Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice, (c) 2012 NBC
Ahead of the new Celebrity Apprentice on NBC this coming Sunday, Donald Trump addressed the casting of former late night talk show host Arsenio Hall.
When the fifth edition of Celebrity Apprentice hits the NBC airwaves on February 19, real estate titan Donald Trump will welcome former late night talk show host Arsenio Hall into the boardroom. Although nearly two decades have passed since Arsenio ruled the late night airwaves with The Arsenio Hall Show, Hall will step back into the spotlight to put his business sense to the test on Celebrity Apprentice.
Prior to the Season 5 premiere of Celebrity Apprentice, The Deadbolt caught up with Donald Trump, who shared his thoughts on landing Arsenio Hall for the show. “Arsenio I knew for a long time,” Trump told The Deadbolt, “but I really knew him through the show [The Arsenio Hall Show].”
“His show was the hottest show. I mean, he was the best at what he did. He was sort of killing everybody and it became the buzz show. Then all of a sudden Arsenio was gone and nobody quite understood it. He had this hot show and I think Arsenio sort of went into hiding.”
Arsenio Hall on Celebrity Apprentice
From 1989 to 1994, Arsenio Hall was one of the most influential late night talk show hosts in America. In fact, Arsenio was so influential as a talk show host that he even landed on the cover of TIME magazine. During his run, Arsenio took on such late night titans as Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and David Letterman and largely won over the young people of America. At the same time, Arsenio, also a stand-up comedian, co-starred in two of the funniest comedies of the time, Coming to America and Harlem Nights.
As Donald Trump continued to The Deadbolt, Arsenio then became somewhat of a mystery.
“All of a sudden Arsenio was gone and nobody quite understood it. He had this hot show and I think Arsenio sort of went into hiding. A lot of people, when they heard Arsenio was on our show, they said, ‘Wow, that’s a great get!’ He sort of almost became reclusive. People wanted him for different things and he wouldn’t do it. I view this as Arsenio’s coming out party.”
On Sunday night, Arsenio joins a Celebrity Apprentice men’s team that includes Adam Carolla, Clay Aiken, Lou Ferrigno, Penn Jillette, Dee Snider, George Takei, IndyCar legend Michael Andretti, and Paul Teutul, Sr. of American Chopper.
So, how does Donald Trump feel Arsenio Hall fits into the business mix this season on Celebrity Apprentice?
According to Trump, we may see more of Arsenio after his time in the NBC boardroom is over.
“Wait until you see what happens. He does a really great job. I think Arsenio will have a very major show after Celebrity Apprentice, because he’s smart and he’s tough. So this is his coming out party, I think. A lot of people were really impressed that we got Arsenio and we’re honored to have had him.”
Celebrity Apprentice airs Sunday, February 19 at 8pm on NBC.