Amazon MGM Studios is in preliminary internal discussions about rebooting The Apprentice for Prime Video, with Donald Trump Jr. floated internally as a potential host, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins and other executives began discussing the reboot internally early last year, around the time President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term, according to people familiar with the talks. The company has not approached the Trump family, no host has been formally selected, and the project is not in active development.
“Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had preliminary internal discussions about what’s next for ‘The Apprentice’ as a property,” an Amazon spokesperson told the Journal. Variety separately reported that the show is “not in development” and that no discussions with anyone outside the company have taken place.
Amazon gained control of the franchise through its 2022 acquisition of MGM, though it co-owns the rights with Trump Productions. The original show ran for 14 seasons on NBC from 2004 to 2015, with Trump hosting all 186 episodes until NBC ended its relationship with him that year over remarks he made about Mexican immigrants during his presidential announcement. Trump Jr. appeared in more than 70 episodes as a boardroom advisor and guest judge during his father’s run.
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The discussions follow a broader push by Amazon MGM to align itself with the Trump brand. The studio acquired the Melania Trump documentary for $40 million and spent an additional $35 million on marketing — the film has grossed $16.6 million to date. Amazon has also previously explored a documentary on Trump’s first inauguration, though that project was not produced.
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