"The Celebrity Apprentice" season 15 is to return after being on hiatus for two years and fans are already thrilled to see how Arnold Schwarzenegger will take over the reality show. Previous reports, though, are claiming that president-elect Donald Trump might not flee the show after all since he is said to still be a part of the NBC show. Following these talks, Trump tweeted his response to the speculations saying that reports are merely rumors.
"The Celebrity Apprentice" is coming back for its eighth installment (15th for "The Apprentice" franchise) on Jan. 2 with a new boardroom head signed to replace Trump. While reports about his lead were hyped over the past weeks, the rumored involvement of President Trump on the upcoming season overtook the Schwarzenegger news.
Former boardroom head of "The Celebrity Apprentice" is reportedly returning to the show as an executive producer who will earn from the show's profit that a media outlet predicted to equal to almost a $7 million payday. According to several reports, NBC and Trump's camp confirmed the president's role on the show, which then became a big issue that divided the country into two. While the others are opposing his extracurricular activities, some defend his decision saying he has the right to choose his hobbies on his rest days.
Following the buzz, President Trump then tweeted his response on Saturday, writing: "I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!" Yet again, his message attracted more speculations claiming he has a conflict of interest that clearly reflected on his tweet.
Meanwhile, the former governor of California defended Trump amidst the rumors. Schwarzenegger said in a chat as cited by Mashable: "I knew there was a credit when you watched the show. His credit was on there. It's no different then when I was running for Governor and my credit was starring in Terminator and everything stayed the same." He even assured the media outlet that he is on good terms with Trump saying, "I wish him good luck and hope he does well. I also gave him a call after I was chosen to do the job, and we had a nice conversation then."
As the controversy seems to be a result of anti-Trump camps, fans can then expect to see an exciting season with athletes, musicians, and reality show stars to compete for their chosen charities. The new season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" will premiere on Jan. 2, 2017 on NBC.
