Judging by pay deal it’s megabucks Mo...
Comic gets €500k to be on The Masked Singer panel Mo Gilligan got a bumper festive pay packet as a judge on The Masked Singer.
The Bafta-winning comedian and presenter was handed €500,000 to join the panel in the second series of the show, currently airing on ITV. He sits alongside Rita Ora, Jonathan
and Davina Mccall, having replaced American actor and star of the Hangover trilogy Ken Jeong.
But despite his megabucks pay, his salary is dwarfed by Rita’s.
A source says: “Rita received a whopping £1million-per-series deal for her role as a returning judge.
“They were really keen to secure her return as she had been such a big hit in the first series.
“But they also really wanted Mo, too. He is a prolific talent with a big following.”
Mo, 32 – who shot to fame several years ago when his videos of characters on his social media were spotted by the Canadian rapper Drake – adds: “It’s amazing to be joining one of the biggest family entertainment shows in the UK.”
He won a Bafta in February 2020 for Best Entertainment Performance for his part in The Lateish Show – his solo presenting gig which saw him chat to guests including David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Meantime, The Masked Singer has not been without controversy after Rita was caught flouting lockdown rules in November. She held an illegal 30th birthday party indoors for friends and family at London’s Casa Cruz restaurant, and failed to self-isolate for 14 days following a trip to Egypt.
She later paid a €10,000 fine and issued a public apology. The Masked Singer was filmed months before she broke the rules. “TV execs were far from impressed by this behaviour,” claims my source.
Rita reportedly flew off to Bulgaria last month where she spent Christmas and New Year. And she pulled out of a promo for the show by not taking her place alongside her fellow judges on last month’s Jonathan Ross Show. She was replaced by The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett.
No decision has yet been made regarding a third series, with Rita set to join Australia’s The Voice.
A spokesperson for the show says: “We never comment on artist contracts.”