The Masked Singer is pre-taping episodes for its upcoming seventh season, and a major spoiler is all over the news right now.
One of the contestants who unmasked ended up being a very polarizing figure in politics.
Once he unmasked, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong walked off the stage in protest and wouldn’t return until his segment was finished.
Ken Jeong has reportedly said he was “disrespected” by the unmasked singer.
Ken Jeong talks The Masked Singer controversy
During one of the pre-taped episodes of The Masked Singer last week, one contestant unmasked.
It was former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who most recently served as legal counsel for former President Donald Trump.
After his unmasking, both Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong walked off the stage.
Both Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger remained in their seats and shared some conversation with Giuliani after his elimination.
PEOPLE reported that Jeong was especially upset at the reveal.
“Ken was super upset and indeed stormed out,” a source close to the set told PEOPLE. “Robin actually followed him because he and Ken are very close friends and he wanted to check on him. Robin didn’t storm out because of Giuliani.”
When PEOPLE reached out to executives at Fox for a statement, they received no response. Jeong’s representatives also didn’t offer any additional comments.
“Ken felt disrespected and was livid to see Rudy was under the mask, which is why he walked off. There’s no way he could hide his feelings,” the source added.
The source also indicated that Jeong’s background as a physician is one thing that fueled his anger, especially with the former President’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Giuliani is no longer a practicing attorney, as New York banned him from practicing law in 2021.
This was not The Masked Singer’s first political singer
Rudy Giuliani is not the first controversial political person to appear on The Masked Singer.
Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin was part of the cast in Season 3. While Palin has a polarizing past as well, the hotbed of American politics in 2022 might have been too much to put on another political presence at this time.
The addition of politicians to Dancing with the Stars is one of the things that drove former host Tom Bergeron from the series.
Tom said he wanted Dancing With the Stars to avoid “divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations,” and he said the producers went “in a different direction.”
The Masked Singer premieres on Fox on March 9.