Last June, NBC cut all business ties with Donald Trump following his derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants when he announced his intention to run for president. And while the network has decided to fire the real estate mogul as host of "Celebrity Apprentice," the show will continue its run on NBC, right after the network finds a replacement for Trump.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt told Entertainment Weekly last month that they will not be airing a new season this year, but the show will be back for the 2016-17 season with a new host. Now, a new report claims that the network is eyeing a few people to fill Trump's seat by next year.
A source told Us Weekly that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Richard Branson, and Mark Cuban "are all being discussed as Trump replacements on 'Apprentice.'"
Johnson was a former point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers for 13 seasons. He runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company that has a net worth of $700 million. He is also part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and the Los Angeles Sparks team.
Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, which is comprised of a chain of record stores, a music label, an airline, and a telecommunications company, among others. According to Forbes, Branson has a net worth of $5 billion.
Cuban is the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the chairman of the cable network AXS TV. Among the three, Cuban has the most experience in reality TV as he currently stars in "Shark Tank."
Although Cuban, Johnson, and Branson were named as the frontrunners to replace Trump, a source close to Cuban reportedly told Us Weekly that the 57-year-old businessman is not interested as he thinks "'Shark Tank' is a way better show and loves being a part of it."
Meanwhile, a representative for Branson reportedly told the magazine that the 65-year-old tycoon has "a very busy schedule of worldwide commitments that would not enable him to do this."
Last month, it was rumored that NBC was looking to cast a female host as Trump's replacement, and one name reportedly in the running to host "Celebrity Apprentice" is lawyer Amal Clooney, according to Express.co.uk. Other possible replacements reportedly include actress and Honest Company founder Jessica Alba and Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg.
