During his formative years, Donald Trump gained his media presence from the American television show, ‘The Apprentice’. It was a reality show in which contestants competed using their business skills to win a contract to promote one of Trump’s properties. Donald Trump hosted the television show from 2004 to 2015.
However, one question makes viewers curious: What was the millionaire businessman paid to host the NBC show? Here’s how much the former President earned from the show and why it is important to Trump’s legacy.
Donald Trump Claimed He Earned Half A Billion Dollars From ‘The Apprentice’
Donald Trump hosted ‘The Apprentice’ for 13 years before he was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger for the final season. Talking to Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh in 2023, the businessman revealed that he earned “over $500 million” from the reality show. This would easily make Trump the highest-earning man in television history. However, these large profits were the result of Trump’s excellent negotiation skills.
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Trump made $25,000 per episode in the first season. However, he requested the producers an outrageous amount of $6 million to return to the second season. In 2004, the popular sitcom ‘Friends’ was nearing its end. After going through the viewership of ‘The Apprentice’, Trump saw an opportunity. Therefore, he asked for the collective earnings of the entire ‘Friends’ cast.
Initially, NBC was ready to let go of the businessman. However, Trump claimed the next day the producers were compliant to agree with his terms.
The Actual Amount Donald Trump Made From ‘The Apprentice’ Is Much Lower
One might be taken aback when listening to Donald Trump’s claims. Unfortunately, the fat numbers have been overestimated. According to the Federal Election Commission filings and accounts, Trump made $214 million on the show. Nonetheless, the former host’s earning remains a huge figure.
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Regardless of his returns on the show, ‘The Apprentice’ remains an important part of Trump’s legacy. The businessman was already a millionaire at the time. However, the television show gave him a media presence, fame, and a platform to push his future in US politics. Eventually, he won the 2017 election and became the 45th President of the United States.
