Plenty of people already knew that Rudy Giuliani would be revealed as a contestant on “The Masked Singer.” A promo showing judge Ken Jeong storming off the stage discovering the former Republican New York City mayor as part of the cast began circulating months ago. Now that the episode in question finally aired, however, viewers are riled up all over again, according to the New York Post.
The episode shows Giuliani popping out of a jack in the box costume while singing his version of “Bad to the Bone.” The judges and audience all looked shocked.
“Is that Robert Duval?” judge Nicole Scherzinger asked, confused.
“No, that’s not Robert Duval,” Ken Jeong replied glumly.
“I broke a thousand hearts before I met you. I’ll break a thousand more, baby, before I am through,” Giuliani sang.
“It can’t get badder than that,” Thicke joked about the former mayor’s singing.
In a fit of anger, Jeong says, “I’m done” and walks backstage. Judge Robin Thicke stayed seated but looked irritated.
While Jeong and Thicke reacted harshly to Giuliani’s unveiling, Scherzinger and judge Jenny McCarthy enthusiastically danced and clapped as the politician continued singing his song.
Later, Giuliani told host Nick Cannon that he was inspired to come on the show because of his granddaughter Grace, the daughter of New York governor hopeful Andrew Giuliani.
“I just had a granddaughter, Grace, and I want her to know that you should try everything, even the things that are completely unlike you and unlikely — and I can’t think of anything more unlike me and unlikely than this,” Giuliani said.
Social media reactions to the former mayor’s appearance were mixed, mostly divided based on political affiliation.
“Can we please stop putting traitors like Rudy Giuliani on shows like The Masked Singer?” BrooklynDad_Defiant wrote. “Stop normalizing criminals.”
“Rudy Giuliani singing “Bad to the Bone” on #TheMaskedSinger is a new low point for reality TV,” a tweet from The Daily Beast read.
“Is this how you teach your kids to treat someone they don’t like? You acted like a spoiled brat. There’s no place for this on a family show. @kenjeong disappointed a lot of people tonight. #TheMaskedSinger,” someone else shared.
CNN anchor John Berman commented on Giuliani’s inclusion previously when news broke that he’d be on the show. “You know, next week on ‘The Masked Singer’: Harvey Weinstein. The week after that: Manuel Noriega. Great job, guys. Great job. I hope the viewers that you’re attracting here are worth it to you,” Berman joked, The Daily Wire reported at the time.
Berman also read a tweet that he identified as summing up his thoughts on the Giuliani appearance. He said, “The bare minimum — the absolute bottom-level for the bar we set as a society — must be: if you try to launch a coup and overturn a Presidential election, you are no longer allowed on game shows.”