NBC Universal has made its split with former reality TV star Donald Trump official, and announced Thursday that the 2016 Republican presidential candidate will never again host “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
Asked if there was a possibility of Trump returning to host the popular TV show, NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said, “Absolutely not,” according to the Associated Press.
Though the “Apprentice” won’t air next season, he added, the show will return soon with a new host.
NBC distanced itself from Trump earlier this year when he suggested during his 2016 campaign launch that Mexican immigrants are “drug dealers” and “rapists.”
“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime,” Trump said. “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they’re telling us what we’re getting.”
NBC responded quickly to the furor.
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” the network told the Washington Examiner‘s media desk in June. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”
“To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC. In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in the ‘The Apprentice’ on NBC,” it said, referring to the popular reality TV show where D-list celebrities compete for a fake job.
On Thursday, the split became official.
“He is a lovely guy. He was very much a collaborator and worked with us closely on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ and, you know, there’s a really effusive great guy,” Greenblatt said. “We weren’t in any sort of adversarial position.”
NBC isn’t the only organization to walk away from Trump: Univision, Televisa, Ora TV, Serta, PGA of America, ESPN, NASCAR and Macy’s all dumped the former TV star in response to his remarks on immigrants.
