic. I’m always going to think that it could be better, but I think that’s what makes me a good performer.

Is there a performance that stands out to you, whether you just had fun, you were the most proud of it, or just the song meant a lot to you?

I mean, all of the songs that I got to do really meant a lot. I love “Unforgettable” so much. I really wanted to have a slower, more jazzy moment in the season, so that was really special for me. Doing “You Oughta Know” was just the ultimate girl empowerment song, so it felt really good being up there, just screaming those words out. I loved all my performances so much.

Talk about listening to the panelists’ guesses, because Rita Ora did figure you out. So had you come into this expecting anyone specific from the panels to guess you?

Yeah, I mean, I literally saw Rita a week and a half before in New York, and we sat next to each other at the Michael Kors fashion show and neither of us said what we were doing or anything, and then I found out she was a judge and I was like, oh my gosh, hilarious. [Laughs] And sure enough, right after the very first performance, she called me out and it was so funny because she was like, “I’m going to be in LA, text me while you’re here. I miss you. Let’s catch up.” And I was like, I really want to catch up with her, but I also can’t lie. So I feel like I can’t see her, which was such a bummer because we’re never in the same place.

Have you been hearing from anyone—friends, family, costars—over the past week who figured out it was you? 

I actually have gotten lucky. Nobody’s called me out yet.

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What are you going to take away from the entire experience?

Honestly, I was kind of taken aback by how emotional I was when I won. I think just because for so much of my life I have had the association to my name and to have that taken away and to still win this meant so much to me because it meant it wasn’t about Vanessa Hudgens, it was just about my actual soul and my voice. I think that it was just really impactful to me because of that and if anything showed me how much I don’t like fame.

What surprised you the most about being on the show?

Probably just how elaborate the costumes were. I knew that going into it, just from watching the show, I feel like it’s top tier and there’s no denying that even from watching. But when you’re putting on the costumes and you see all of the work that goes into it, it’s truly extraordinary, the amount of creativity behind the scenes.

That costume was gorgeous.

It was. It was stunning. It’s hilarious because it looked so beautiful all put together, but literally just underneath the head was me in this little head sock that squeezed my face so hard. I just felt like a little sandwiched bean in there, the least attractive thing compared to the glamour of the Goldfish. But it was multiple layers. It covered every square inch of my body and I went through different iterations of shoes. I started off being like, yes, I would love to have a heel with a boot. And then turning into, I can’t see anything really. So I would love a ballet flat so that I’m as close to the floor as possible.

Were there any songs that you wanted to perform but that you weren’t able to? The theme nights did affect some of what you could do.

Yeah, I mean, I love jazz music. I love the ’40s, ’50s and that whole era, and those singers that came out that time. So my list was literally just a bunch of jazz songs, but I was glad I got “Unforgettable” in.

So are fans going to be getting more music from you now? They did just get you singing…

They got me singing. That’s something.

What do you have coming up?

Well, we have Bad Boys coming up this June, which is really exciting, the next installment. It’s really fun, a great ride, same characters you know and love. So really excited for that to get out into the world.

The Masked Singer, Season 12, Fall 2024, Fox