Jana Kramer wanted to be there The Masked Singer since it hit the market in 2019 – but her husband, Allan RussellHe was a little more skeptical about the singing competition show.

“I was so excited when I got the text, I was sitting on the couch with my husband,” Kramer, 40, said exclusively Us weekly ahead of her departure from the Fox series on Thursday, November 28. “I just started screaming and my husband goes, ‘What?’ And I’m like, “I just got made an offer.” The Masked Singer.’ And he asks, “What?” And I think, “The Masked Singer. You don’t know what that is?'”

Kramer – whose costume was the royal knight – showed Russell, 43, clips of the show, which she often watches with her children, but he was still a little taken aback by footage of contestants appearing in huge, elaborate costumes.

“He said, ‘And you want to do this?'” Kramer recalls. “And I think, ‘Yeah, I do. About 1,000 percent!’ He was confused… but I was so, so excited.”

Even though Russell wasn’t up to date on the Masked Singer story, Kramer’s children were completely on board with her decision to appear on the show – and almost blew up her spot with their friends. (Kramer shares daughter Jolie, 8, and son Jace, 5, with his ex-husband Mike Caussinwhile she and Russell gave birth to son Roman in November 2023.)

“They told their friends at school, ‘Hey, you should really watch.’ The Masked Singer‘” Kramer said with a laugh. “And I thought, ‘Jolie, you can’t say that. “You can’t tell them it’s mom. She said, ‘It’s not me, mom!’ I just say, ‘You know, you should really look at it.'”

While Kramer’s children always knew it was their mother under the royal knight’s mask, her other family members knew nothing – and she was excited to finally tell the truth with this week’s special Thanksgiving episode. However, one person immediately suspected that Kramer was on the show.

“My sister-in-law texted me last week and said, ‘When are you going to tell us you have an alter ego named Royal Knight?'” the “Whine Down” host shared. “So they slowly figured it out, and most of the time I was just acting silly.”

Related: Jana Kramer’s new song is a love letter to husband Allan Russell

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio Jana Kramer showed her appreciation for her husband Allan Russell in one of the sweetest ways she knows how: through song. The 40-year-old One Tree Hill alum released her latest single, “Warrior,” on Friday, September 13. “You give me your best / I want your worst / There is no (…)”

Even though Kramer signed up The Masked Singer In part to make her family smile, the experience also ended up bringing her unexpected joy. She has released two of her own albums and several singles, but singing as Royal Knight gave her more confidence in her talents.

“I feel like I have a lot more fun wearing a mask,” Kramer explained. “I just have to go out there and really be myself. I often feel like when I go on stage – I’m not a shy person, but I’m like, “Oh man, I want to make sure I hit every note.” I never hit every note, but I feel more self-conscious . But when I was out there The Masked SingerIt was like I felt so safe and had fun. I think that’s what I was missing when I go on stage another time.”

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. New episodes stream the next day on Hulu.