Jesse McCartney Broke His Silence On Those 'Masked Singer' Rumors

The Masked Singer has kept viewers on edge since it premiered in January 2019. The competition series features some of Hollywood's hottest stars performing hit songs while disguised in elaborate costumes. Viewers at home scramble to guess who's singing based on their voices and a series of clues. In Season 3 of the Masked Singer, no contestant has fans more invested than The Turtle; viewers are convinced the man behind the mask is former teenage dreamboat Jesse McCartney. But Jesse McCartney's response to Masked Singer rumors will make fans doubt everything they thought they knew.

The Masked Singer team goes to great lengths to keep the show's contestants' identities a secret. "We take no chances and assume everyone is a spy," host Nick Cannon explained in a YouTube video in February 2019, noting the audience isn't allowed to keep their cellphones during filming and even have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. "The celebrities don't even know their competition."

So when Season 3 rolled around, fans were ready to pay extra attention to details to figure out who's who.

Anyone who was a fan of McCartney's hit song "Beautiful Soul" back in 2004 is convinced they recognize The Turtle's voice.

And there are other small details that have viewers even more convinced. For example, The Turtle's intro segment shows him cleaning a surfboard. Fans drew a connection to McCartney's role as Bradin Westerly on Summerland, a SoCal teen who, well, surfed. One clue also mentioned a "hunt for booty," which many fans speculated was a nod to the iconic lyrics "that thing you got behind you is amazing" from his 2008 hit "Leavin'."

While McCartney tells Elite Daily he's flattered by the rumors, he flat-out denies them. "I keep hearing about it on social media ... I can hear why people think it's me, but, no, it's not," he insists. "I like when people are chatting and talking [about me, though,] that's good."

McCartney adds that he "watched the first couple episodes of the first season" and that it's a "very wacky show."

But take McCartney's comments with a grain of salt. They don't exactly rule him out as the face behind the turtle mask because celebs are known to straight-up lie about being on the show. Joey Fatone and Rumer Willis both swore up and down they weren't on the first season, only to be unmasked weeks later.

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.