Arnold Schwarzenegger to Host NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice

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UNIVERSAL CITY: Action star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been tapped to host NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice, taking over the role vacated by presidential contender Donald Trump.

The series, which sees business-savvy celebrity contestants work in teams to win challenges or risk being fired, is set to return to the network for the 2016-17 season. Though Trump originally left the show to pursue the commander-in-chief post, NBC later cut all ties with the billionaire due to what the channel called “derogatory statements” made by Trump about immigrants. The peacock network additionally dropped the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, both joint ventures with Trump.

The Celebrity Apprentice is produced by United Artists Media Group. Mark Burnett, Schwarzenegger, Page Feldman and Eric Van Wagenen are executive producers.

“We are thrilled to be opening a powerful new chapter in the story of the Apprentice franchise,” said Paul Telegdy, the president of alternative and late night programming for NBC Entertainment. “Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of a global brand in entertainment and business, and his accomplishments in the political arena speak for themselves. It was Arnold’s personal passion for the format that Mark Burnett and Donald Trump built over the last decade, as well as his fresh take on how to take it to new heights for today’s audiences, that made him the man to hire. The Celebrity Apprentice… will be back!”

Burnett said: “After leaving the show to run for political office, Donald made it clear that he wanted The Celebrity Apprentice to be able to continue to raise millions of dollars annually for worthy causes, and now NBC and I have found an amazing new leader to do just that. Gov. Schwarzenegger will use his vast and highly successful business, political and media experience to drive this hit franchise to new heights.”