ABC News(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump is set to remain an executive producer of Celebrity Apprentice, a representative for MGM tells ABC News. MGM holds a majority stake in Mark Burnett Productions, which owns The Apprentice.
The news comes as Trump is facing questions about what business ties, if any, he will keep as he assumes the presidency and criticism that he could face conflicts of interest.
Trump has tweeted “I will be leaving my great business” and said he will details his plans later this month.
When asked about the Celebrity Apprentice role, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: “Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show and conceived of it with Mark Burnett.”
“Additional details regarding his business interests will be shared December 15th,” she added.
News of Trump’s continued role with the show was first reported by Variety. A new season of Celebrity Apprentice is scheduled to begin on NBC in January with Arnold Schwarzenegger as host.
NBC referred questions to MGM.
Norman Eisen, the former “ethics czar” for President Obama said this will be “yet another business conflict for [Trump].”
“He will be tempted, consciously or otherwise, to favor NBC or use the White House to promote this source of revenue. It is one more example of why he must divest all his interests into a blind trust or the equivalent, with these broadcast-related rights monetized and sold to someone else,” Eisen wrote in email to ABC News.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.