Rapper Lil Jon: Donald Trump called me ‘Uncle Tom’ on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’
Amidst the storm of sexual assault allegations currently raining down on him, Donald Trump has another person accusing him of a different kind of prejudice.
Rapper Lil Jon took to Twitter late Friday to confirm a report from The Daily Beast that Trump called him an “Uncle Tom” while he was on set for “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2013.
In the Daily Beast report, Trump repeatedly called the platinum rapper “Uncle Tom” after he dressed up as Uncle Sam for one of the show’s challenges. Trump continued to do so, the Beast’s sources alleged, even after staffers and producers informed him it was a racial slur. The Daily Beast did not say whether Trump used the term in front of the singer or not.
Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks denied the allegations to the Daily Beast, calling them “simply untrue.”
Lil Jon’s statement on Twitter did not confirm every detail of the original report, but he did say Trump did call him “Uncle Tom” in front of other contestants.
“When ‘this 'Uncle Tom’ incident happened on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ in the boardroom several of my castmates and I addressed Mr. Trump immediately when we heard the comment,” Lil Jon said. “I can't say if he knew what he was actually saying or not, but he did stop using that term once we explained [its] offensiveness.”
— LILJON (@LilJon) October 15, 2016
Other black contestants that season included basketball player Dennis Rodman, model Claudia Jordan, musician La Toya Jackson and Trump supporter Omarosa. The Daily Beast also said comedian Arsenio Hall, who is black, was a guest star for that particular episode. None have commented on the story.
“Celebrity Apprentice,” which brought Trump even more into the public eye, has been the source of several other controversies surrounding Trump’s presidential bid. Former contestant Summer Zervos has alleged Trump sexually assaulted her during her time on the show, and producer Mark Burnett said there are clips from the show that contain content “far worse” than the now infamous recording of Trump and Access Hollywood host Billy Bush talking about women in degrading terms and bragging about sexual assault.
This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Rapper Lil Jon: Donald Trump called me ‘Uncle Tom’ on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’."