Why was Red Panda dropped from The Masked Singer 2026 premiere?

The Masked Singer made a last-minute change to its 2026 premiere this weekend, over "potential insensitivities" stemming from the lyrics of one of the performances.

One of the show's contestants, known only as Red Panda, had their appearance removed due to a song choice that ITV executives feared could be connected to a recent fire in Switzerland, which has killed at least 40 people.

The tragedy took place during a New Year celebration and has left a number of families in a state of utter agony as authorities are yet to identify all of those who lost their lives.

At the time of writing, 24 victims have been named (according to BBC News), including several teenagers and citizens of multiple countries, including Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkey and France.

As details continue to emerge in this developing and heartbreaking story, ITV has exercised caution to ensure that its competition series does not risk any association with the incident.

Why was Red Panda dropped from The Masked Singer 2026 premiere?

Red Panda's debut performance in The Masked Singer 2026 was dropped from the final broadcast at short notice, due to concerns over a recent tragedy at a Swiss ski resort.

According to The Sun, the mystery contestant had recorded a performance of 1976 song Disco Inferno by The Trammps for their first appearance on the competition.

However, in light of the horrific blaze at ski resort Crans-Montana in Switzerland, which has left at least 40 people dead and 119 injured, ITV has decided not to air the segment at this time.

As a result, 10 minutes were cut from the programme in total, which presumably consisted of Red Panda's introduction, performance and the judges' remarks.

An ITV spokesperson said: "In light of the tragic events in Switzerland, we took the decision to remove Red Panda's performance on The Masked Singer in tonight's programme owing to potential insensitivities within the theme and lyrics of the song."

Authorities are still working to identify all of the victims of the fire, which took place during a New Year celebration at a bar named Le Constellation.

Will Red Panda return to The Masked Singer 2026?

Yes, Red Panda will return to The Masked Singer 2026.

The spokesperson proceeded to clarify that the contestant has not been permanently removed from the competition, and that "viewers will get to see Red Panda perform in the coming weeks".

The Masked Singer airs Saturdays on ITV1 and ITVX.

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