MW Amazon's move toward reboot of Trump's 'The Apprentice' comes with reality TV in decline
By Lukas I. Alpert
Reviving the show would be a gamble on the Trump name to counter the broad declines seen in the genre in recent years
Donald Trump with contestants during the first season of "The Apprentice" in 2004. The show's success is widely considered to have played a big role in making him a national figure and helping him win the White House in 2016.
When Donald Trump's last appeared on "The Apprentice" more than a decade ago, reality programming was king. Now Amazon is exploring bringing the show back - reportedly with Donald Trump Jr. - taking a gamble on the appeal of the Trump name as the era of reality TV fades away.
Amazon (AMZN) has been discussing a potential reboot of the hit show that helped propel the senior Trump to wider fame and arguably the White House, this time possibly starring his son, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The possible revival is in its early stages, and the Trump family hasn't yet been approached, the Journal reported. If it were to be produced, the show would appear on Amazon Prime.
A return of the show would come amid a broad decline in the production of reality shows. The number of reality programs premiering across all viewing platforms has fallen by 33% since 2022 - from 1,193 in 2022 to 794 last year, according to Luminate, a media research group. In just the past year the number of reality shows being produced fell by 15%.
While there are still many reality shows that remain ratings hits - like Discovery's "Gold Rush," Peacock's "Love Island USA" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" - most are long-running franchises with few successes in recent years among newly created programs.
Trump hosted "The Apprentice" for 14 seasons from 2004 through 2015. It was a smash hit for NBC. The network parted ways with Trump after remarks he made about Mexicans during his first run for the presidency sparked controversy. He was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the show ended in 2017.
Key Words (September 2019): Arnold Schwarzenegger on long-running presidential feud: Trump 'wants to be me'
The show's back catalog became the property of Amazon when it acquired MGM in 2022. Last year, Amazon released old episodes of "The Apprentice" on Amazon Prime.
In a statement, Amazon said that it has taken up the matter of what to do with "The Apprentice" but that the discussion has remained very much in its early stages.
"Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had preliminary internal discussions about what's next for 'The Apprentice' as a property. The show is not in active development, and any reporting on details of the show or names of potential hosts would be purely speculative," the company's statement read.
The White House didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
Amazon's potential push to develop a new version of the show comes as it has been accused of spending significant money to produce Trump-related programming in an effort to curry favor with the president.
Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios released "Melania," a documentary about the first lady on which the company spent an eye-popping $40 million for rights alone. It then spent another $35 million to promote the film, which Amazon gave a wide theatrical release. It was reported to be the costliest documentary film of all time, even with production costs undisclosed. It grossed $16.7 million in theaters worldwide.
Trump, who returned to the Oval Office early last year, has of late suffered a popularity decline, according to recent polls, some of which now record presidential job-approval ratings at percentages in the mid to low 30s.
-Lukas I. Alpert
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April 30, 2026 13:23 ET (17:23 GMT)
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