Fans began speculating that Rudy Giuliani was cut from The Masked Singer after his absence during the show's season 7 premiere; however, it's now been confirmed that he will still make an appearance. On February 2, news broke that the former New York City mayor had revealed himself to be one of the new contestants while filming The Masked Singer season 7. His reveal caused panelists Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong to storm off stage in protest, leaving Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger to converse with the politician until the men returned to their seats. It was later reported that Ken felt very disrespected by Rudy being cast on the show, mainly because of his involvement in the false and misleading claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

According to reports, Rudy was revealed during the taping for the season's first episode, so when fans didn't see him during the premiere, they were confused. Instead of the mayor, fans watched performances from Thingamabob, McTerrier, Cyclops, Firefly and Ram. While four of the five still remain anonymous, McTerrier was unmasked and revealed to be pastry chef Duff Goldman. When they didn't see the politician in the episode, they assumed that FOX must have cut him from the show after the backlash they received from fans.

Related: Masked Singer: McTerrier’s Mask Falls Off Mid-Performance In Preview Clip

However, it's now being reported that Rudy will still appear on The Masked Singer, just during a different episode. Newsweek shared an e-mail from FOX Entertainment's Jean Guerin explaining why the former mayor did not appear in the premiere episode as expected. "The show's general format features three groups across the season, and like most productions, the groups are not necessarily taped sequentially, so we don't always know the order they will air," Jean explained. Whether or not Robin and Ken's walkouts will air is still unknown, but fans will be seeing the former attorney on the show whether they want to or not.

The Masked Singer contestants posing together in Season 7 Teaser

Upon hearing about Rudy's appearance, many fans were outraged and even planned to boycott the new season. However, The Masked Singer has maintained its loyal fan base, and plenty of devoted fans still tuned in for the season 7 finale. The former New York City mayor is the second politician to appear on the show, following former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The politician, who was involved in a recently dismissed trial against the New York Times, had asked that the jury not have access to her episode of the show. While she received some backlash, fans were not nearly as upset as they were when they heard about Rudy.

For fans hoping to evade the mayor's presence on the show, unfortunately, he is still set to make his appearance. While his costume was not revealed, it's likely he may appear on Team Bad as it fits his narrative. Hopefully, fans who don't wish to tune in for the politician's appearance will get a heads-up on when his episode will air and can simply change the channel that night. Once he's gone, The Masked Singer can return to its light-hearted content with hopefully more fan-loved contestants like Kandi Burruss and Joey Fatone.

Next: Masked Singer Season 7 Promo Reveals First Look At Ringmaster’s Voice

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.

Source: Newsweek