Why Did The Apprentice Get Canceled?

The early 2000s were a wild time in reality television, with some of the biggest names in the world having their own shows. That included future President Donald Trump, who hosted The Apprentice for fourteen seasons. But why did The Apprentice get canceled?

Why Did NBC Pull the Plug on The Apprentice?

The premise of The Apprentice was pretty simple: up-and-coming businesspeople would compete in various trials for the chance to manage one of Donald Trump’s properties and make a name for themselves. Of course, just like in the real business world, not everyone would win, with Trump “firing” contestants every week before crowning the winner.

It didn’t take long for the show to become a hit, and that led the ones behind it to start aiming higher. The Celebrity Apprentice started airing in 2008, but rather than having an opportunity to work for Trump, celebrity contestants would compete for money to give to charity. Some of the notable winners of The Celebrity Apprentice include Piers Morga, Joan Rivers, and Arsenio Hall.

There was also Donald J. Trump Presents The Ultimate Merger, which believe it or not, was a reality dating show where Trump would select men to compete for the affections of a notable woman. The first season was headlined by former The Apprentice contestant Omarosa, while the second featured America’s Next Top Model alum Toccara Jones.

Related: Was the Tracker TV Show Cancelled?

While the dating spinoff wasn’t all that successful, ending after two seasons, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice became some of the biggest shows in NBC’s history. However, things took a turn when Trump started running for President of the United States. In April 2015, NBC fired Trump from The Celebrity Apprentice. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump,” the company’s statement read (via CBS News). “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.”

Later that year, Arnold Schwarzenegger took over as host of the show. He only lasted one season, though, and the show didn’t return on NBC after that. There have been rumors of other parties trying to acquire the rights to The Apprentice, but as of 2024, the long-running series has yet to return.

And that’s why The Apprentice got canceled.

A select number of episodes of The Celebrity Apprentice are available to stream on NBC.com.