The Masked Singer is facing a mix of outrage and bewilderment on social media after the Fox show reportedly had Rudy Giuliani on as a contestant.
Deadline reported on Wednesday that two judges on the show, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong, walked out in protest after a losing singer removed his mask, revealing himself to be Mr Giuliani. On Twitter, many viewers protested as well.
“My biggest question is why anyone would think that was a good idea??” one user tweeted. “Credit to Ken and Robin for having integrity to walk out!”
“I will never watch The Unmasked Singer show again,” another vowed. “I said the same when #DWTS [Dancing with the Stars] had Sean Spicer on their show. Kept that promise, & I’m sure I’m not alone on that one.”
Mr Giuliani was New York City’s mayor for eight years, but these days is better known as Donald Trump’s former personal attorney.
After Mr Trump lost the 2020 election, Mr Giuliani spent months battling fruitlessly to invalidate the results, losing dozens of cases in court and spouting baseless conspiracy theories in public. Two voting companies, Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems, are currently suing him for defamation.
On Twitter, viewers were not ready to let go of that recent history.
“People who tried to steal the election should not be celebrated or normalised on national TV shows,” one wrote. “The Masked Singer made a huge mistake having Rudy Giuliani on. Disgusting.”
“Shows like ‘Masked Singer’ and ‘DWTS’ too often operate as a disgrace-laundering operation,” another complained.
“Let this be a warning to anyone who dares try to overthrow America: we will rehabilitate your reputation,” someone else mocked.
Others simply couldn’t believe the appearance had actually happened.
“Wait … this story isn’t satire?” one asked. “I’m tired of playing the ‘Is this an Onion article or not’ game for the last 7 years.”
Few rushed to the show’s defense, but some tried to find a silver lining.
“You guys need to lighten up,” one user chided. “That clip of Rudy Giuliani on the Masked Singer is gonna be such a fun moment to include in future documentaries about America’s descent into violent fascism!”
Others, cognisant of Mr Giuliani’s recent history of publicly flatulating, shaving at airports, and leaking hair dye from his face, expressed concern for the show’s crew.
“I feel sorry for the Masked Singer staff member who had to clean out Giuliani’s mask,” one user wrote.
The Independent has reached out to Fox for comment.
