Plus, she hilariously roasts her Masked Ambassador: “Who would choose Joel McHale?”
Maybe instead of “No, Ken!”
the crowd should start chanting “Go, Ken!”
Showbird on ‘The Masked Singer’.Michael Becker/FOX
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Masked Ambassadors are new this season, how did it all work?
Did Joel know it was you?
Did you know he was doing it on your behalf?
Yvette Nicole Brown.Amy Sussman/Getty
Did you have any say who your ambassador was?
No, I’m kidding.
I just thought it was so on the nose.
Showbird on ‘The Masked Singer’.Fox
I’m like, Ken’s the judge.
We all know each other really well.
I definitely immediately thought it was you when Joel popped up.
I think it was the worst kept secret ever.
I mean, I have a Google alert for myself.
I think most people probably do.
And so after the first episode, it just populated with “Showbird is Yvette Nicole Brown.”
There was no, “Who is Showbird?”
It was like, “It’s Yvette.”
Okay, moving on.
I was like, okay…
So yeah I think it was pretty much known.
By the way, are those some of Showbird’s feathers I’m seeing in this Zoom frame?
The show never lets people take their costumes home!
Yes, these are little feathers.
My wonderful dressers when I was leaving, they grabbed a few and gave ‘em to me.
I hope no one’s fired.
[Laughs] But you know what?
So they probably didn’t take it from that costume.
But I’m happy I have a little bit of her with me.
So have you had the chance to talk to Ken or Joel about the show yet?
It’s so funny.
But the NDA they have you sign is so ironclad that I literally have not said a peep.
Amy Sussman/Getty
And how much hell would you have given Ken if he hadn’t guessed you?
So I honestly can’t be mad if I’m finally there and he didn’t say it.
He’s banked enough Yvette Nicole Browns to last a lifetime for me.
Have you seen the script?
What’s happening with that?
Well, I can tell you that it’s absolutely happening.
So I think at this point people are like, “They’re just playing with us.
They’re pulling our chain.”
We’re not pulling your chain.
It’s actually going to happen.
We’re all involved, we’re all excited.
And it literally is just a scheduling thing.
And I can also say I’ve read a script.
There is a script.
It’s a full script.
It’s funny, it’s a properCommunityepisode stretched out into movie form.
It probably will be changing because Dan Harmon is a great rewriter.
Yeah, it took me back to my years as a singer.
And we had a third one ready to go.
That would’ve been really great.
I’m really sad I didn’t get to do my third song, but it was really wonderful.
The entire experience was just really wonderful.
What was the third song?
“Best of My Love” by the Emotions.
So it was really awesome to almost get to do that.
So I’m kind of sad that connection wasn’t ever told.
I don’t want to spoil the show for anybody.
Do you have plans to get back into making music?
I joked a little earlier that I think I have a Christmas EP in me.
And maybe give it out to friends as a Christmas gift.
Maybe theCommunitymovie soundtrack needs a song.
That’d still be [my character] Shirley though.
That’d be me singing it as Shirley.
That would be fun.
It was absolutely that.
And then there’s the gavel.
There’s a gavel fromABlack Lady Sketch Show.
I played a judge onBlack Lady Sketch Show, that’s where I’m Emmy nominated for that role.
And then there was Advanced Singing 101, which was a nod toCommunity.
A textbook was there.
So I think if you’re looking, it’s right there.
That’s Helen, Yvette Nicole Brown, done.
Does that surprise you?
My babies just keep getting older and young ones come in.
But my ones that loved me when they were kids, they just keep coming.
I’ll be 80 with a 60-year-old going, “I loved you onDrake & Josh.”
I just know it.
And it’s wonderful.
I love that I’m a touchstone for generations of kids.
I’ve done my best to live a life that they can follow me.
Maybe that one will get the reboot treatment as well.
Was it anything like you thought it would be?
It was nothing like I imagined and everything I needed.
I was never going to do the show.
I told ‘em I don’t sing as myself anymore and I don’t want to do it.
I just didn’t want to be one of the singers.
And this year was a tough year.
But it was right, and exactly what I needed at the time that I needed it.
And I was enveloped in love and protection.
It is the most fun you will have and you are safe.
It’s a safe space to sing and perform and be a weird creature for a few episodes.
It’s really great.
