WARNING: This story contains graphic language that some readers might find offensive. Please read at your own discretion.
An altercation between Tom Arnold and a producer of The Apprentice has led to an exchange on social media.
Arnold tweeted that producer Mark Burnett choked him at a pre-Emmys party Sunday in Los Angeles. Burnett’s wife, actress Roma Downey, tweeted that Arnold “tried to ambush” the couple, and she posted a photo of what she says is her bruised hand.
“Mark Burnett just went apesh*t & choked me at this huge Emmy party then he ran away with his torn Pink shirt & missing gold chain. I’m waiting for LAPD,” Arnold tweeted.
READ MORE: ‘Apprentice’ creator Mark Burnett says he can’t release unaired Donald Trump footage
Arnold has been publicly bashing Burnett for months over Arnold believing the producer is protecting U.S. President Donald Trump by refusing to release outtakes from The Apprentice in which Trump allegedly makes disturbing comments and uses racial slurs.
Arnold claims actor Kevin Bacon witnessed the entire incident, writing, “FYI: Kevin Bacon is a solid reliable brawl witness. Sosie Bacon is a wingman.”
“Got this bruise tonight when Tom Arnold tried to ambush my husband Mark and me at a charity event. Is your TV show worth it Tom? Please stop,” Downey tweeted.
Arnold responded to Downey, writing, “Bullsh*t. You lie your crazy husband attacked me you psycho. I’m filing police report & suing you for defamation.”
READ MORE: Tom Arnold may release the offensive ‘Apprentice’ recordings of Donald Trump
Arnold responded to a fan’s tweet who wrote, “I believe Tom. Knowing how much Roma and her hubby lie for Trump. Tom I think you were touched by an angel when she hit you.”
“Roma knocked Bryan Fogel’s phone out of his hand after Mark Burnett chocked me. Bryan came with me. He won the Oscar this year for his amazing documentary Icarus. He has tape,” Arnold tweeted.
Arnold’s lawyer, Marty Singer, told The Hollywood Reporter that Burnett “attacked” Arnold.
READ MORE: Tom Arnold says he has offensive ‘Apprentice’ recordings of Donald Trump
According to Variety, Burnett and Arnold arrived at the event held at the Lawn at Century Park at around 9:30 p.m. As both men were walking into the event, a scuffle ensued.
The scuffle involved shoving but it was unclear who made the first move, Variety reports.
Actress Alyson Hannigan tweeted that she witnessed the confrontation and thought it was a joke until security jumped in.
“Walked n2 party behind Tom Arnold and saw him & Mark Burnett get into a fight! Thought it was a joke until security jumped in! #WhyIStayHome” Hannigan tweeted.
Police say no report was taken. Emails to the celebrities’ representatives were not immediately returned.
Patton Oswalt posted a photo with Arnold after the incident with Burnett.
“I’m with @TomArnold, everyone. He’s okay. We gotta protect this brutal angel,” he tweeted.
Billy Eichner also posted a photo with Arnold after the altercation. “Here I am with @TomArnold right after the fight with Mark Burnett tonight. Everyone in LA is shaken. Pre-Emmys Madness. Hold your loved ones tight. #ImWithHer,” Eichner wrote.
READ MORE: Omarosa accuses Donald Trump of using ‘N-word’ multiple times on ‘Apprentice’
Arnold’s new show, The Hunt for the Trump Tapes, is set to debut Tuesday. The show follows Arnold’s attempts to find tapes that show Trump expressing bigoted views on the set of The Apprentice, which Burnett produced.
Arnold was a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, which Burnett executive produced and Trump hosted.
Arnold claims that multiple people have described what Trump said during the recording of The Apprentice.
“Seven @MarkBurnettTV Apprentice Employees gave statements about @realdonaldtrump saying “n” words on the set of @ApprenticeNBC & 100 horrible things. I spoke 2 Executive Producers & Mark Burnett in person. They all said Trump’s a liar & there is #TrumpTapes.
READ MORE: Clay Aiken: ‘Donald Trump didn’t decide who got fired on ‘The Apprentice’’
On Sept. 15 Arnold tweeted, “Mark Burnett spent 15 yrs editing Donald Trump lies, incompetence, racism etc out of The Apprentice. That’s the Trump people thought they elected. Now we know they elected the guy Burnett edited out. America’s in big trouble & needs the whole truth. Why MB still hiding outtakes?”
He continued: “Mark Burnett has remained silent about all of his best friend & business partner Donald Trump’s cruel & racist policies including child separation but he sent a letter threatening to sue a Will & Grace star because a Trump Tweet offended him. He sent it to her agent to scare her.”
Last month, Trump said that Burnett told him there were no tapes.
READ MORE: ‘The Apprentice’ cast, crew say Donald Trump rated contestants by size of their breasts
After the altercation, Arnold tweeted, “Mark Burnett doesn’t seem too thrilled about my new tv show. #TheHuntForTheTrumpTapes Starts Tuesday 10:30p @VICELAND & we do a Mark Burnett/Apprentice episode the first night. Yes Roma, saving my country is worth it. Brutal bruise. Should’ve gone to a dr. last wk when you hurt it.”
During a recent appearance to promote his new show, Arnold said, “Mark Burnett says he’s a Christian, and he lets that man do all that bullsh*t, and he let a sexual harasser work on his show.”
Arnold also has admitted that he won’t stop trying to unveil the tapes until Trump quits. He said he “doesn’t give a shit” about the 40 per cent of Americans still standing by Trump.
“I’m going to do this until he resigns,” Arnold said. “He is a crazy person. He is putting this country on the precipice of war right now. For some reason, I am in a position to do something, and it is working. And I am going to do this until that guy resigns and the world will be safer. It’s going to happen.”
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The True Life actor previously said that the recordings are a compilation of various statements Trump made on camera that never aired, and he claims that the recordings have circulated within the entertainment industry.
“It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard,” Arnold claims. “Just being so mean to his own children.”
Burnett previously said he cannot release any unaired recordings of Trump on Apprentice.
“Despite reports to the contrary, Mark Burnett does not have the ability nor the right to release footage or other material from The Apprentice. Various contractual and legal requirements also restrict MGM’s ability to release such material,” MGM and Burnett said in a joint statement on Oct. 10 2016. “The recent claims that Mark Burnett has threatened anyone with litigation if they were to leak such material are completely and unequivocally false.”
Burnett has not commented on the altercation.
—With files from the Associated Press
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