Despite reports in the past that president-elect Donald Trump will no longer be part of the NBC family due to his comments regarding Mexicans, it seems that there have been new negotiations as the business mogul will remain as the executive producer of "Celebrity Apprentice." He will be producing the new season of the series, which is returning this January 2 after being off the air for two years.
The upcoming "Celebrity Apprentice" will be having Arnold Schwarzenegger as its news host. Variety reported that the name of Trump will be appearing after "Celebrity Apprentice" creator Mark Burnett and before Schwarzenegger's name. Schwarzenegger is also an executive producer of "Celebrity Apprentice" alongside Page Feldman and Eric Van Wagenen.
The issue about Trump maintaining his business ties with "Celebrity Apprentice" even after winning the November 2016 presidential election is a conflict of interest. This is because Trump will be getting paid for his hand on the production of "Celebrity Apprentice." It remains unclear what his salary would be per episode but it is said to be around five figures as the minimum.
Also, Trump will be a profit participant on "Celebrity Apprentice" since the franchise has been sold as a format in different countries in the world. He stepped out of being the frontman of the show before he launched his political career last year. Presidents could earn royalties while in office because past presidents have earned money via their published books. It is unclear, however, if being part of a television production falls under that.
The other businesses of Trump have been under scrutiny as it is believed to be massive conflicts of interest, Huffington Post reported. He promised in the past that he will be leaving his businesses but none of those plans have materialized as of late.
The upcoming season of "Celebrity Apprentice" will be airing eight episodes on NBC. The premier will be this January.
