Schwarzenegger leaves ‘Celebrity Apprentice’
Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Friday that he will not be returning for another season of “Celebrity Apprentice” — and he blamed President Donald Trump for the show’s declining ratings.
Mr. Schwarzenegger informed NBC of his decision Friday and confirmed the news in a statement sent by his representative to the Washington Post:
“I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said, referring to the creator of “The Apprentice.” “Everyone — from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department — was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn’t have this baggage.”
This “baggage,” he clarified in an interview with Empire magazine, referred to the show’s continued association with Mr. Trump.
“With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don’t want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said.
Despite NBC’s best efforts to promote the show, “when people found out that Trump was still involved as executive producer and was still receiving money from the show, then half the people [started] boycotting it,” Mr. Schwarzenegger told Empire.
The actor-turned-former California governor has been embroiled in a growing public feud with Mr. Trump since January, when the then-presidentelect took to Twitter to blame Mr. Schwarzenegger for the show’s suffering ratings and mocked him for supporting Mr. Trump’s political rivals.