Movie star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger will replace mogul-turned-would-be politician Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice, NBC announced Monday.
(Photo: Kevin Lee, Getty Images)
The former California governor, although he’s not a billionaire like Trump, is a good fit for the show, which will return for the 2016-17 season, the network said.
As governor for two terms, Schwarzenegger managed more than 300,000 state employees and a state budget in the hundreds of billions, the press release said. He has successfully invested in both real estate and sports franchises, and is known to millions globally for his starring role in the Terminator film franchise. His films, over a six-decade career, have grossed billions of dollars in worldwide box office.
The news generated tweets spoofing the show’s signature line: You’re fired! Others pointed out that Trump, who has railed against immigrants from Mexico, is being replaced on the show by an immigrant from Austria.
As host for seven seasons of The Celebrity Apprentice, Trump helped raise more than $15 million for charity, NBC said.
We are thrilled to be opening a powerful new chapter in the story of the Apprentice franchise, said Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming for NBC Entertainment. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of a global brand in entertainment and business, and his accomplishments in the political arena speak for themselves. It was Arnold’s personal passion for the format that Mark Burnett and Donald Trump built over the last decade, as well as his fresh take on how to take it to new heights for today’s audiences, that made him the man to hire. The Celebrity Apprentice…will be back!
Schwarzenegger issued a statement and also tweeted his delight.
I have always been a huge fan of The Celebrity Apprentice and the way it showcases the challenges and triumphs of business and teamwork, he said in the statement. I am thrilled to bring my experience to the boardroom and to continue to raise millions for charity. Let’s get started!
He even tried practicing, You’re fired! in a Snapchat video, which was posted on a Snapchat celebrities Instagram page.
Schwarzenegger, 68, who left office in 2011, has recently revived his movie career, including starring in another Terminator movie, Terminator Genisys.
It may be Schwarzenegger won’t be the only star with his name on TV: Last week, his son, actor/model Patrick Schwarzenegger, 21, was announced as a new member of the cast of horror-comedy Scream Queens, according to the show’s executive producer Ryan Murphy. The show premieres Sept. 22 on Fox.
NBC fired Trump in July, after his June presidential announcement included inflammatory rhetoric about Mexico and Mexicans. Besides Apprentice, the network and the real-estate mogul also shared ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, including the annual Miss Universe pageant.
Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump, the network said in a statement at the time.
Trump was furious and threatened legal action against NBC. Then, last week, Trump announced he had bought NBC’s 50% stake in Miss Universe and settled all their legal issues. On Monday, Trump turned around and sold the whole thing to entertainment empire WME/IMG.
According to NBC, on The Celebrity Apprentice, business-savvy celebrity contestants working in teams are asked to perform various tasks while employing a business model that promotes teamwork and, hopefully, ends with a financially successful outcome — all for a worthy charity.
Contestants are subjected to long hours, grueling deadlines, intellectual challenges, personality clashes and intense scrutiny. Each task will end in the boardroom, where contestants must account for their actions or risk being ‘fired’by the host until one remains.
With Trump’s departure, NBC and I have found an amazing new leader to continue raising money for charity, said executive producer Mark Burnett in a statement. Gov. Schwarzenegger will use his vast and highly successful business, political and media experience to drive this hit franchise to new heights.
Contributing: Bill Keveney