‘The Masked Singer’ Controversies Through the Years: Ken Jeong’s Walk-Off, Sarah Palin’s Unmasking and More

Credit: Fox

'The Masked Singer' Controversies Through the Years: Ken Jeong's Walk-Off, Sarah Palin's Unmasking and More

The Masked Singer has hosted plenty of popular actors, athletes and musicians over the years, but producers have occasionally found themselves in hot water over controversial contestants and other mishaps. One of the Fox reality show's earliest controversies came in March 2020 when Sarah Palin was unmasked as the Bear during season 3. The former Alaska governor was the first politician to participate in the series, and not every fan was happy that the contestant pool had expanded outside of Hollywood. "As if things aren’t mental enough, this evening Sarah Palin was revealed as a Masked Singer," one viewer tweeted at the time. "2020 is killing me, man." It didn't help matters that the Going Rogue author was unmasked the same day that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced they were diagnosed with COVID-19 and the NBA announced the suspension of the rest of the 2019-2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. "Sarah Palin was just revealed as one of The Masked Singers and yes we are fully committed to dystopia," author R. Eric Thomas wrote via Twitter at the time. [jwplayer WNcr1Wr5-zhNYySv2] The former vice presidential candidate, however, was only the first of many controversial contestants on The Masked Singer. In 2022, the show made headlines for including Rudy Giuliani and Kirstie Alley in season 7. The former New York City mayor has come under fire for his association with Donald Trump, while the Cheers alum has raised eyebrows for her tendentious social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine. News of Giuliani's participation leaked months before his episode actually aired, with Deadline reporting in February 2022 that judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set after his unmasking. When the episode premiered two months later, it confirmed that the Hangover actor did leave the stage while Giuliani performed out of his Jack in the Box costume. The "Blurred Lines" singer, meanwhile, wasn't shown exiting the set, but he did not appear alongside fellow judges Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy when they were shown dancing to the former lawyer's performance. One month after the episode aired, a Fox executive said that he had "absolutely no regrets" about casting the disgraced politician on the show. “The Masked Singer is all about delivering jaw-dropping moments, which is exactly what [we] accomplished whether it was on set or with the viewers at home,” Rob Wade, president of alternative entertainment and specials at Fox Entertainment, told Deadline in May 2022. “My only regret or surprise was obviously that the reveal was spoiled.” Keep scrolling for a look back at The Masked Singer's controversies over the years.

Credit: Fox

'The Masked Singer' Controversies Through the Years: Ken Jeong's Walk-Off, Sarah Palin's Unmasking and More

The Masked Singer has hosted plenty of popular actors, athletes and musicians over the years, but producers have occasionally found themselves in hot water over controversial contestants and other mishaps. One of the Fox reality show's earliest controversies came in March 2020 when Sarah Palin was unmasked as the Bear during season 3. The former Alaska governor was the first politician to participate in the series, and not every fan was happy that the contestant pool had expanded outside of Hollywood. "As if things aren’t mental enough, this evening Sarah Palin was revealed as a Masked Singer," one viewer tweeted at the time. "2020 is killing me, man." It didn't help matters that the Going Rogue author was unmasked the same day that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced they were diagnosed with COVID-19 and the NBA announced the suspension of the rest of the 2019-2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. "Sarah Palin was just revealed as one of The Masked Singers and yes we are fully committed to dystopia," author R. Eric Thomas wrote via Twitter at the time. [jwplayer WNcr1Wr5-zhNYySv2] The former vice presidential candidate, however, was only the first of many controversial contestants on The Masked Singer. In 2022, the show made headlines for including Rudy Giuliani and Kirstie Alley in season 7. The former New York City mayor has come under fire for his association with Donald Trump, while the Cheers alum has raised eyebrows for her tendentious social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine. News of Giuliani's participation leaked months before his episode actually aired, with Deadline reporting in February 2022 that judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set after his unmasking. When the episode premiered two months later, it confirmed that the Hangover actor did leave the stage while Giuliani performed out of his Jack in the Box costume. The "Blurred Lines" singer, meanwhile, wasn't shown exiting the set, but he did not appear alongside fellow judges Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy when they were shown dancing to the former lawyer's performance. One month after the episode aired, a Fox executive said that he had "absolutely no regrets" about casting the disgraced politician on the show. “The Masked Singer is all about delivering jaw-dropping moments, which is exactly what [we] accomplished whether it was on set or with the viewers at home,” Rob Wade, president of alternative entertainment and specials at Fox Entertainment, told Deadline in May 2022. “My only regret or surprise was obviously that the reveal was spoiled.” Keep scrolling for a look back at The Masked Singer's controversies over the years.

Credit: Fox

Sarah Palin's Rap

The Sarah Palin's Alaska alum became the first politician to appear on the show when she dressed as the Bear and rapped Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" for her performance. When Palin's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times went to trial in 2022, she requested that jurors not be allowed to watch footage of her participating in The Masked Singer, claiming that it could case “unfair prejudice and confusion." The jury ultimately ruled in favor of the newspaper.

Credit: Michael Becker / FOX

Nick Cannon's Offscreen Comments

The Masked Singer host was fired by ViacomCBS after he made anti-Semitic remarks on a podcast. Fox, however, allowed him to keep his job after he issued a public apology. "Nick has sincerely apologized, and quickly taken steps to educate himself and make amends," the network said in a statement in July 2020. "On that basis and given a belief that this moment calls for dialogue, we will move forward with Nick and help him advance this important conversation, broadly. Fox condemns all forms of hate directed toward any community and we will combat bigotry of any kind.”

In February 2021, ViacomCBS rehired him as the host of Wild 'N Out.

Credit: YouTube

Mickey Rourke's Self-Unmasking

The Oscar winner surprised fans by competing as the Gremlin on season 4, but his appearance was made all the more confusing because he eliminated himself after just one episode. “I want to take this off right now,” he complained during his single performance in September 2020. A few minutes later, he made good on his threat and removed his mask.

Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

A Nearly Headless Mishap

The Masked Singer experienced its first accidental unmasking in season 7 when the McTerrier's head fell off mid-performance. The contestant — later revealed to be Duff Goldman — managed to keep his face hidden from the judges and audience, but viewers were still shocked by the mishap. Some conspiracy-minded fans even claimed that the McTerrier knocked his mask off on purpose as a sympathy play.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Ken Jeong's Rudy Giuliani Walk-Off

When Giuliani was unmasked in season 7, Scherzinger didn't immediately know who he was. "Is that Robert Duvall?" the Pussycat Dolls singer asked. Jeong somberly replied: "No, that's not Robert Duvall." As Giuliani began his final performance at the end of the episode, the Community alum walked off the set and said, "I'm done."  

Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; AFF/USA/Shutterstock

An Accidental Reveal

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the show's official Twitter account accidentally leaked the identity of season 7's Firefly weeks before she was unmasked on the show. The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before a viewer took a screenshot. In May 2022, fans who missed the leak learned that Firefly — who won the season — was Teyana Taylor.