NBC told us The Celebrity Apprentice would be back - and it could be on screens much sooner than anyone thought.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to film his first season as the new Apprentice host this spring - with NBC eying a possible fall premiere.

There had previously been speculation that The Celebrity Apprentice could be held over until 2017, prior to today's announcement at the TCA press tour.

Last September, NBC spawned a million catchphrase memes by hiring Schwarzenegger as former Apprentice host Donald Trump's replacement.

Trump notoriously quit the long-running reality competition franchise last year in order to run for the presidency.

The Donald was uncharacteristically gracious by congratulating Arnie when his hiring was announced last autumn - although he later claimed NBC would fire Schwarzenegger if he ever wanted to return to The Celebrity Apprentice.

The Apprentice has been a fixture on NBC - both in civilian and celebrity formats - dating back to 2004.

Headshot of Justin Harp
Justin Harp

Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.