mark burnett, the reality show impresario, has faced mounting demands in recent days to release old video from his series <u+201c>the apprentice,<u+201d> on speculation that donald j. trump was captured on camera making vulgar remarks during his 11 years as the show<u+2019>s host. on monday, mr. burnett broke his silence and issued a statement with a basic message: don<u+2019>t look at me. <u+201c>despite reports to the contrary, mark burnett does not have the ability nor the right to release footage or other material from <u+2018>the apprentice,<u+2019><u+201d> read a statement issued by mr. burnett<u+2019>s public relations team and attributed to mr. burnett and metro-goldwyn-mayer, the entertainment conglomerate that acquired a majority of his production company in 2014. the statement did not elaborate on the reasons mr. burnett could not distribute the video, beyond a general description of <u+201c>various contractual and legal requirements<u+201d> that <u+201c>restrict m.g.m.<u+2019>s ability to release such material.<u+201d> left unanswered was the question that has consumed the news media and the political world in recent days: do damning recordings exist of mr. trump from <u+201c>the apprentice<u+201d> set? interest in such material has intensified since friday when a video emerged from another show, nbc<u+2019>s <u+201c>access hollywood,<u+201d> that showed mr. trump making lewd remarks about kissing and groping women. some commentators have argued that mr. burnett has a civic obligation to release video that could affect voters<u+2019> opinions of mr. trump. in the television industry, the use of video created for a particular show is often governed by complex arrangements with producers, distributors and actors. many employees in the reality tv industry also sign nondisclosure agreements, in part to prevent the release of spoilers. news reports over the weekend said that mr. burnett had informed <u+201c>apprentice<u+201d> crew members that any leak of material could result in significant fines and perhaps a lawsuit. in the statement on monday, mr. burnett and m.g.m. denied those claims, calling them <u+201c>completely and unequivocally false.<u+201d> the statement also noted that mr. burnett, whose other hit series include <u+201c>survivor,<u+201d> <u+201c>shark tank<u+201d> and <u+201c>the voice,<u+201d> had supported democratic politicians in the past.
mark burnett says he can<u+2019>t release <u+2018>apprentice<u+2019> video of donald trump
michael m. grynbaum