Ken Jeong was not thrilled by the surprising unmasking.
*Caution: Spoilers Ahead
Before The Masked Singer even kicked off its latest season, the show found itself embroiled in controversy over one particular casting choice.
Wednesday's new Masked Singer introduced the last five contestants yet to perform -- including Frog Prince, Queen Cobra, Space Bunny, Baby Mammoth and Jack in the Box.
After all the performances, it came time for the audience to vote and -- after a particularly lackluster rendition of "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers -- it was Jack in the Box who got the boot.
The panel of celebrity detectives -- including Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger -- made their final guesses. However, no one came close to Jack in the Box's real identity.
After the traditional chants of "Take it off," Jack in the Box revealed himself to be none other than former New York Mayor and former Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
The response to the reveal was mixed, to say the least. Thicke appeared stunned and uncertain, McCarthy tried to remain affable, as did Scherzinger. The most notable reaction came from the always kidding Jeong, who stood in stunned silence.
Instead of his usual banter, Jeong instead crossed his arms and remained almost entirely silent following the unmasking.
Before the reveal, guesses from the panel included Robert Duvall, Joe Pesci, Elon Musk and Al Roker. After unmasking, Scherzinger appeared to not even know who it was, and quietly asked a stone-faced Jeong, "Is that Robert Duvall?"
"No, that's not Robert Duvall," Jeong said, quietly.
Host Nick Cannon asked Giuliani about his time on the show, and said, "With all of the controversy that's surrounding you right now, I think it surprises us all that you're here on The Masked Singer.'"
"Me too," Giuliani said with a laugh, before explaining that he agreed to be on the show because of his granddaughter.
As Giuliani began to sing an unmasked performance, an angry Jeong quietly shook his head and told his fellow panelists, "Yeah, no, I'm done," as he took off his mic and walked off stage. The episode ended on that surprisingly somber note.
Back in February, more than a month before the season premiered, news broke that Jeong had stormed off the stage in protest after Giuliani's unmasking.
According to Deadline, who was first to report the news at the time, Jeong and Thicke "quickly left the stage in protest" after the unmasking. Fellow judges Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger remained onstage and bantered with Giuliani after Jeong and Thicke's exits, per the outlet. The two male judges did eventually return, Deadline reported.
People later reported that Thicke "actually followed [Ken] because he and Ken are very close friends and he wanted to check on him. Robin didn't storm out because of Giuliani." Thicke's exit from the stage wasn't seen in the episode, but the singer wasn't visible after Jeong's departure, while McCarthy and Scherzinger danced and laughed to Giuliani's encore performance.
None of the judges nor the show have publicly commented on the unmasking, or subsequent reports of Jeong's frustrated reaction to the reveal.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Check out the gallery below for a look at every single contestant who has ever had to "take it off" throughout the history of the show!
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