‘The Masked Singer’ Season 9: All the Evidence Mantis Is This ‘La Bamba’ Star
For the first time in a while, many fans of The Masked Singer are stumped. A new mask, Mantis, was introduced during The Masked Singer Season 9’s WB Movie Night on April 5. His voice and clues have led viewers to a wide variety of predictions, including Neil Patrick Harris, Kevin Bacon, Bob Odenkirk, Taran Killam, Jim Carrey, and more. However, one popular guess makes the most sense to us. Here’s all the evidence that Lou Diamond Phillips is behind Mantis on The Masked Singer.
Mantis changed his voice between two performances on ‘The Masked Singer’
One of the ways Mantis has stumped fans is his voice change between songs. He first performed Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll,” showing off a raspy voice with musical talent that might not have been professionally trained. However, when Mantis sang “(I’ve Got a) Golden Ticket” during the Battle Royale, he suddenly had a slightly higher voice with less rasp and clear Broadway experience.
Lou Diamond Phillips, a Filipino-American actor, has shown off his rock ‘n’ roll and Broadway chops in the past. In 1993, he performed a set at Farm Aid. Then, in 1996, he made his Broadway debut in The King and I. Footage of these performances sound very similar to Mantis’ voice. Mantis might sing slightly deeper, but it would make sense that Phillips’ voice changed over time.
How the Mantis clues fit Lou Diamond Phillips on ‘The Masked Singer’
Now, let’s break down how the clues work for Phillips. The clue package described Mantis as “a performer known for his brooding persona who’s ready to show you he’s real freakin’ good at comedy.” Apparently, he almost won an Emmy award for comedy. He’s also a published author who has “done Shakespeare” and Broadway. Mantis “wants to let loose and dance with the wolves.”
Some visual clues in the package included a helicopter, a guitar, cowboy boots, and a poker game. On stage, Mantis showed a pair of glasses that read “true story.” He added, “Representing a legend was instrumental to my success. It was an honor to do so.”
We already know Phillips fits the Broadway clue with The King and I. He also received an Emmy nom for the comedy series The Crossroads Of History in 2016. Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman, who starred in Dances with Wolves, worked with Phillips on the film Renegades. Phillips is also an author and a well-known poker player.
The most telling clue was the “true story” glasses. Phillips had his big break when he played Ritchie Valens in the biopic La Bamba in 1987. Valens was a guitarist who died in a plane crash in 1959 along with Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson.
What has Lou Diamond Phillips been in lately?
Lou Diamond Phillips had a cheeky comment about people thinking he’s Mantis on The Masked Singer. A fan tweeted that he had been found out, and he left an emoji of a thinking face. The tweet appears to have since been deleted.
Aside from potentially being on The Masked Singer, Phillips has kept up with acting recently. Last year, he appeared in the series Firebuds. His latest major TV role was Gil on Progidal Son, which ended in 2021. Phillips has a few projects coming up, according to IMDb, including Guns 3: Alias Billy and the Kid, Year 2, and Et Tu.
Mantis was the final singer to earn the Ding Dong Keep it on bell, so he will compete against Medusa and Gargoyle in the quarterfinals for the chance to re-enter the competition. Fans will have to wait and see if Lou Diamond Phillips is unmasked as Mantis on The Masked Singer Season 9.
New episodes of The Masked Singer air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Next-day streaming is also available on Hulu.
