Oscar nominee Gary Busey allegedly sexually assaulted a female Apprentice employee during his time on the show, five Apprentice employees tell The Daily Beast.
Donald Trump knew about the incident, laughed it off, and kept Busey on his TV series, these staffers said.
Multiple Apprentice employees, including the alleged victim herself, told The Daily Beast that the Academy-Award-nominated actor “grabbed” one of their colleagues “firmly between [the] legs” during the 2011 season of Celebrity Apprentice. Busey also forcibly put the female staffer’s hand on the crotch of his pants. The alleged incident, which they say took place during a location shoot in SoHo in New York City, prompted a firestorm among members of the Apprentice crew.
Ten women have accused Trump of inappropriately touching them ever since the release of a 2005 video in which he boasted of grabbing women “by the pussy.” This alleged Apprentice incident shows that Trump was more than an accused groper—he allegedly condoned such ugly behavior in others, as well.
The Trump campaign and publicists for Apprentice executive producer Mark Burnett did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.
As described by five sources, the alleged incident occurred when celebrity contestants were tasked by Trump to sell art at a gallery. The cast and crew were taking a break outside the gallery before shooting began that day, the female employee allegedly assaulted by Busey said. And that’s when Busey grabbed her.
She, along with her Apprentice colleagues, spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictive non-disclosure agreements signed by those involved with the NBC series’s production. The alleged victim, who hadn’t before gone public with her claims, agreed with The Daily Beast to be quoted for this story.
“They had booze for the, I think Lil Jon ordered it,” she said. “And so, a few of the celebrities wanted to do a shot together after we finished [setting up] for the show. We all took a shot together, and then went to stand together for B-roll time.
“We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me. And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts,” she continued. “I didn’t know what to do. So I made this joke that, ’Oh, I’ve never been sexually harassed by a celebrity before!’ Then he grabbed my hand and put it [over] his penis, and said, like, ‘I’m just getting started, baby.’”
She added, “Then my friend jumped in between [me and Busey] and put his hand on Busey’s chest.”
She was disturbed by the alleged incident, and her friends and colleagues on the series were furious. Some staffers asked for Busey to be kicked off the show, and the internal dissent grew loud enough that producers and management were all briefed on the incident.
The news made it all the way up the chain of command, multiple sources told The Daily Beast, and made its way to Trump’s ear. The real-estate mogul ultimately gave Busey little more than a chuckle and a soft slap on the wrist. (Busey was allowed to remain on the show for the duration of the season—until he was “fired” and came in sixth place.)
The alleged victim said that she didn’t push the matter further because she feared for her livelihood.
“I didn’t think I’d get hired again by the company if I said something like that [and pursued further action],” she said.
She also said that Trump would say “gross things all the time” during The Apprentice, and that the atmosphere of Trump Tower was “a disgusting place to work” due to the high frequency of sexual harassment. When asked if the recent rash of sexual-assault and harassment allegations against the Republican presidential nominee surprised her, she simply said: “No. No they don’t.”
“[Trump] is and always has been a joke—I can’t believe anyone now is taking him seriously,” she continued.
“He’s a monster.”
Her colleagues at the time confirmed her account of the alleged Busey incident.
via Daily Beast
