Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch is talking about acquiring “The Apprentice” — the NBC business reality show that made Donald Trump a household name — after the former president’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, according to a new court filing.
In a sworn deposition in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News for promoting Trump’s false election fraud claims, Murdoch announced he would discuss the idea with his son and top Fox executive Lachlan Murdoch, the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal reported. on Thursday.
The Murdochs are also discussing the purchase with the program’s producer, Mark Burnett, who had previously sold the rights to the show to MGM, according to reports.
But in the end, the idea failed.
It’s unclear whether, if anything, Trump knew about the idea, or if the Murdochs wanted to revive the show or simply license reruns.
Rupert Murdoch said he fears Trump could “kill” the show by turning it into a “full-time campaign vehicle.”
“We just got the idea,” Murdoch said. “You have a lot of crazy ideas in business. We talk about it, we do something about it, or we don’t do it.
Murdoch rejected suggestions that getting the rights could “satisfy” Trump, who after his 2020 defeat against Fox News and Murdoch, and encouraged supporters to watch other right-wing channels.
Beginning in 2004, Trump hosted “The Apprentice” for 14 seasons on NBC. The network nixed him in 2015 for his inflammatory and divisive rhetoric as he launched his 2016 run for the White House.
Action movie star turned California GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted his 15th and final season in 2017, when he was repeatedly attacked by President Trump in terms of ratings.