What you need to know
Claudia Oshley made The Masked Singer history this week by becoming one of the few contestants to withdraw from the competition.
On the other side of the queen corgi mask that Oshley shed on Wednesday, January 28, the host of the podcast The Toast told PEOPLE that she felt a “huge” sense of relief. “It feels great. I’m not very good at keeping secrets, especially when being on TV is a secret,” says Oshry, 31.
The content creator made a bombshell statement by voluntarily removing his mask at the end of the episode. She bid farewell to her fellow contestants, host Nick Cannon and panelists Ken Jeong, Rita Ora and Robin Thicke, telling them: “I’ve learned a lot about myself, but my time is up.”
Claudia Oshry/Instagram
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Although Oshry had to keep her appearance on the show a secret, she was able to discuss her exit with loved ones before making the decision. She and her husband Ben Soffer, 33, welcomed their first child, Ruben, on May 21, 2025, but ultimately decided they needed to follow their instincts and spend their precious postpartum time at home.
“My baby was 4 months old at the time, and I’m really happy because you don’t get that time back, especially if it’s your first birth. I’ve never regretted that decision since I made it,” she tells PEOPLE. “Everyone has been really supportive and I’m very grateful.”
That’s not to say Oshry didn’t have a hard time pulling the trigger and ending his stint on the reality show. Her vacation was made even more complicated by the fact that she sincerely appreciated the opportunity to sing on stage. She says that the series “allowed me to realize my dream of becoming a pop star.”
But importantly, what gave Oshry the most hesitation was the idea of breaking his promise to watch Season 14 of The Masked Singer, which airs Wednesdays on FOX. “Is there a way I can get it done now while still prioritizing my postpartum self and honoring my commitments?” she remembers wondering as she reflected on her future in the sport.
“I was raised by Kris Jenner. I’m not a person who makes promises. I said I was going to do something and I was ready to see it through to the end,” she admitted, adding, “I’m really grateful that everyone at Fox was open to kind of a different ending for me.”
A story about her experiences and departure from being a show speaker and the broader newness of this chapter of her life. Now that she’s a mother, Oshry is watching her boundaries and priorities evolve in new directions.
“I’ve always been a very ambitious, career-oriented person, and I was like, I’ll do whatever I can to further my career, to further my career. But I don’t feel that way at all now,” she says. “I don’t want to live to work, I want to work to live.”
