Arnold Schwarzenegger won't be back on "The Celebrity Apprentice."
In a new interview with Empire magazine, the actor said even if he was asked to return, he would decline.
"I learned a lot, I had a great time, it was a really great opportunity," Schwarzenegger told Empire. "But under the circumstances I don't want to do it again.
"It's not about the show because everyone I ran into came up to me and said 'I love the show ... but I turned it off because as soon as I read Trump's name I'm outta there!'
"NBC did everything they could to promote the show and (producer) Mark Burnett did a fantastic job. No one really knew that this was going to happen and I think that everyone was caught off guard. 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."
The New York Times reported that Schwarzenegger released a statement with similar remarks:
"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."
Variety reported in December that Trump would keep his executive producer credit on the show despite being elected president. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks also confirmed that Trump "maintained a financial interest" in the show, according to Variety.
The #GrabYourWallet campaign organized by Shannon Coulter may have played a part in the loss of sponsorships and boycotts. The Wrap reported that the campaign called on sponsors to withdraw support of the show because of Trump's executive producer role.
"I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the Trump brand name is toxic," Coulter said.
"With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show," Schwarzenegger told Empire. "It's a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division."
Trump fired back Saturday morning on Twitter, saying that Schwarzenegger was fired for low ratings. Trump added: "Sad end to great show."
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