Stop gushing over Sarah Palin just because she appeared on The Masked Singer. Immediately
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin rapped “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot (YouTube/The Masked Singer)
The latest episode of The Masked Singer left viewers in shock as the face behind the fluffy purple bear mask was revealed to be none other than Sarah Palin.
The popular US singing competition sees celebrities don elaborate costumes to hide their identity as they sing a cover of a well-known song. The audience then votes for their favourite, along with a panel consisting of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger.
On Wednesday’s episode, the panel were stumped by a pink and purple bear who performed a terrible rendition of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”.
Then the bear removed her mask, paused to put on her glasses, and revealed herself as the former vice presidential nominee and staunch anti-equality campaigner, Sarah Palin – who had carefully changed the song’s lyrics to ensure she was rapping only about male butts, not female ones.
The revelation sent Twitter into a tailspin as people desperately clung to any kind of news that was not about the coronavirus.
“Sarah Palin was the bear on #MaskedSinger?! Miss, you get my respects for rapping ‘Baby Got Back’ flawlessly!” gushed one viewer.
“Never in a million years would I have guessed that Sarah Palin would rap every word of ‘Baby Got Back’ in a pink bear costume. I’ve watched it multiple times and I still don’t really believe it!” another commented.
However, other more cynical viewers drew comparisons with Sean Spicer’s ill-fated appearance on Dancing with the Stars, suggesting that the lighthearted reality show appearances are an attempt to “normalise” problematic politicians and the policies they represent.
With that in mind, let’s take a moment to look behind the bear suit and remind ourselves exactly what Sarah Palin stands for.
Sarah Palin and same-sex marriage.
Sarah Palin became known for her support of “traditional” family values when she was John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential race.
When it came to same-sex marriage she voiced even stronger opposition than McCain did, saying that she would support a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality, rather than the state-by-state ruling suggested by McCain.
While campaigning to be Alaska’s governor she supported amending the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage and continued to fight after it was legalised, pushing for continued support of the Defence of Marriage Act.
She said: “I have always believed that marriage is between one man and one woman. Like the majority of Americans, I support the Defence of Marriage Act and find it appalling that the Obama administration decided not to defend this federal law.”
Sarah Palin officially endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
As Alaska’s governor, she supported amending the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. She also strongly disagreed with spousal benefits for same-sex partners of state employees, saying: “I believe spousal benefits are reserved for married citizens as defined in our constitution.”
She claims to have gay friends whom she “loves dearly”, yet has continued to ardently defend marriage as “a cornerstone of religion and civilisation” that should only be extended to heterosexual couples.
Then, after years fighting for the “sanctity of marriage”, in September Sarah Palin got divorced from her husband of 31 years. In the court documents he cited “incompatibility of temperament” which makes it “impossible to live together as husband and wife”.
Awkward.
