John Lydon Revealed as Yak on The Masked Singer UK: Watch

I am an Antichrist, I am an anarchist, I am… a Yak. John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) was revealed as the Yak on The Masked Singer UK upon his elimination from the singing competition show on Friday.

The Sex Pistols legend performed a rendition of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” on the episode, and was later subjected to a sing-off with the character known as Monkey Business. Unfortunately, he lost and his time on The Masked Singer UK came to an end.

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The punk icon didn’t seem too bothered by the elimination. When asked if competing on the show was a career highlight, Lydon responded, “I hardly think so. For me, I hope the fun comes across.”

Further queried as to whether he was sad about leaving the show, he answered, “Certainly not. I think it’s been a privilege for you to have me.”

Following the elimination, his X/Twitter account posted, “John’s got the sad sack yak off his back and now he’s off to record the new PiL album! Thank you ITV, Masked Singer! Let’s Get Physical.”

It’s not the first time Lydon has appeared on The Masked Singer. Back in 2021, he performed as The Jester on the US edition of the show, where he was eliminated in the eighth episode of Season 6.

As Lydon mentioned, he’s quite busy with his band Public Image Ltd (PiL). In addition to a new album in the works, the veteran post-punk act has an extensive tour itinerary mapped out for 2026, with tickets available here.

As for the Sex Pistols, Lydon recently revealed that he hasn’t heard from his former bandmates in years. He has also slagged off the band for touring with new singer Frank Carter in recent years.

See John Lydon’s elimination and reveal on The Masked Singer UK, including his exit rendition of “Physical,” below.

John's got the sad sack yak off his back and now he's off to record the new PiL album! Thank you ITV, Masked Singer! Let's Get Physical.https://t.co/8lHC0MoHh3#themaskedsinger #maskedsinger pic.twitter.com/mO9FkZ9VsN

— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) January 11, 2026