Celebrity Apprentice's Donald Trump Is Not a Cosby Fan, Defends Geraldo Rivera

Donald Trump wants to set the record straight about firing Keshia Knight-Pulliam after she refused to call her former TV dad Bill Cosby for money on Celebrity Apprentice's season premiere.

"It's for charity, it doesn't matter," Trump told reporters at the at the Television Critics Association winter previews on Friday. "She worked for him.. I'm very happy with the episode. It was a very, very big topic of conversation."

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That said, Trump joined his network bosses in distancing himself from Cosby. "I'm not a Cosby fan," he said. "I have a specific reason I don't like Bill Cosby, and it's not for any specific reason you're thinking." Trump also pointed out that the episode had been shot before the Cosby rape allegations began to really pick up steam.

Check out more highlights from the Celebrity Apprentice panel:

Donation refusals Trump revealed that people who do get called to donate money but turn down the request are not televised. "We edit it out of the episode," he said. "It's unfair to put somebody on who doesn't want to give when we call them out of the blue."

Geraldo Rivera The talk show host comes off as self-centered on the show and doesn't make excuses for his behavior. "Let's start with the absolutely firm foundation that Ian [Ziering] and I don't like each other," he said, although that's a statement Ziering denied. "I think the friction is for real, but you never complain about the editing." Trump supports his decision to keep Rivera around. "Geraldo has done a good job. He's won a lot of money and is a very tough player," Trump said. "They just don't like the guy very much. I don't let anything affect my decision. I do it on the merit. If I lose credibility, then the show wouldn't do as well."

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Joan Rivers Trump used the word "unbelievable" about five times to describe the posthumous return of Joan Rivers, who was 83 at the time of shooting, as an adviser on Monday's episode (8/7c, NBC). The cast was also similarly effusive. Vivica A. Fox said they were all starstruck and learned to be honest and a hard worker like Rivers. Kenya Moore said, "She was a little powerhouse of a woman. She had heart and cracked jokes." Rivera discussed his history with Rivers on the talk-show circuit and said that "to see her life snuffed, at the hands at what seemed to be gross and utter negligence, was appalling and deeply upsetting."

Trump takes credit In typical Trump fashion, he took credit for reviving Rivers' career and giving Trace Adkins a career bump. Throughout the panel, he kept referring to Celebrity Apprentice as a No. 1 show, which it isn't by any definition, and then tried to amend that to the No. 1 show in the 18-49 demographic on Monday nights. One reporter pointed out that Mike & Molly performs better, at which point Trump said, "That's what I was told."

Charity spotlight Leeza Gibbons confirmed that the show is actually effective in raising awareness for charities. She was hesitant to sign on at first, but changed her mind after talking to former contestants Holly Robinson-Peete and Marilu Henner. "They showed me the metrics," she said and pointed out that her own charity Leeza's Care Connection has already shown an increase in donations. "It's a potential game-changer for homegrown, organic organizations like mine," she said. "We support family caregivers."

Ian Ziering The Sharknado star said he'll go back shooting on the Syfy campfest sequel (third time's the chum!) at the end of the month. He called being on the Celebrity Apprentice as "earning an expedited MBA from Trump University."

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Kate Gosselin The mom of eight is loving the break from her kids. "I wish I could be in Celebrity Apprentice every day," she said. "I'm comfortable in terms of the schedule and stress because I do 25 things now, in everyday life. Even sitting here now is a great break."

Terrell Owens Trump said about his latest ejectee, "I felt badly firing him... He could not have been better, he could not have been nicer, but was unable to raise any money. He did well previous to that."

No politics (for now) "I was never going to run for governor. The Republican Party of New York State wanted me to very badly, and I turned it down," Trump said.

Celebrity Apprentice airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC.

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