Is 'Dukes of Hazzard' star and Wisconsin native Tom Wopat the Donut on 'Masked Singer'?
Piet Levy
Has Tom Wopat, best known as Luke Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” lined up a new TV gig — as a singing doughnut?
That's what we're thinking after seeing the "Donut" make its debut on Fox's hidden-celebrity singing competition "The Masked Singer" last Wednesday.
The singing celebrity donning the doughnut costume has yet to be revealed, and none of the show's four judges — Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Nichole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke — guessed that the Donut was Wopat.
But there were several clues suggesting the 72-year-old Lodi, Wisconsin, native, who has had legal issues in recent years, is underneath the mask. Many fans of the show have guessed that the Donut is Wopat on social media.
First among the apparent giveaways last Wednesday was the Donut's singing voice, with blustery vocals during a performance of Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" similar to the tone on Wopat's most recent albums.
A customary clue-filled introduction further implicated Wopat. The Donut made references to "Chicago" and "42nd Street," two stage productions Wopat has appeared in.
The Donut's distorted voice had a Southern accent and spoke about being part of a "mega-hit" that "put me in a box" — potentially speaking about "Hazzard" — and wanting to "get out of Dodge," another possible reference to the famed Dodge Charger featured on the show.
The introduction was staged in a Wild West setting — possibly nodding to Wopat's roles in the Western series "Longmire" and in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained."
And the Donut spoke about having "the toughest year of my life." Wopat made headlines in 2018 when he was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to two counts of "annoying and accosting a person of the opposite sex," after two female cast members of a production of "42nd Street" in Waltham, Massachusetts, alleged that Wopat groped them.
Police said they found a plastic bag containing cocaine in the defendant’s pocket when he was arrested in August 2017. Wopat denied groping anyone in a statement issued to USA TODAY, and said he would address his substance abuse.
"The Masked Singer" is no stranger to controversial celebrities, including surprise appearances in recent years from Rudy Giuliani and "Vanderpump Rules" villain Tom Sandoval.
The Donut will next compete on "The Masked Singer" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, airing in Milwaukee on WITI-TV (Channel 6).
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS