Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maya Yang

Rudy Giuliani’s surprise reveal on Masked Singer led to judges walking off

Rudy Giuliani in New York City on Wednesday.
Rudy Giuliani in New York City on Wednesday. Photograph: Stephen Lovekin/Rex/Shutterstock

Two judges on the reality show The Masked Singer walked off after the contestant singing and dancing beneath a disguise was revealed to be Rudy Giuliani.

Last week, during a taping of the first episode of the seventh season, judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the stage when the former New York City mayor and former attorney to Donald Trump removed his elaborate headpiece and costume, for which the show is known, to reveal himself.

Fellow judges Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger remained on stage. According to Deadline, which first reported the incident, they “bantered with Giuliani … for pressing what is widely derided as a baseless claim” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.

Jeong and Thicke eventually returned.

In 2020, Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and another controversial political figure, made a similar reveal on the show. Palin said she appeared as a “walking middle finger to the haters out there in the world where I could do whatever I wanted to do”, prompting shock and criticism of the show.

Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong with Jenny McCarthy on The Masked Singer.
Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong with Jenny McCarthy on The Masked Singer. Photograph: Fox/Getty Images

In 2019, Trump’s controversial former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, appeared on Dancing with the Stars. Tom Bergeron, the show’s host, responded to the ensuing criticism by saying the competition aimed to offer “joyful respite from our exhausting political climate” free from “party affiliations”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.