The Masked Singer is arguably one of the most dystopian shows on television. Contestants wear elaborate costumes while singing songs that subtly reveal who they are. It’s one part pure insanity, one part fun. But last night’s reveal left one judge with nothing but frustration.
Comedian Ken Jeong left the stage after it was revealed that the giant rooster was in fact Rudy Giuliani, a Republican politician with what we might call a colorful past. Jeong can be seen turning to producers and saying, “I’m done” as he exits. Fellow hosts Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke stayed for Giuliani’s performance of “Bad to the Bone.”
Rudy Giuliani sings "Bad to the Bone" on Masked Singer as host @kenjeong leaves saying, "I'm done." pic.twitter.com/nPmcTBye4m
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) April 21, 2022
For all intents and purposes, Masked Singer is supposed to be a fun show that distracts viewers from the real chaos of the world. But when a character like Giuliani, who has had a fairly polarizing career that includes spreading medical misinformation, appears on screen, it can be difficult for many to separate his past actions from his present self. Such seems the case for Jeong, who was a licensed doctor before his acting career and continues to use his platform to regularly push back on medical misinformation.
Jeong’s exit has been met with mostly praise, as many viewers congratulated him for “staying true” to his beliefs.
I'm not saying that The Masked Singer is a sign that we're living in a dystopia, but it's definitely the kind of show that the characters would watch in a movie about living in a dystopia.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) April 21, 2022
Many viewers are also calling on FOX and Masked Singer producers to “do better” moving forward.
