Pietro Lombardi gets emotional on 'Masked Singer' return: "In a sad phase"

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Pietro Lombardi gets emotional on 'Masked Singer' return: "In a sad phase".

Exactly one year after his own appearance, Pietro Lombardi is back in the studio of "The Masked Singer" – this time not behind a mask, but on the guessing panel. And it's precisely there, where guessing, laughing and applauding are usually the order of the day, that the singer suddenly falls silent on Wednesday evening (October 7). His voice catches, his eyes well up. Lombardi speaks openly about what the show means to him – and why it helped him through a difficult time.

"Rave-Ioli" comeback was only months ago

In autumn 2025, Pietro Lombardi had taken part in "The Masked Singer" as "Rave-Ioli" and finished in second place. The flashy garlic mask with rave aesthetics was tailor-made for him – and Lombardi delivered performances that were widely shared on social media. Even back then, it was noticeable how seriously he took the show. Now, on his return as a guessing guest, it's clear why.

"In a sad phase" – Lombardi gets emotional in the studio

During the live show on October 7, Lombardi sits on the guessing panel and chats with the other guests about his time in the costume. That's when the sentence that defines the scene is dropped: the show had helped him "in a sad phase," he says, according to Bunte. Focus Panorama describes the moment similarly: the singer had become "briefly quite emotional." Exactly what's behind the statement, Lombardi doesn't reveal in the clips – he prefers to talk about what the show gave him: distraction, a bit of lightness, an audience that celebrates rather than judges.

"The Masked Singer" helped me in a sad phase.

Why the mask meant more to Lombardi than just a bit of fun

"The Masked Singer" lives off the fact that celebrities step out of their usual role for a few weeks. Nobody recognizes them, nobody has expectations, nobody judges the latest headline. For Pietro Lombardi, who has been in the public eye almost continuously since his DSDS win in 2011 – with highs, scandals, breakups and comebacks – that was presumably exactly the appeal. Behind the "Rave-Ioli" mask, he was simply a singing guy in a funny costume. The fact that he's now addressing it so openly in the studio, months later, shows just how lasting that experience was.

What the return means for fans

Pietro Lombardi remains connected to "The Masked Singer," then – even without competing again. His appearance on October 7 is simultaneously a small thank-you to the show and a rare moment in which the usually loud singer goes quiet. Anyone who missed the episode: the emotional scene is already triggering reactions on social networks, because many viewers read the sentence as a sincere insight into a difficult life phase – not as a promo stunt.