'Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show,' says a spokesperson from Trump's camp as he retains his executive producer credit on the show.
- Dec 9, 2016
AceShowbiz - NBC cannot cut ties with Donald Trump altogether. While the President-elect won't appear on "The Apprentice" or "The Celebrity Apprentice" anymore, the former host still has his share on the show. Trump will retain his executive producer credit on the reality competition series.
MGM has confirmed to Variety that Trump's name will appear in the credit sequence after that of "Apprentice" creator Mark Burnett and before the new host Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is also an executive producer of "The New Celebrity Apprentice". This means Trump will receive payment for every episode that airs. He will also receive profit from the franchise. Trump's fees will be paid through MGM, not NBC.
A spokesperson from Trump's transition team Hope Hick says in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, "Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show and conceived of it with Mark Burnett. Additional details regarding his business interests will be shared December 15th."
Trump stated in late November that he would leave his business "in total" for his children to run so he could focus on the presidency. He's expected to explain his plan for this transition on a December 15 news conference.
NBC cut ties with Trump following his "derogatory statements" about Mexicans during his campaign. At the time, the network decided not to air "Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump." NBC also announced, "In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in 'The Celebrity Apprentice' on NBC."
"The New Celebrity Apprentice" will premiere on Monday, January 2, 2017 at 8 P.M. ET on NBC.
