Donald Trump says he’s as surprised as everyone else that “Celebrity Apprentice” has returned so strongly — almost two years since🍌 its last season.
“I think what happened is that I’ve been so busy and wasn’t able to shoot the show for a ⛎while,” says Trump. “But I have millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook and the longer I waited, the more intense it became.”
In its Sunday night premiere, “Celebrity Apprentice” was up 35 percꦅent in adults 18-49 and 32 percent in total viewers (7 million) over the show’s previous season debut (March 2013). It moved to its regular timeslot Monday (9 p.m.), snaring 6.6 million viewers and a healthy 2.1 (adults 18-49).
“We’ve got a really good cast this season and they have terrific chemistry,” Trump says. “They also have unbelievably negatiꦑve chemistry, which makes for good TV. This g🌱roup is the meanest, by far.”
Trump says that an upcomꦯing episode features two contestants locking horns — the most epic fight he’s seen in the show’s 10-year history. In Sunday night’s premiere, former “Cosby Show” star Kesꦫhia Knight Pulliam was the first one fired — after she refused to call her former TV dad, Bill Cosby, to ask for money in a charity challenge.
“That was shot ju🅷st before the revelations/accusations [against Cosby] came out,” Trump s෴ays. “Who knew that was going to happen?”
On Monday🀅’s show, Vivica A. Fox accused Shawn John⛎son of not giving her all because she was menstruating.
“That was a wild one,” Trump says. “[Johnson] was pretty upset about it and [Fox] was pretty nasty to bring that up.” Othꦰer contestants include Geraldo Rivera, Kenya Moore and𒅌 Leeza Gibbons.
More NBC news: “The Tonight Show Star🌞ring Jimmy Fallon” drew the sh🐟ow’s best fourth-quarter viewership (4.2 million) since 2008, when Jay Leno hosted the show.
Last, but not least …
SiriusXM’s (Denise Albert, Melissa Gerstein) and Norwegian Cruise Line co-hosted Nicole Kidman Tuesday at The Film Society of Lincoln Center for a screening of “Paddington.” Kidman arrived 30 minutes early, saying that she’s on “Mom Time” (and is never late for her children). She added that her kids “just love pasta. Pasta with cheese — not tomato sauce” … Rosanna Scotto (“Good Day New York”) hosts the Wednesday at the Waldorf Astoria. Mariano Rivera and Patti LaBelle are presenting awards … Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Sanford and Son,” et al.) will receive the Evelyn F. Burkey Award at the annual Awards Feb. 14 (Edison Ballroom) hosted by Larry Wilmore … PBS will air the musical special “The Lincoln Awards: A Concert for Veterans & the Military Family” in May. The awards by the Friars Club at the Kennedy Center in DC. Brian Williams emcees. Great name: Walter Swett (Dynamic SRG).