After rumblings that Mark Burnett might be trying to help the former star of his show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump, the producer has clarified where he stands on Trump's bid for president.
“Given all of the false media reports, I feel compelled to clarify a few points,” Burnett, creator and producer of "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice," said in his new statement, Vulture reports. “I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump’s candidacy. I am NOT ‘Pro-Trump.’ Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division, and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.”
There have been a number of calls for Burnett and MGM, which owns his production company, to release potentially damaging outtakes involving Donald Trump from "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice." MGM previously said in a statement that "various contractual and legal requirements" restrict it from releasing such footage.
However, BuzzFeed News previously reported that "a source close to Burnett" said the producer is a Trump supporter, which would give him motivation to keep such tapes from the public.
In the same story, BuzzFeed claimed that Burnett had "made clear to his teams that he will sue anyone who leaks" unaired "Apprentice" footage. Burnett has refuted both claims from BuzzFeed.
Either way, as the creator of both "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice," both of which are produced by his production company, it's clear Burnett has had deep financial ties to Trump over time.
MGM, owner of Mark Burnett Productions, also clarified in a statement that "MGM has agreements with artists across a wide spectrum of creative properties, including ‘The Apprentice.’ These agreements typically contain provisions related to confidentiality and artist’s rights. MGM has every intention of complying with its agreements with artists and honoring their rights, including with respect to ‘The Apprentice.’”
Billionaire media executive Barry Diller has scoffed at the claim that MGM can't release "Apprentice" footage for legal reasons, saying he thinks the justification is "total bulls---."
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