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One of the judges from The Masked Singer has candidly shared insights into their life before the spotlight, revealing how their journey to fame led to significant debt with credit card companies and money lenders. Comedian Mo Gilligan disclosed that, long before he joined the renowned series and its panel of celebrities, the financial pressures and image expectations of his early comedy career spiraled into a financial quagmire. Known for his humor, the ITV celebrity currently appears alongside Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, and Maya Jama, trying to unmask the hidden celebrities on the show.
Though he later gained fame with a BAFTA-winning Channel 4 talk show, three Netflix comedy specials, and an international tour, Mo admitted, “I reached a point where I had to sell my favorite trainers just to make ends meet and repay debts or get to gigs.” He further explained the costs associated with being a comedian, stating, “You’re advised to dress down as a comic. Initially, it was like ‘don’t be too flashy,’ but eventually it seemed you needed some flair because you couldn’t look shabby.”
During a chat on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, Mo elaborated, “Once I got a credit card, I didn’t fully grasp how it worked, and it was targeted at people like me.”
“The interest rate was absurd—something like 250% APR. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal, just something that would hit later,” he recounted.
“I would borrow from a moneylender because it was incredibly easy—again, aimed at those without money. Then I’d borrow from another to repay the first, and when I earned from a gig or show, I’d have to pay it all back with interest,” he explained.
While the comedian remarked that it wasn’t “crippling debt,” he was “definitely playing catch-up where I really need this show to come through.”
During the podcast, the 37-year-old also recalled missing out on £300 after a gig was cancelled due to a snowstorm, when he owed a lender £300.
Mo noted: “I never got into masses of debt, like £10,000 worth of debt,” and added that his interest in collectable and designer street wear fashion was a saving grace whenever he got into financial difficulty.
He confessed: “So it got to a place where it was just like, ‘I’ve got to sell those nice trainers that I’ve always liked to make some money and pay back whoever I need to pay back’ or ‘I need to get to this gig and I don’t have the money, so let me sell this really nice coat that I got,’ because I can get the money back.”