Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the star of the new version of Celebrity Apprentice but is not bothered that president-elect Donald Trump has retained a producer’s stake in the show.
Arnie has said that it’s just business, comparable to his situation when he became California’s governor and retained a screen credit and kept earning royalties for the Terminator movie.
He said: “So, I think this is a contract that he had and I think it’s great that he was part of it.
Replacing Trump as boss in the reality show’s boardroom meant “big shoes to fill,” he added.
Cast members including Boy George, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Eric Dickerson will compete to raise money for charity, advised by Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer and other financial heavyweights.
Earlier in the week a spokeswoman for Mark Burnett, the show’s creator, confirmed that Trump remains an executive producer on the latest edition of the long-running Apprentice franchise.
The eight episodes were taped last February.
Trump’s continued profit from a TV series is yet another unprecedented aspect of the election of a businessman and reality star to the presidency, with questions raised about how his holdings may intersect with his presidential decisions.
The extent of his involvement with The Apprentice is unclear, including how much he earns from it. The show last aired in 2015, and with Trump starring.
Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway has said that his ties to the reality show are being reviewed by experts looking into the president-elect’s business ties.
She compared Trump’s continued interest in the entertainment industry to President Barack Obama’s off-hours golfing.
The New Celebrity Apprentice will debut on American network NBC on January 2.
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