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Mike Myers has been secretly hosting a gameshow for six months without anyone noticing

We've been played

Ilana Kaplan
New York
Tuesday 09 January 2018 19:20 GMT
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Trailer for The Gong Show hosted by Mike Myers character Tommy Maitland

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Mike Myers has everyone fooled.

For the past six months, the comedian has been hosting the revived US version of The Gong Show in disguise as 72-year-old comic 'Tommy Maitland.'

Myers has been hiding in plain sight as rather sad gameshow host who has tomato-like skin, bushy eyebrows and a rather obvious grey and brown toupée.

He's known for saying, “Who’s a cheeky monkey?”

Knowing that Myers is behind Maitland makes the TV show host character seemingly less depressing.

Perhaps if you had watched the show you realised Myers was in fact the man behind the mask, but otherwise, it's likely you didn't have any idea.

Before the show started in June 2017, it was an "open secret" that Myers was portraying the faux gameshow host.

But ABC has only just added Myers' name to the credits - previously the credits fell under 'Tommy Maitland.'

The Gong Show's executive producer Will Arnett made a sly statement with regards to the 'news.'

"I was just as surprised as the next guy when I heard The Gong Show’s host, Tommy Maitland, was a character portrayed by the insanely talented Mike Myers,” explained Arnett. “Despite this shocking news, I’m in total awe of the man, and we are so fortunate to have him as our brilliant host.”

The Gong Show, which ran from 1976-1980, is a talent show similar to Britain's Got Talent with celebrity judges, focused on the eccentricities of the the show rather than the competition.

The second season of The Gong Show will premiere later in 2018.

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