Sarah Palin says she went on The Masked Singer as a 'walking middle finger to the haters'

Sarah Palin shocked audiences when she revealed herself to be Bear on The Masked Singer—and that's exactly what she wanted. The politician said she did the show as a "walking middle finger to the haters."

"It was all about the mask," she told host Nick Cannon on the Masked Singer aftershow on Wednesday. "I knew it would be so refreshing and so freeing and well, in a real respectful way, kind of a walking middle finger to the haters out there in the world where I could do whatever I wanted to do and not care what anybody said because they wouldn't know until after the fact. So it all worked out."

Palin, the former governor of Alaska and one-time VP hopeful, was eliminated on season 3's March 11 episode after being revealed under the Bear costume. Her exit followed a rousing performance of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back." Palin told Cannon she almost chose to perform "Rapper's Delight," which she also memorized back in the '80s.

Palin added that going on the show was the "craziest" thing she's ever done and earned her more positive attention than any of her political endeavors. "I've been working for like 12 years with all these intellectual, political commentaries and all this—no reaction like I got from The Masked Singer," she said. "It was so positive. It was so encouraging. I just absolutely loved it. I just feel really blessed that you guys even asked me if I want to do it."

Palin is no stranger to the entertainment world. She appeared as herself several times on Saturday Night Live after she was famously parodied on the show by Tina Fey, and in 2016, she was a panelist on the Match Game revival hosted by Alec Baldwin.

Other celebrities that have been eliminated on The Masked Singer this season include Lil Wayne, Tony Hawk, and Rob Gronkowski. The show is heading into the semifinals after Kitty was sent home on tonight's episode. The feline was unveiled to be classical singer Jackie Evancho.

Related content:

• Masked Singer recap: Bear revealed to be well-known politician
• The Masked Singer recap: Kitty goes home in surprise elimination, unveiled as famous young singer
• The Masked Singer: The complete list of clues for every season 3 contestant