Hollywood heavyweight and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be returning to host reality TV show The New Celebrity Apprentice, after a season he says had "baggage".
The Apprentice was first hosted by now-US President Donald Trump. He has remained an executive producer, and has made snide comments about the new show, including at the National Prayer Breakfast when he asked the crowd to "pray for Arnold".
Schwarzenegger told CNN in a statement he's terminating ties with the show.
"I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett. Everyone - from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department - was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage," he said.
Fans told him they liked the show, but "when people found out that Trump was still involved as executive producer and was still receiving money from the show, then half the people [started] boycotting it", he told Empire magazine.
"With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or sponsor or in any other way support the show. It's a very divisive period right now and I think the show got caught up in all that division."
After the National Prayer Breakfast in February, Schwarzenegger responded to Mr Trump in style, saying: "Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don't we switch jobs? You take over TV because you're such an expert on ratings and I take over your job and then people can finally sleep comfortably again."
His departure makes a new Apprentice series unlikely.
Newshub.
