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.
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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.
When the cast and crew were taking a break together, the alleged assault occurred.
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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.”
Surprisingly, Busey lasted for quite a while in the season, finishing in sixth place.
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.
The anonymous sexual assault accuser also says that Trump Tower is a toxic place for women, calling it a “disgusting place to work.”
There has been no comment (as of this writing) about this incident by Apprentice creator Mark Burnett, Trump or Busey.