NBC is benching The Celebrity Apprentice for at least a year, but it will return without Donald Trump

NBC is putting The Celebrity Apprentice on ice for at least a full year, but the series will return eventually without host Donald Trump.

NBC cut its ties with Donald Trump earlier in the year, both because of his political bid for the White House and for controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants on the campaign trail.

NBC presidentl Robert Greenblatt told reporters at the TCA press tour today (August 13) that no new episodes of The Celebrity Apprentice will be produced for the 2015-2016 season.

"It will be back for the 2016-17 season with a new host," he insisted.

Greenblatt also clarified that any press rumours about new hosts being hired now are "simply not true".

As for whether NBC will ever do business with Trump again, the executive said: "I don't think somebody who is running for president, and might possibly be the next leader of the free world, would be completely banned from any activities at NBC.

"But we'll have to see how this plays out. I honestly don't know. At the moment, we're sort of separated."

Trump vowed to sue NBC in July when the Peacock Network dropped out as the primary English-language broadcaster for his Miss USA pageant.

NBC released a statement at the time saying that it could not support his controversial claim that Mexico was sending rapists and drug dealers across the US border.

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.