Elizabeth Smart Shares Why She Chose To Do 'The Masked Dancer'

September 17, 2024

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Jill O'Rourke

Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit

| January 15, 2021

FOX

Reading Time: 2 minutes

One Wednesday night, The Masked Dancer revealed the identity of the Moth, and it turned out to be activist and author Elizabeth Smart. Elizabeth broke down in tears after she revealed her face, talking about her grandmother’s recent passing.

Elizabeth made headlines in 2002 when she was abducted and held captive for nine months before being found the following year. She recently talked to Extra about why she decided to participate in The Masked Dancer.

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Why Did Elizabeth Smart Join ‘The Masked Dancer’?

During her interview with Extra, Elizabeth admitted that 2020 was “kind of a bust.” But it was her grandmother’s death that inspired her to accept the offer of appearing on The Masked Dancer this season.

“My gut reaction was to say no because I have never done anything like that before and then I lost my grandma around the same time,” she shared. “She was a really great influence on my life. She was all about fun, and living, and living life to the fullest, and passion, and I just thought, ‘She would love this. I’m going to do this. Why not?’”

Elizabeth said the experience was “so fun,” adding, “The saddest part of it was saying goodbye to everyone.” She admitted she was initially disappointed to be voted off, but said, “Then I watched the other episodes and I was like ‘Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.’”

Only one of the judges correctly guessed that Elizabeth was under the mask. Other guesses included Megyn Kelly, Kathy Griffin, and Karlie Kloss. But Brian Austin Green predicted it would be Elizabeth.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH5bbshsrEp/

What Is Elizabeth Doing Now?

Last year, a series premiered on Lifetime called Elizabeth Smart: Finding Justice. Elizabeth shared her own story and also interviewed other survivors. She even returned to the place where she was held captive.

“I remember my parents the whole time were like, ‘Are you okay? Are you worried? Was it hard for you to come back here?’” Elizabeth told Extra. “I finally said, ‘No, I feel triumphant… Nothing bad, nothing like what happened to me can ever happen here again. It’s no longer a secret.’ I hope that’s how each of these survivors walk away feeling.”

Elizabeth also works with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, and has published two books — My Story in 2013, and Where There’s Hope: Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up in 2018.

She’s also a mother. Elizabeth has three children with her husband Matthew Gilmour.

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