Donald Trump Gets $130M From NBC Deal on 'Celebrity Apprentice'

By Lawrence D. Jones, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Donald Trump will get a massive raise from NBC for his role as host of "The Celebrity Apprentice" after he flirted with the idea of a 2012 presidential run over the past several months.

The NBC network will pay Trump and co-producer Mark Burnett an estimated $160 million for another two years of "The Celebrity Apprentice," The New York Post reports.

Trump will personally pocket $65 million a year from the contract, according to the local Post, which cited sources familiar with the contract.

The sizeable paycheck makes Trump, who is already pockets $60 million from his entertainment ventures, the highest paid reality TV star, surpassing Simon Cowell who took in $45 million a year while a judge on Fox's "American Idol."

Earlier this year, Trump teased the media that he was considering a run for the White House. His persistent demands on the public release of President Obama's birth certificate helped land him among the top GOP presidential contenders in early polls.

But after NBC said the "Apprentice" franchise would move on without him, Trump bowed out of the presidential race, saying that "business is my greatest passion, and I am not ready to leave the private sector."

"The Apprentice" series will enter its 11th season next March. The New York Post reports that the TV network has already confirmed sponsors like Procter & Gamble and General Motors for next season.