Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Gloria Allred Will Knock On MGM's Door Asking For Release Of Trump 'Apprentice' Tapes

AHtapescreenshot.jpg
()

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

If you have one rat or cockroach in your home, the rule is there are more nearby that you can't see. The same rule can be attached to Donald Trump—if there is one tape of him saying awful, sexist things about sexually assaulting women, then there are more that you can't see.

Following the leak of the 2005 Access Hollywood tape—which caught Trump on a hot mic telling Billy Bush, "When you're a star...you can do anything... Grab 'em by the pussy"—there's a call for the release of more tapes. A former producer on The Apprentice claimed there is footage from the show's filming that shows even worse behavior from the presidential candidate.

A GoFundMe was launched to help pay the legal fees that would add up if these tapes were released, and now Gloria Allred will be knocking on Mark Burnett and MGM's doors today in Los Angeles, along with groups like the National Organization for Women. According to Deadline, they plan to "hand-deliver an open letter to studio brass at MGM HQ today urging them to release footage from The Apprentice. They believe the release of tapes from the reality show once fronted by Donald Trump is a civic duty."

Yesterday Burnett and the studio released a joint statement, claiming, "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.”

Support for LAist comes from
()


Gloria Allred in New York City in June 2016 (Getty Images)

Allred will hold a press conference following the delivery of the petition, which will take place at 2 p.m. today at the Beverly Hills studios.

The civil rights lawyer has taken on other high-profile targets, like Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski and, yes, Trump. On Monday she confirmed with us that she has been "contacted by women who allege inappropriate contact by Mr. Trump." She added that what he described doing in the Access Hollywood tape "could constitute a sexual assault or a sexual battery. I am disgusted by what Donald Trump said and admitted that he had done on that video. An apology is not enough."

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist