In a move seemingly done to insure that I would be here writing about it and you would be here reading about it, FOX’s reality-competition series The Masked Singer has courted a unique brand of controversy for its upcoming new season. According to a report from Deadline, production has begun on the new season with the first unmasking having taken place tonight and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani having been revealed to have been underneath one of the masks. The trade reports that panelists Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke abruptly left the stage in protest when Giuliani was revealed, but later returned to the stage.
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Giuliani has been a controversial figure for many decades in some circles but especially recently after he served as the personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump. In his tenure as Trump’s attorney Giuliani was one of the driving forces behind the widely derisive idea that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” leading efforts to attempt to overturn the results. His efforts remained unsuccessful at the time and are perhaps best summed up by the infamous “Four Seasons” press conference he took part in, not to mention his cameo appearance in . Rudy Giuliani was also one of the main speakers at the “Save America March” rally on January 6, 2021, which in-turn lead to the riot on the capitol building.
This is not the first time that The Masked Singer has courted controversy with one of the contestants chosen by the producers. In its first season the series brought in NFL player Antonio Brown to participate, taking place less than a year after he was cited for reckless driving and being sued by a family after throwing furniture from his 14th floor apartment, nearly injuring their child. Internet personality Logan Paul appeared on the series in its fifth season, this after his Suicide Forest controversy among others; while former Governor of Alaska and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin participated in the show’s third season.
It remains to be seen how far Rudy Giuliani made it into The Masked Singer, or if anyone will actually care enough to tune in, but with such stunt-casting and the brouhaha already made from it, it’s no wonder the producers of the series decided to do it.
The Masked Singer’s new season will debut on Wednesday, March 9, at 8 P.M. with the theme for the groups of singer’s this year being “The Good, The Bad, and The Cuddly.”
