Multiple employees of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” came forward Monday evening with allegations celebrity personality Gary Busey groped a production crew member in 2011 and Donald Trump did little to rectify the situation.
The Daily Beast cited five Apprentice employees who said the actor groped an unnamed set employee in front of cast members and others.
The group had been at an art gallery in SoHo, preparing to shoot that day.
“They had booze for the
“We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me. And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts,” she continued. “I didn’t know what to do. So I made this joke that, ‘Oh, I’ve never been sexually harassed by a celebrity before!’ Then he grabbed my hand and put it [over] his penis, and said, like, ‘I’m just getting started, baby.’
“Then my friend jumped in between [me and Busey] and put his hand on Busey’s chest,” she said.
Due to the public setting the incident allegedly took place in, her fellow coworkers insisted Busey be taken off the show. Trump was well aware of the incident, according to the five employees in the Daily Beast story.
“[Trump] didn’t want to pursue it too much,” another staffer said. “The production team knew. This was a big thing for a while [on the show] … My part of the crew wanted [Busey] kicked off the show.”
Another employee recalled Trump casually scolding Busey.
“Gary, did you do a bad thing … [and] got your hands where they’re not supposed to be?” the employee recollected Trump asking.
The victim did not report the incident to police because she feared she would lose her job and face legal problems from the network. She spoke on anonymity due to the show’s nondisclosure agreements.
She also said Trump would say “gross things all the time” and the multiple allegations that Trump sexually harassed or assaulted women in the past were not surprising to her.
“[Trump] is and always has been a joke — I can’t believe anyone now is taking him seriously,” she added. “He’s a monster.”
Busey’s manager issued a statement denying the claim.
“In response to your ludicrous inquiry, we will not bother and / or disrupt the life of a wonderful 72 year old man who has enjoyed a flawless career for over 45 years, to entertain such ridiculous and false accusations,” Busey’s manager Ron Sampson said. “Mr. Busey has better things to do with the rest of his life, like help raise his 6 year old son, and enjoy his family on his free time. It is our belief this is clearly an attempt to gain 5 minutes of fame for some wannabe, or perhaps a political attempt to drag Mr. Busey in the mud because he has been labeled a supporter of Donald Trump, which is false. Mr. Busey has never officially endorsed Donald Trump, has no interest in politics, and is extremely fed up with being associated as a Donald Trump supporter when he is not. We are putting you on alert that if you print ANYTHING of the sort regarding an alleged anything, you are clearly opening yourself for a lawsuit.”
Busey remained on the show for a few more episodes. He was later called back as a cast member two years later and the victim worked with him again.
At a Christmas party in 2011, Fishbowl DC documented Busey’s grabbing womens’ breasts.
10:20 p.m. A male guest on Busey: “People are complaining about the boob grabs.”
10:21 p.m. Guests line up to meet Busey and take their picture with him. One enormous woman in a gray dress poses with him. He wraps his arm around her, reaches for her bra strap, and SNAP!
10:22 p.m. A woman in line laughs at the bra snapping and says, “We still gotta get a photo. What the hell, right?”
