Action movie star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was named the new host of NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” on Monday, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
The show was previously hosted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. NBC Universal ended its relationship with Trump earlier this summer after the businessman described Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug dealers during his campaign announcement. An NBC executive later said that Trump could “absolutely not” return to hosting the program.
Schwarzenegger will host the show for the 2016-17 season, according to CNN.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of a global brand in entertainment and business, and his accomplishments in the political arena speak for themselves,” Paul Telegdy, NBC’s president for alternative and late night programming, said in a statement, according to CNN.
Despite the severed relationship, the network still made a nod toward Trump in its announcement.
“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,” Telegdy said, according to CNN.
Here’s Stelter’s tweet:
Breaking: “Arnold Schwarzenegger has been named new host of NBC’s ‘The Celebrity Apprentice'”
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 14, 2015
This post has been updated.
