‘Masked Singer’ Reveal of Rudy Giuliani Sparks Walkouts From Judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke

“Masked Singer” judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set of the popular Fox singing competition show after Rudy Giuliani was unmasked as one of Season 7’s first eliminated contestants, according to multiple media reports.

During last week’s taping of the first episode of Season 7, which premieres next month, the former New York City mayor-turned-Donald Trump lawyer was revealed as one of the contestants. According to Deadline, which first reported the story, Jeong and Thicke immediately walked off in protest of Giuliani’s inclusion in the show. They would eventually return to the set.

Fox and reps for Jeong had no comment, while a rep for Thicke did not immediately respond. Season 7 of “The Masked Singer” is set to premiere on March 9.

Giuliani would not be the first controversial Republican figure to be a contestant on the show. In 2020, former VP candidate Sarah Palin was a contestant, which prompted swift backlash from many of the show’s fans.

Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who was known as “America’s Mayor” after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, became a lawyer for former president Donald Trump and repeated Trump’s false insistence that he won the 2020 election. The state of New York banned him from practicing law until further notice because of it. Dominion Voting Systems also sued Giuliani for $1.3 billion over his false claims of election fraud.