• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechDonald Trump

Arnold Schwarzenegger Won’t Be Back as Host of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 3, 2017, 3:48 PM ET
US-ENTERTAINMENT-APPRENTICE
Photo by Richard Shotwell—AFP/Getty Images

Arnold Schwarzenegger is quitting his role as host of NBC’s reality show The Celebrity Apprentice, blaming U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing role as executive producer for low ratings.

Action movie star Schwarzenegger took over as host of Celebrity Apprentice last year, and his first season, which premiered in January, has been watched by around 4 to 5 million viewers.

“I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett. 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,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

The actor’s representative said Schwarzenegger would not be returning for a second season.

NBC, a unit of Comcast, did not comment on Schwarzenegger’s decision not to return for another season, or the show’s future on Friday.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican who served two terms as California governor but said he did not vote for Trump as president, told U.K. film magazine Empire in an interview published on Friday that he was leaving the show due to Trump’s involvement.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune‘s technology newsletter.

“I learned a lot, I had a great time, it was a really great opportunity,” Schwarzenegger said. “But under the circumstances I don’t want to do it again.”

“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,” Schwarzenegger told the publication.

New York businessman Trump became a household name as the host of The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice for 14 seasons. Contestants on the reality show vie to show their business skills.

Trump, who took office in January after winning November’s presidential election, has mocked Schwarzenegger and the 43% fall in the 18-to-49-year-old audience for the show’s January premiere.

His comments sparked a Twitter fight between America’s two biggest celebrities-turned-politicians.

Some 20 million Americans were regular watchers of The Apprentice in the show’s first year, falling to around 6 million in 2015 for the last episode of The Celebrity Apprentice hosted by Trump.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

InnovationVenture Capital
This Khosla Ventures-backed startup is using AI to personalize cancer care
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 4, 2025
3 hours ago
AIEye on AI
Companies are increasingly falling victim to AI impersonation scams. This startup just raised $28M to stop deepfakes in real time
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
Jensen Huang
SuccessBillionaires
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant ‘state of anxiety’ out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
Ted Pick
BankingData centers
Morgan Stanley considers offloading some of its data-center exposure
By Esteban Duarte, Paula Seligson, Davide Scigliuzzo and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
Zuckerberg
EnergyMeta
Meta’s Zuckerberg plans deep cuts for Metaverse efforts
By Kurt Wagner and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
Pichai
Big TechAlphabet
Alphabet’s AI chips are a potential $900 billion ‘secret sauce’
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
9 hours ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
6 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
‘Godfather of AI’ says Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right about the future of work—but he predicts mass unemployment is on its way
By Preston ForeDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Scott Bessent calls the Giving Pledge well-intentioned but ‘very amorphous,’ growing from ‘a panic among the billionaire class’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 3, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.