Curry-Rhode Sparks Debate
Adrianne Curry-Rhode, a former model and winner of the first cycle of America’s Next Top Model in 2003, has recently stirred up social media. She questioned the apparent scarcity of clips from Donald Trump’s reality show, The Apprentice, which transformed Trump into a major celebrity after its debut in 2004.
Curry-Rhode, who changed her name after marrying voice actor Matthew Rhode in 2018, shared a throwback video clip on June 9 on X (formerly Twitter). The clip showed Trump speaking to Oprah Winfrey back in the 1980s about potentially running for president one day. She wrote, “Why are all of Trump’s reality shows and clips scrubbed from apps. Etc? Apprentice was a powerhouse. Why can’t people watch it like they watch MY old stuff? Trump is/was a mega star. It’s like they want to pretend he isn’t/wasn’t.”
She further questioned why her content is readily available while Trump’s isn’t, despite him being a much bigger celebrity. However, other social media users informed her that fans can still watch the show on Tubi, a free streaming service.
The conversation around The Apprentice was reignited last month with the release of a book by Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh. The book, titled Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, delves into behind-the-scenes details of the reality contest and reveals unexpected elements about Trump’s interactions with celebrities.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, denounced the book and its author, accusing him of allowing “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to cloud his judgment. Meanwhile, Kathy Griffin, a frequent critic of Trump, shared her own experience on The Apprentice, stating that Trump smelled “really bad” on the show.
