'Celebrity Apprentice': Bret Michaels Reacts to His 'Horrible,' Shocking Firing (Video)
"I thought they were punking me," the past winner says of being the first competitor eliminated by Donald Trump on the all-stars edition.
Viewers of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice were shocked to see Bret Michaels fired by Donald Trump in Sunday night's premiere.
"I got hired big on this show, and I got fired big," Michaels, the only past winner to return for the NBC reality show's all-star edition, said Monday on CBS' The Talk.
PHOTOS: 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice': Meet the Contestants (Again)
On Sunday's episode, Michaels and Trace Adkins were chosen to select teams, and Michaels' first pick was villain Omarosa. She ultimately turned against him, saying it would be her mission to take him down, and downplayed how much money he helped raise in the first challenge.
Also not helping matters, Trump repeatedly told Michaels he thought it was a bad decision for him to return as a player instead of a boardroom adviser, as past winners Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers, John Rich and Arsenio Hall chose to do.
In the boardroom, Trump also admitted, "Psychologically, it's awfully hard for me to pick you again," and Michaels was sent packing.
On Monday, Michaels -- who called being fired "horrible" -- reiterated that he wanted to return as a player instead of an adviser to try to raise more money for his charity, the Life Rocks Foundation-National Philanthropic Trust. He also confessed that he didn't think Trump was serious when he fired him.
"I thought they were punking me," he said. "I looked around to see what they were talking about."
Michaels said one of his mistakes was in choosing Omarosa for his team, but he revealed that he had a solid rationale for doing so.
STORY: Donald Trump on 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice': 'It's a Very Dramatic Season'
"She is known as evil incarnate on TV," he said. "I figured, if I embraced it and unleashed her on the other team, we would win this hands down until we had to fight each other. That grenade blew up in my hand."
Still, he has nothing but praise for Trump and his family, noting that they have raised millions of dollars for charity.
Next, Michaels is gearing up for the release of his solo album Good Songs & Great Friends and the launch of his new Travel Channel show, Rock My RV.
THR's Daily Must Feeds
-
Beyonce: Pregnant with Second Child - Report
-
'Iron Man 3' Superhero Threequel Passes $1 Billion Mark
-
Michael C. Hall: 'Dexter' Season Eight Trailer
-
Shocking Season-Ending Twist On 'Scandal'
-
Justin Bieber Owes Money for Mally the Monkey Left in Germany
-
Saying Goodbye To 'The Office'
-
Sarah Polley Is (Mostly) Ready to Come Clean
-
How Critics Handled 'Star Trek' Into Darkness’s Bad-Guy Secret
What's Hot in TV
- MOST SHARED
- MOST POPULAR
- 1
Cannes Hit by Second High-Profile Burglary
- 2
'Big Bang Theory': A Behind the Scenes Diary of the Sweet Season 6 Finale
- 3
'How I Met Your Mother' Makes Cristin Milioti a Series Regular
- 4
'Big Bang Theory's' Kunal Nayyar, Kaley Cuoco on Raj's Big Moment
- 5
'Saturday Night Live': Watch Bill Hader's Finest Sketches (Video)
- 6
'Star Trek's' Damon Lindelof on Brad Pitt, Having Power as a Writer and His Agony Over 'Lost'
- 7
'Grey's Anatomy's' Jessica Capshaw: 'Arizona Does Not Forgive Callie'
- 8
'Scandal' Case Study: Shonda Rhimes on Season 3, Olivia and Fitz's Future
- 9
Lara Logan: 'I Was Dying in That Square'
- 10
Box Office: 'Star Trek' Sequel Opens to $84.1 Million in U.S. for $164.6 Million Worldwide



