As NBC put on their "upfront" presentation highlighting next fall's programming to advertisers, they shone a spotlight on renewed programs like "Parks and Recreation," "Parenthood," and "The Voice."
One long-running series, though, went unmentioned, according to journalists in attendance: Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice."
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The reality competition show was also left off a grid depicting NBC's schedule in fall 2013 and spring 2014, suggesting that it would not be returning for another season next year.
Donald Trump had previously tweeted that the show had been renewed.
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A representative for Trump, special counsel Michael Cohen, emailed Salon: "You need to do just a little research to learn quickly that you are absolutely wrong. Celebrity Apprentice has been renewed again." Reached by phone to ask about the disconnect between Trump's claims on Twitter and the upfront presentation, Cohen said: "There's no disconnect. It's been picked up." He cited a Huffington Post piece saying the show had been renewed. That piece was an aggregation of a Hollywood Reporter story -- one that cited Trump himself as its source.
As of yesterday, NBC had made "no decision" on "Celebrity Apprentice," the network told the Associated Press; that decision, per network press release, is coming "in the next few weeks." Last night's episode hit a season low in the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic.
When the season began in March with fewer viewers than past installments, we asked Trump himself if his vocal anti-Obama politics might have turned viewers off. "I do have strong political views, but that’s OK," he said. “There are a lot of people out there, you know, who agree with me!"
As for the fate of the show, he had told us: "I’m very happy with NBC; they’ve been terrific. We’ve had a great success with ‘The Apprentice.’"
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