Hasta la vista, baby: Arnold Schwarzenegger exits Celebrity Apprentice
Host cites Trump 'baggage' for low ratings, says he would be willing to work again with NBC on different show
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's through with The New Celebrity Apprentice, and he's blaming U.S. President Donald Trump for the show's recent poor performance.
The former California governor said Friday he wouldn't mind working with NBC and producer Mark Burnett again "on a show that doesn't have this baggage."
The show, which Trump once hosted and has remained as an executive producer, finished with the poorest ratings of any of its celebrity incarnations.
The most recent season ended last month and averaged fewer than 5 million viewers an episode.
"With Trump being involved in the show, people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show," Schwarzenegger said in an interview with the Empire website. "It's a very divisive period now, and I think this show got caught up in all that division."