Did Gary Busey grope ‘Apprentice’ employee, and did Donald Trump laugh it off?

By Chris Jancelewicz Global News

Posted October 18, 2016 9:40 am

Updated July 10, 2023 1:56 pm

3 min read

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Donald Trump and Gary Busey attend the 'Celebrity Apprentice All Stars' Season 13 Bus Tour at on October 12, 2012 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Actor Gary Busey is known as an out-there kind of guy, but he’s never been known to be threatening or dangerous.

That changed Monday when five Celebrity Apprentice employees revealed to The Daily Beast that Busey allegedly grabbed a female staff member of the show, and Donald Trump just laughed it off. Trump also opted to keep Busey on the show’s celebrity roster, despite his reported behaviour.

The website is reporting that Busey “grabbed” the woman (who has not been identified, but is one of the five accusers) “firmly between [the] legs” during the 2011 season of the reality show. He then allegedly grabbed her breasts and placed her hand on his crotch.

The accuser, along with her four colleagues, spoke to The Daily Beast anonymously, as per conditions of a non-disclosure agreement with NBC, the show’s production company. The incident with Busey reportedly took place during filming of the episode’s celebrity challenge, which was to sell art at a New York City gallery.

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When the cast and crew were taking a break together, the alleged assault occurred.

“We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me,” the anonymous woman told The Daily Beast. “And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts. 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.'”

“Then my friend jumped in between [me and Busey] and put his hand on Busey’s chest,” she claimed.

READ MORE: Melania Trump says Billy Bush “egged on” Donald Trump into “boy talk”

Many Apprentice employees were horrified at the incident, and the story made its way to management and senior production team members. It eventually got to Trump, who, according to the report, laughed it off and gave Busey “a slap on the wrist.”

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Surprisingly, Busey lasted for quite a while in the season, finishing in sixth place.

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This isn’t the first accusation of sexual impropriety taking place on the Celebrity Apprentice set. Over the last week, several women, including former Apprentice participants Summer Zervos and Maria Kanellis-Bennett, have accused Trump of being sexist and abusive.

Reality-show star Khloe Kardashian and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin are two other alleged victims of Trump. Kardashian says the media mogul called her “ugly” and a “piglet,” while Matlin said he called her “retarded” because of her deafness. Trump has also been accused of rating women by their breast size, and would frequently discuss behind closed doors which ones he wanted to have sex with.