“Hasta la vista, baby.“ At least, in our minds, that’s what Arnold Schwarzenegger said when he decided to end his tenure as host of The New Celebrity Apprentice after just one season.
In an interview with Empire, Schwarzenegger said his decision is “not about the show,” but instead has to do with a certain former host who is now president.
When reached for comment by Vanity Fair, Schwarzenegger’s representative offered the following comment from Schwarzenegger by e-mail: “I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett. 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.”
Viewers and sponsors have reportedly abandoned the show throughout its most recent season. The season finale drew 3.45 million viewers and a .9 rating among the key 18 to 49 demo—a serious plummet from 2015’s season finale, which brought in 6.1 million viewers and a 1.7 rating. As far as Schwarzenegger is concerned, that decline is thanks to Donald Trump.
“Everyone I ran into came up to me and said, ‘I love the show. . . but I turned it off because as soon as I read Trump’s name, I’m outta there!’ ” he told Empire.
Schwarzenegger had nothing but praise for NBC and Apprentice producer Mark Burnett. Still, he said, “Even if asked [to do the show again], I would decline. 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 to support the show. It’s a very divisive period right now, and I think this show got caught up in all that division.”
The exiting host appeared to leave out a few more details: that Trump has repeatedly bashed Schwarzenegger and his ratings as host, even though Trump still serves as an executive producer on the program.
Does Schwarzenegger’s exit mean the end of the Apprentice franchise on NBC? The show has been an integral part of the peacock’s plumage since 2004, when The Apprentice premiered with Trump as host. Four years later, the show re-vamped itself into The Celebrity Apprentice, and this year’s season was rebranded once more as The New Celebrity Apprentice—a nod to its new host. Are we facing a future that includes The New New Celebrity Apprentice, or will this former ratings juggernaut finally be terminated for good? We’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates—and for victory tweets from our commander in chief.
Vanity Fair has reached out to NBC for comment.
