NBC boss Chuck Labella has admitted that he was shocked when Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to front Celebrity Apprentice.
The former governor and Terminator star will take over from Donald Trump as the host of Celebrity Apprentice, after NBC severed ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Speaking at MediaCon, held in Dublin’s City Hall, NBC’s Head of Talent, Chuck, said that landing Arnold for the show is the “American Dream”.
“He’s a self-made business man, he’s the American Dream. Now I never thought he would do it but he did. We asked him and he said yes. And that goes to prove a point that if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” he said.
Chuck also said that Celebrity Apprentice viewers are sure to love Arnie, and that the show will be a “whole different vibe”.
“I love him, it’s an honour to work with him. It’s so cool, every day you’re watching his guy as a kid – there’s the Terminator sitting in front of you.
“You can’t help but like him. There’s going to be so many eyeballs and it’s going to be very successful – it’s going to change the brand, lift it up a little and do something a little different. It’s also shot in Los Angeles this time and not New York so it’s a whole different vibe,” he explained in an interview with Miriam O’Callaghan at MediaCon.
Change: Arnold is the new host of Celebrity Apprentice | INSTAGRAM
Speaking about former host Donald Trump, Chuck admitted that Arnold is a lot different to Donald – but he generally had nothing but good things to say about the controversial presidential candidate.
“He will be more down to business. He’s very Arnold Schwarzenegger – it’s hard to describe. [He’s] very focused.
“Donald is an incredible man, and I mean that sincerely in a positive way. He has been very good to me over the past 10 years personally and professional. I’ve learned a lot of unique lessons from him.
“One of the most interesting things is we all see him on television and he says some wacky, crazy stuff but everything he has said to me, I check, and even with talent, he’s always 100% correct. Always! He has a great sense of people,” he said.
Loyal: NBC boss Chuck had nothing but good things to say about Donald Trump | INSTAGRAM
When asked if Donald’s “wacky, crazy” statements are all for show, the NBC boss said, sadly, “no”.
“I hate to say no he’s not. I’ll tell you what his best quality is – he’s loyal. He’s extremely loyal  which I think is a fantastic quality in business.
“But I’ve had very general conversations about life and kids [with him]. He’s a little different, that’s the show you see out there. But if he wants to get something done he gets pretty outrageous,” he added.
Celebrity Apprentice will air on January 2, 2017, on NBC.Â
