Donald Trump still pockets up to $1M a year from ‘The Apprentice.’ Now Amazon wants to keep that money in the family

It’s been 11 years since Donald Trump last fired contestants on the reality TV show The Apprentice. But the show might be coming back, thanks to Amazon. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is looking into bringing back The Apprentice with Donald Trump Jr. as the host. This would bring new life to the show and keep money flowing to the Trump family.

The Hollywood Reporter says Amazon has been having early talks internally about what to do with The Apprentice as a property. The show is not being actively developed right now, but Amazon executives have suggested that Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., could host the reboot. However, the Trump family has not been contacted about this idea yet, and nothing is certain about the show’s future.

The Apprentice was a reality TV show where contestants competed for a job working for the businessman. The show ran on NBC for 14 seasons from 2004 to 2015, with Donald Trump as the host. Trump Productions and Mark Burnett Productions made the show, and MGM bought Mark Burnett Productions in 2014. Amazon later bought MGM, which means Amazon now owns the rights to the show along with Trump’s production company.

The show still makes Trump hundreds of thousands of dollars every year

The show stopped making new episodes over 10 years ago, but Amazon has been streaming old episodes of the program. The show has also been sold into syndication and syndicated streaming. According to Donald Trump’s financial disclosure forms, the show still makes him six figures every year.

He earned between $100,000 and $1,000,000 in royalties from the show in 2024. This amount does not include the value of the show itself, which Trump’s form says is “not readily ascertainable.” Amazon’s interest in bringing back The Apprentice is not shocking, considering the company’s recent deals with the Trump family.

In 2025, Amazon bought the documentary Melania for $40 million and spent another $35 million on a worldwide marketing campaign for the film. The movie has made $16.6 million after opening to a better-than-expected $7.2 million in January. Many people saw this move as Amazon trying to gain favor with the president, and critics called it a “brazen corporate bribe.”

Critics have pointed out that Amazon and founder Jeff Bezos have become more supportive of Trump since he returned to the White House. The company has helped pay for several Trump events, including his inauguration and the proposed White House ballroom.

Trump has faced various controversies during his presidency, including his angry clarification about rape allegations that made headlines recently. Some people have accused Amazon of making deals that keep money flowing to the president’s causes and his family.

The possible reboot of The Apprentice with Donald Trump Jr. as host has received criticism on social media. Critics say Amazon is trying to gain favor with the Trump family and continue promoting the president’s brand. However, Amazon has not yet contacted the Trump family with this idea, and the show’s status is still unclear. Trump’s international relations have also been under scrutiny, particularly his handshake moment with King Charles, which drew attention.According to Huffpost, a spokesperson for Amazon said, “Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had preliminary internal discussions about what’s next for The Apprentice as a property. The show is not in active development, and any reporting on details of the show or names of potential hosts would be purely speculative.” This statement shows that Amazon is exploring the idea of bringing back the show, but nothing is set in stone yet.