Celebrity Apprentice will continue in spite of Donald Trump running for US presidency

The Celebrity Apprentice is moving ahead with its next season, in spite of host Donald Trump running for president.

Trump officially launched his bid for the Republican presidential nomination today (June 15), having publicly toyed with a political bid in years past.

US television must observe an equal-time restriction for all political candidates, which could require NBC to showcase each presidential candidate equally if it continues with Trump as host of The Celebrity Apprentice.

NBC released a statement today clarifying the status of The Celebrity Apprentice, which was renewed earlier this year.

"We will re-evaluate Trump's role as host of Celebrity Apprentice should it become necessary, as we are committed to this franchise," an NBC spokesperson has said.

Trump no longer appearing on camera on the NBC reality competition would be a major format change for the show, given his status as its star.

The mogul told the press at his announcement today that he is running for office because the US needs "a truly great leader".

He has been an outspoken critic of US president Barack Obama throughout the leader's six years in office.

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.