Geraldo Rivera, host of Fox News' "Geraldo at Large," will be moonlighting on the new season of Donald Trump's “Celebrity Apprentice,” premiering on January 4th. Rivera joined us in the FOX411 studio to walk us through his new gig.
FOX411: Why did you decide to do this show?
Rivera: You try to do a bit of everything in life, and on my bucket list was a reality show at some point. So, this is part reality show and part real, harsh competition, and there were some formidable names being mentioned so I said, “Let me give it a whirl.”
FOX411: Is The Donald really a tough boss?
Rivera: He’s a tough boss. I’ve known him for decades. He hasn’t changed very much. He’s a driven person, highly intelligent, and he’s very motivated, very charismatic, and he is tough as nails in the sense there’s no slack there. You can’t put anything over on Donald. Donald can see right through someone trying to dissemble or spin stuff.
FOX411: Since you were friends with Donald, is it weird being his employee?
Rivera: That’s interesting. I’ve never quite been a peer of Donald. Let’s be honest, when you’re a billionaire versus a… I’ve done fine and he points that out. When I knew him it was more in a social way. We were single at kind of the same time. You know having fun in that sense, but I’ve watched his career with great admiration, and now to really see him as an employee sees him as an aspirant within the corporate structure of the Trump enterprises is really fascinating.
FOX411: So who's going to get fired?
Rivera: I’m not going to venture a guess on that, and I don’t want to be presumptuous for fear of being fired for telling tales out of school, but there’s some formidable competition. I wonder how the athletes for instance will fare. A lot of it is just stamina. You know, it’s a grueling schedule so will they because they’re so fit, will they fare better. We have the reality housewives and all of the intrigue and back-stabbing, and manipulation is what they do for a living. I feel in some ways, although I’m a tough guy, and a street guy I’m going into a place where I am really a novice.
FOX411: It’s important to have allies on a show like this. Is there any one you’ve become friendly with?
Rivera: I know Leeza Gibbons, and have known her for a long time. I don’t know whether or not we’ll be allies or enemies. I assume that we’re all frenemies, and sometimes you’ll be an ally and sometimes you’ll be an enemy just like the real world of politics and international relations.
FOX411: If you win, what charity will you donate to?
Rivera: Many years ago, I did an expose of an institution for the population with developmental disabilities, and the institutions were closed as a result of the expose. Now the developmentally disabled are cared for in small community-based residences, and I’ve been working very hard over the decades to open as many of them as I can. There’s a charity here locally called “Life’s Work,” which was founded by the parents of the children who were in the original institution where I was doing the expose, so I’ve worked very closely with them over the years. We’ve done telethons, benefit concerts with John Legend, the Allman Brothers, John Denver, great acts. I did boxing for many years. We have a golf tournament to raise money, and I’ll do my best to raise funds for this great, great cause that everybody embraces.
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