After just one season, Arnold Schwarzenegger walks away from “Celebrity Apprentice.”
“I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett,” the former governor said in a statement. “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.”
As fans know far too well, the “baggage” Schwarzenegger is referring to is former long-time host Donald Trump, who since taking the Oval Office has been very vocal about his feelings towards the actor and the show’s poor ratings.
Just two weeks after invading the Capital, Trump tweeted, “Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger did a really bad job as Governor of California and even worse on the Apprentice … but at least he tried hard!”
Of course, that was just the beginning of a feud the two would take public. Previously reported, during a recent interview, the actor blamed Trump’s meddling (as a producer) for the ratings dive.
“It’s not about the show, because 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,” Schwarzenegger revealed. “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.”
“Even if asked [to do it again] I would decline.” he continued. “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. It’s a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division.”
Well, there you have it. What are your thoughts on Schwarzenegger’s decision to bail on the franchise so soon? Is it too soon? Sound off in the comment below.
