Donald Trump is being credited as "executive producer" of "The New Celebrity Apprentice" — but you wouldn't know from NBC, which made absolutely no mention of the president-elect as it touted the rebooted show in a press release sent to reporters on Thursday.
The highly-successful program returns Jan. 2 after a two-year hiatus with veteran action star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replacing Trump at the helm.
According to NBC, 16 celebrities will compete for their favorite charities with Schwarzenegger picking the winner with advice from investment guru Warren Buffett, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, supermodel Tyra Banks, actress Jessica Alba, and others.
The celebrity lineup includes: women's boxing champ Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali; pop star Boy George; celebrity stylist Carson Kressley; comic Jon Lovitz; Mötley Crüe rocker Vince Neil; reality show star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi; former NFL running back Ricky Williams, and pop singer Carnie Wilson.
"Contestants will compete in challenging, business-driven tasks more focused than ever on technology and innovation, testing their ability to work together as a team while raising money and awareness for their favorite causes," NBC's press release states.
"Each episode will conclude with a compelling boardroom showdown, as Schwarzenegger evaluates the performances of all of the players before deciding which team wins the challenge and who will be sent home."
NBC then references Trump's years on the show, without mentioning him, declaring, "Over the course of the series, 'The Celebrity Apprentice' has raised more than $15 million for charity."
The network says the show, returning after a two-year hiatus, is produced by MGM Television and internationally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. But again, glaringly absent is Trump's name.
Earlier this month, MGM confirmed to Variety that Trump would retain his executive producer status on the series. In the credits, Trump's name will air after that of creator Mark Burnett and before Schwarzenegger.
Reuters reported on Dec. 8 that the "larger issue for MGM, NBC, and the White House" is how much Trump will be paid.
"It's unclear what his per-episode fee is, but it is likely to be in the low five-figures, at minimum," Reuters said, adding, "The fact that a sitting president will be on the payroll of a current TV show is another example of the thicket of potential conflicts of interest raised by Trump's segue from private businessman and TV star to commander-in-chief."
Last year, NBC cut business ties with Trump after his comments that some Mexican illegal immigrants are criminals and rapists.
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