‘The Masked Singer’s’ biggest controversies: Rudy Giuliani, more

Brutal moments on live TV? Check.

Fox’s “The Masked Singer” is known for its competition in which celebrities don wild costumes to conceal their identities as they sing covers of pop songs.

Boldface names such as Jordyn Woods, Dick Van Dyke, Amber Riley and William Shatner have come on as contestants to great success.

However, there have also been a slew of players who have caused quite the controversy when they appeared on the brightly lit soundstage.

From politicians to models to actual singers, Hollywood has sure made the rounds on “The Masked Singer.”

Van Dyke, 97, became the oldest person to compete on the musical series, and was unmasked as “the Gnome” on an episode that aired earlier this year.

The Grammy winner performed the hit song “When You’re Smiling” by Frank Sinatra onstage in February.

Once he ripped off his gnome mascot head and revealed his true identity, Van Dyke performed a rendition of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” — the iconic song from his and Julie Andrews’ 1964 “Mary Poppins” musical.

Riley, 37, won Season 8 of the show last year, when she was revealed to be the Harp.

The “Glee” alum sang Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” and John Mayer’s “Gravity,” which led to her victory.  

But as many funny moments as “The Masked Singer” has had, it’s also delivered some eyebrow-raising ones.

Keep reading to learn more about the most contentious contestants on the show.

Sarah Palin

The former Alaska governor was appeared as the Bear to sing Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” in Season 3.

In 2022, a defamation lawsuit she filed against the New York Times went to trial and she asked jurors on the case to refrain from watching her performance on “The Masked Singer.”

Palin claimed that it could cause “unfair prejudice and confusion” against her.

Nick Cannon

The “Masked Singer” host came under fire when he made a series of antisemitic statements on his podcast “Cannon’s Class” in 2020.

The entertainer was swiftly fired by ViacomCBS from his duties as emcee of “Wild ‘N Out” and apologized for his remarks.

However, once Fox caught wind of his remorse, they allowed him to stay on as host of “The Masked Singer.”

“Nick has sincerely apologized, and quickly taken steps to educate himself and make amends,” Fox 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.”

Mickey Rourke

The “Wrestler” actor came on in Season 4 as the Gremlin. But he left viewers dumbfounded when he decided to quit just after one episode.

During his only appearance, Rourke declared as he whipped off his mask, “I want to take this off right now.”

Duff Goldman

The “Ace of Cakes” star made a bit of a boo-boo in Season 7 when his costume’s head fell off mid-performance.

Goldman was dressed as a Scottish terrier named McTerrier, and when his top toppled off, he was able to hide his face from the audience.

However, it was still as shocking as ever!

Ken Jeong and Rudy Giuliani 

The ex-New York City mayor was unveiled in Season 7 as the Jack in the Box.

Show judges Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger were confused by his appearance, with fellow judge Jeong furiously storming off the set when Giuliani’s identity was revealed.

“Is that Robert Duvall?” the Pussycat Dolls singer wondered when he took off his mask. The “Hangover” alum then replied: “No, that’s not Robert Duvall. I’m done.”  

“This is definitely something I never would have guessed,” the “Blurred Lines” crooner added.