That Rudy Giuliani Episode Of 'Masked Singer' Finally Aired, And It's As Awkward As It Sounded

Well, that Rudy Giuliani episode of The Masked Singer finally aired, and it's as uncomfortable as you might expect.

In February, Deadline reported that former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the once-mayor of New York City who has more earned a reputation as a gaffe-prone individual in the former President's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, appeared on FOX's goofy singing contest The Masked Singer. The central conceit of the show is that celebrities don outlandish costumes and perform songs, leaving the judges to guess who they are. If eliminated from the competition, their identity is then revealed.

At the time, there were reports that Giuliani's elimination and unmasking made for a tense moment in the studio after judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set in protest.

The reality of the moment (or at least FOX's edit of it) was less immediately intense, but the tension is still palpable after Giuliani is revealed.

Rudy Giuliani unmasked on the Masked Singer pic.twitter.com/Uu1vNmVkPS

— Andru 💿 (@andrumarino) April 21, 2022

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

Jeong appears visibly irritated and says "I'm done" before walking off the set. Instead of joining him, as was first rumored, Robin Thicke gamely attempts to continue the show as normal, rightfully noting that nobody would have guessed it was he under the mask. Giuliani then elicits an "aww" from the crowd after mentioning he went on the show to prove that you should try anything you want, even if it's "out of character."

Social media was largely displeased that the episode went to air, criticizing FOX for the apparent soft-rehabilitation effort it was doing for Giuliani's image.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP PUTTING TRAITORS LIKE RUDY GIULIANI ON SHOWS LIKE THE MASKED SINGER???

STOP NORMALIZING CRIMINALS.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) April 21, 2022

Despicable and unacceptable. Rudy Giuliani should be prosecuted and jailed for co-conspiring the January 6th attack. https://t.co/EQVyGomXhf

— Dee Perdadi🇸🇻🇮🇪 (@PoliticalDMV) April 21, 2022

Allowing figures like Rudy Giuliani to ostensibly rehab their image through shows like this is unacceptable. https://t.co/WgJAIdu2pM

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) April 21, 2022

It's shameful that The Masked Singer is working to rehab someone whose public advocacy has been such a huge contributor to our current crisis. And even leaving aside Jenny McCarthy, this Giuliani thing sounds pretty bad too.

— Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) April 21, 2022

You can watch Giuliani's rendition of "Bad to the Bone" that got him eliminated below.