“I love me some Shaquille O'Neal" - Nicole Scherzinger's wild guess over Cuddle Monster on 'The Mask Singer' leaves everybody in stitches

According to Nicole Scherzinger, Shaquille O'Neal might be the Cuddle Monster in Season 10 of “The Masked Singer” (TMS). Scherzinger, a panelist on the show, didn’t just guess it for the size; she also dropped clues for her guess.

Explaining her guess, the former “Pussycat Dolls” member said that under the Cuddle Monster costume, it was Shaq because Shaq had previously released his own music. She also mentioned that she herself did a song with him.

Guessing by the boxing gloves on the costume, Scherzinger also brought up O’Neal’s boxing match against Oscar de la Hoya on September 8, 2009. Shaq and Hoya fought each other in Episode 4, Season 1 of the Reality TV show, “Shaq Vs.”

“I think the Cuddle Monster is someone that we all would love to cuddle with and I think it’s Shaq," Scherzinger said. "I love me some Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq’s put music out, I know, I did a song with him back in the day. Look it up!”

"And we have got the boxing gloves. Umm, he duked it out with Oscar de la Hoya (initially misspoke and said it was Oscar de la Renta, the fashion designer), the Golden Biy himself.”

In fact, the Cuddle Monster is the biggest costume ever created on the show, and making a guess for Shaq, who is 7-foot-1, wouldn’t be wild. Moreover, the former Loa Angeles Lakers star loves to be on TV.

The TMS panelists guess the celebrities under the mask by interpreting clues provided to them. The least popular ones are eliminated, followed by them taking off their masks and revealing their identity. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke are the panelists on the show.

---

Shaquille O'Neal wanted his kids to have their own journeys

Shaquille O’Neal has transformed himself into a father who inspires and encourages his children to live their lives on their terms. When Me'Arah O’Neal, his youngest daughter, wanted to write her own journey in basketball outside her father’s shadow, he was more than happy.

Recently, Me'Arah chose Florida Gators instead of LSU (Shaq’s alma mater) to pursue her college basketball career. Shaq said that he always wanted his kids to experience life on their own and have their own journeys.

"What I did tell her is, 'Go where you're needed, not where you're wanted. Because if you go where you're wanted and they got other people like you, may take a while.' I want [my kids] to have their own journey, have their own experience," Shaquille said.

Me'arah, 6 foot-3, is ranked 33rd in the 2024 draft class. Shaq has already made a guess that his daughter would be the best women’s basketball player ever.