The NFL star, who suffered cardiac arrest in January during a game, made a gleeful cameo on Wednesday's new episode.
The Masked Singer has had a lot of performances from costumed contestants who turned out to be part of the NFL. However, on Wednesday, a simple cameo from Damar Hamlin topped them all.
The new episode of Fox's wonderfully weird reality singing competition mystery series was devoted to the wonders of Sesame Street and featured cameos from Big Bird, Cookie Monster and even Elmo.
After The Squirrel delivered the night's first performance, the panel -- including Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and guest panelist Jennifer Nettles -- were given a special clue, which began with a little boy sitting on some steps, talking with Elmo.
Elmo asks the child what his name is, and the young boy says it's Damir -- and then says he's at the show with his older brother. To the genuine surprise of the panel and the audience, a beaming Damar then walked out from backstage and waved as he stood next to host Nick Cannon.
Damar's appearance almost brought Jeong to tears as the actor wholeheartedly shared his appreciation and support for the Buffalo Bills star.
"I'm just so glad you're here. But more importantly, I'm just so glad you're healthy," an emotional Jeong said. "The whole world loves you!"
When asked why he wanted to play a part in the show this week, Damar said it was "mainly because of my brother."
"That's my world," Damar said of his little brother. "I put family first. And, you know, he loves Sesame Street more than most things, so we had to make it tonight."
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on Jan. 2, and was hospitalized for over a week. His health journey made him a heroic figure around the nation, and his comeback story has been historic.
It's unclear when exactly Damar filmed the Masked Singer cameo, although People reports that the episode was recorded just weeks after his exit from the hospital.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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