Recommendations of the Editorial team
“You’re hired” – but supposedly only if you’re related to Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Amazon is considering a reboot of “The Apprentice.” Instead of the original host, incumbent President Trump, or his successor for one season, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump Jr. is supposed to take the helm this time.
However, the newspaper reports that talks about a reboot are still at a very early stage – so early that the company hasn’t even contacted the Trump family yet. If the project gets the green light, the show would run on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video, similar to the documentary about another Trump, “Melania.”
Amazon acquired the earlier seasons of “The Apprentice” with its acquisition of MGM in 2022. “Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had initial discussions internally about what might happen next for The Apprentice as a brand,” an Amazon spokesperson told Variety. “The show is not in active development and any reporting on details of the show or possible hosts would be purely speculative.”
No comment yet
Representatives from Amazon, the White House, Donald Trump Jr. and “Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ROLLING STONE.
The casting show premiered in 2004 with the elder Trump pretending to want to hire someone for his company. From a pool of candidates, they were put to the test with tasks in the areas of marketing and branding. Those who dropped out heard the words “You’re fired” from Trump. Omarosa Manigault Newman became the series’ first major star in its first year, but did not win. Trump brought her to the White House in 2017 as his assistant and communications director for the Office of Public Liaison – but she was fired before the end of the year. Trump hosted a total of 14 seasons of the show, which eventually opened up to celebrities. Schwarzenegger took over the 15th season, which ran parallel to Trump’s first month as president in 2017.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon managers began internal discussions about a reboot in 2025 – around the time Trump began his second term in office. That coincided with paying $40 million to distribute “Melania,” 70 percent of which went to the first lady herself. Amazon also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, according to the newspaper.
Bezos and Trump are moving closer together
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been retired since 2021, but remains executive chairman of the company. Since then, he has strengthened his relationship with Trump – this week he even attended a dinner with the president and King Charles III. part.