After reports this week revealed Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set of The Masked Singer when Rudy Giuliani was revealed, writer Hunter Harris summed up a common reaction by tweeting, "Lord when even Robin Thicke is doing the right thing." But a report now claims Thicke's exit wasn't "because of Giuliani" at all.
Deadline reported on Wednesday that during a recent taping of the Fox show, Giuliani was unmasked and revealed as one of the contestants, and judges Jeong and Thicke "quickly left the stage in protest." The singing competition series sees celebrities perform wearing elaborate costumes so their identities aren't known to viewers or the judges until a dramatic reveal.
On Friday, People cited a source as confirming that Jeong "was super upset and indeed stormed out" of the taping, and another source said he "felt disrespected and was livid to see Rudy was under the mask which is why he walked off." But one of People's sources also claimed, "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."
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The Masked Singer sparked criticism for having Giuliani on as a contestant in the wake of his efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election — Jimmy Kimmel said Fox "really should be ashamed of themselves" for inviting "the guy who's trying to destroy out country" on the show. Jeong and Thicke haven't commented on the reports, and the episode is not set to air until next month.
But on Friday, TMZ reported that both Jeong and Thicke have returned to set and took part in a photoshoot to promote The Masked Singer, with the report saying, "The fact they're still all in to hype the show is a great sign they're willing to sweep Giuliani-gate under the rug."
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