Season 11 of The Masked Singer came to a close on Wednesday as The Goldfish was crowned the new champion, and revealed herself to be none other than Vanessa Hudgens.
Speaking with ET's Nischelle Turner on Wednesday, Hudgens, 35, opened up about her exciting Masked Singer journey, and how the anonymity the show provided gave her a feeling of freedom she'd never felt before.
"It was definitely quite the ride," Hudgens said with a smile. "A ride I did not think would affect me so deeply."
"I've been in the spotlight for many, many moons now, and there's just a preconceived idea, I think, when you see yourself on stage, that you're familiar with," she continued, "and being able to take that away and be completely stripped of that and show up as myself and feel completely free to do so, because I was completely covered up, really just gave me this sense of freedom that I hadn't had in a minute. And it was really empowering."
Vanessa Hudgens performed as The Goldfish on Season 11 of 'The Masked Singer.'
According to Hudgens -- who is currently pregnant with her first child with husband Cole Tucker -- she decided to sign on to participate in the Fox series because it aligned with her current career aspirations.
"It came to me at the perfect time," Hudgens said. "We were on a strike and I was trying to figure out my next move, and this is the space that I actually could work in."
"And my fans have been asking for me to sing more," she added, "I was like, 'Well, this is the way to give it to them and see who the real fans are!' And they definitely showed up."
Hudgens would up earning the Golden Mask Trophy, presented by host Nick Cannon, after delivering some powerhouse performances that wowed the audience and left an impression on the show's panel of "celebrity detectives" -- including Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora.
The season finale saw Hudgens as The Goldfish beat out runner-up The Gumball, who was revealed to be actor and singer Scott Porter.
Now, with this big win under her belt, Hudgens is looking toward her exciting future -- both as a performer and as a wife and expectant mom.
"I'm just so stoked and feel so grateful," Hudgens shared. "I feel like the more you can acknowledge the magic that is around you, the more it continues to present itself, and that's kind of been the train that I've been on for a good few years now and it never fails."
Hudgens debuted her baby bump on the 2024 Academy Awards red carpet, where she stunned in a black gown. The big reveal came months after Hudgens and Tucker -- who plays ball for the Los Angeles Angels -- tied the knot at Azulik City of Arts in Tulum, Mexico, on Dec. 2, 2023, in front of 100 of their closest friends and family.
Since news of her pregnancy broke, Hudgens said she's been flooded with messages of support, love and advice from other women in the industry. Among them is her former High School Musical co-star, Ashley Tisdale.
Tisdale -- who is also expecting her second baby with husband Christopher French -- took part in a Q&A via Instagram Stories where she said of Hudgens' pregnancy, "It's very cool! I'm so excited for her and this new chapter in her life."
Hudgens addressed the support she's received, telling ET, "It's amazing! I mean it's really incredible, when you reach a new point of your life, how women show up. And, like, new women have been showing up in ways that I haven't expected."
"Its just been really beautiful being able to lean on this community, who are just innately such nurturers," Hudgens added.
Check out the gallery below for a look at every single contestant who has ever had to "take it off" throughout the history of The Masked Singer.
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