Polygraph

The Apprentice television show ran for 14 seasons over 12 years.

Posted by Badlands Media, Checked

Polygraph verdictMixed
Sources
4 contradict3 support
Said
1 time·
Confidence
60%
Badlands MediaOct 15, 2026
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108 claimsThe check →

The 14-season count holds only for the Trump-hosted run (2004–2015, which is about 12 years), as AP and Reuters report. Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Screenrant, and NY Sun put the show's full run at 15 seasons over 2004–2017, so the claim as a description of the whole show is incorrect.

A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.

What was said

… It's time for the people of Arizona to tell Katie Hobb's, You remember The Apprentice? You're fired. Get out of here, you EFI. Remember that? It was a big debate: would I have been president? You know, The Apprentice was a tremendous success. Went on for actually 14 seasons over 12 years. It was so good, they did a couple of years where they actually put it on twice, which never happens. But there's a big debate: would I have been president if I didn't do The Apprentice? And The Apprentice went to many times the number one show on television. …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. Wikipedia lists the series as having 15 seasons on NBC from 2004 to 2017, and Rotten Tomatoes reports 15 seasons total.[3][4]

Contradicts. NY Sun and Screenrant state the show ran 15 seasons, with Trump hosting the first 14 and Arnold Schwarzenegger hosting season 15 in 2017.[5][6]

Supports. AP (2016) reports that 14 seasons of 'The Apprentice' or 'Celebrity Apprentice' ran from 2004 to 2015, which is about 12 years.[1][7]

Supports. Reuters (2016) describes 'For 14 seasons, The Apprentice' provided Trump with a national stage, consistent with the count through his hosting period.[2]

Context. The 14-season, 12-year framing is accurate for the Trump-hosted period but understates the full series, which ran to 2017 with 15 seasons.[1][3][5]

Sources

7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 5 not rated

  1. 1In Trump's 'Apprentice' run, reality wasn't what it seemedapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
  2. 2Former TV 'Apprentices' denounce Trump White House bidreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
  3. 3The Apprentice (American TV series) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
  4. 4The Apprentice - Rotten Tomatoesrottentomatoes.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
  5. 5Amazon Prime Starts Streaming President Trump’s Former Reality Show ‘The Apprentice’nysun.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
  6. 6Tthe Apprentice Summary, Latest News, Trailer, Season List, Cast, Where to Watch and Morescreenrant.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
  7. 7On Trump's 'Apprentice,' reality wasn't what it seemedcsmonitor.com · not rated · cited for: supports

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