The latest season of The Masked Singer may be its most surprising yet. According to recent reports, judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke stormed off the stage after Rudy Giuliani was revealed as one of the contestants.
That’s right, the former New York City mayor is a competitor on the upcoming season of the popular singing competition show. Giuliani was former President Donald Trump‘s attorney, which is what reportedly sparked the protest from Jeong and Thicke, per the Deadline report.
When the two judges left, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger remained on stage and bantered with the controversial contestant.
The Giuliani reveal, while surprising, is not the first time the show has dipped its toes into polarizing political figures. The entire premise of the series is based on shocking reveals for audiences at home who spend weeks trying to guess who is behind the masks.
In 2020, conservative former governor and presidential running mate Sarah Palin was on the show which also drew criticism from many viewers at home.
While Giuliani’s costume and song choices have remained under wraps, the theme for this season is reportedly, “The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly.”
As the news broke, many pop culture observers expressed their dismay in The Masked Singer‘s choice to have Giuliani on the show.
Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List, wrote in a tweet, “I generally don’t like to curse on here, but WHAT. THE. F—.” Another user wrote, “Why is it such a big deal that Rudy was on The Masked Singer? Because there’s a network, playing to millions, that think glorifying criminals is cool. It isn’t.”
One user referenced how Giuliani pushed The Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. They wrote, “So, a man who helped try to overthrow the government is on the masked singer? Got it. After all, it is Fox.”
Production on the seventh season of the popular competition series is currently underway and is set to premiere March 9 on Fox.
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