Omarosa Laughs Through 20-Minute Colbert Interview, Doesn’t ‘Regret Trying To Be a Voice of Reason’ (Video)
While willing to discuss many issues she had with Trump’s behavior during the 20-minute interview, Omarosa deftly dodged Colbert’s more pointed questions
Phil Owen | March 1, 2018 @ 2:53 AM
Last Updated: March 1, 2018 @ 7:01 AM
On “The Late Show” Wednesday night, host Stephen Colbert had on former Trump Administration staffer and recent “Big Brother” participant Omarosa Manigault-Newman to discuss anything and everything Colbert could think to ask her about her time working for the president in a 20-minute interview.
The version of the interview that aired on CBS ran just under ten minutes.
After a warm welcome and small talk, where Colbert introduced Omarosa as someone who “went from the White House to the ‘Big Brother’ house and managed to make it out of both of them alive,” the host asked about the viral clip of Omarosa telling one of her “Big Brother” housemates regarding Trump that “it’s going to not be okay.”
Omarosa laughed at the clip, saying it was actually the first time she’d seen it.
“Was that a joke? Because you’re laughing about it,” Colbert said. “But he’s chilled, and I’m chilled by watching it because you know Donald Trump, you were in the White House, you were close to the events that were happening. What do you mean it’s not going to be OK?”
Initially, Omarosa didn’t directly answer the question, saying that the clip was out of context and that it was part of “a bigger discussion…about immigration and roundups.” But after continued prying from Colbert, she said that “we’ll have to wait and see.”
That back-and-forth kicked off a long sequence of similar interactions in which Colbert tried his hardest to get Omarosa to spill some beans and also give some greater context for what in the world is going on in the Trump administration, but for the most part, she hedged her answers. She was willing to discuss her disapproval of Trump’s Twitter habit, but avoided expressing displeasure with his political platforms.
She did, however, explain why it’s so hard for her to speak ill of Trump.
“Look, Donald Trump was my friend for 15 years,” Omarosa said.
“Watching him in this position has caused me to be excited sometimes and sometimes be very, very concerned. And I think if you woke up and your best friend was president tomorrow, you would have that same range of emotions.”
“If my best friend was president tomorrow, I’d feel better,” Colbert said, triggering cheers from the audience and laughter from Omarosa. “Because she is way smarter than I am.”
Colbert asked Omarosa about probably the biggest news item from the Trump White House today, which was the resignation of White House Communication Director Hope Hicks — Omarosa’s old boss.
Hicks’ resignation came after she admitted to investigators that she had lied on Trump’s behalf — though the details on what exactly Hicks had lied about are not publicly known. That led Colbert to ask Omarosa if she knew what the lies were, prompting another laugh.
“I would suspect the first big one would be about crowd size,” Omarosa joked, referring to the administration’s claim that Trump’s inauguration drew the biggest crowd ever for a presidential inauguration.
“But I don’t really wanna go into it,” she continued, laughing again and drawing pleas from the audience.
“No please, let’s go into it,” Colbert replied, to cheers. “The people wanna know! You worked in the office of communications, let’s communicate how big the crowd was.”
At that, she gave in a little: “I got to attend the inauguration of Bill Clinton, Bush, Obama, and when we got to the Trump inauguration and they said this was the largest crowd size, I’m like, man, I’ve been to a lot of inaugurations and this isn’t the biggest crowd size. But I didn’t wanna be the one to break it to him. I didn’t wanna be that person!”
Late in the interview, Colbert listed off a bunch of Trump’s worst hits while she was working for him either during the campaign or in office, and Omarosa categorized all of them as either “awful” or “unacceptable.” Colbert reminded her that she stuck around through all of them.
“I don’t work for him, nor do I regret trying to be a voice of reason at the table and try to be the change,” she said.
Colbert then asked for further context for her comment about leaving the White House feeling like she’d been “freed from a plantation.”
“You know, the White House that I worked in, that Trump administration was — it was troubling and it was very difficult,” she told Colbert. “And my analogy of it being a plantation, meaning an ecosystem where people feel oppressed, is pretty clear. When you aren’t allowed to do the job that you were brought to do, to help be a change agent, to help be the liaison for communities that needed that assistance, that’s where that oppression comes from. And that’s what that analogy meant.”
Omarosa's 11 Biggest Feuds, From 'The Apprentice' to the Trump White House (Photos)
White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman exited the Trump administration in 2017, and some reports said she had to be "physically dragged and escorted" off the premises. It's hardly the first time the "Apprentice" alum has gotten into a high-profile disagreement since coming into the public eye over a decade ago.
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During her first appearance on "The Apprentice" in 2004, Manigault-Newman frequently bragged about her experience working with then-Vice President Al Gore. However, it was later reported that she cycled through four positions in two years before finally being asked to leave altogether.
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Manigault-Newman became one of the original reality TV villains with her instantly iconic performance on "The Apprentice's" debut season. She clashed with nearly every other cast member that season, but perhaps her most memorable moment came when she accused fellow contestant Ereka Vetrini of racism over the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black."
NBC
Not one to let her 15 minutes expire, Manigault-Newman spun her star-making turn on "The Apprentice" into lasting reality TV notoriety. When she appeared on the fifth season of VH1's "The Surreal Life," she found herself under the knife -- literally -- of Janice Dickinson. The mock-threat sent Manigault-Newman over the edge, leading her to call Dickinson "a crackhead" and threatening to hit her "in the mouth."
VH1
When Manigault-Newman returned to the Trump boardroom for "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, she found a new enemy in the prickly British TV personality Piers Morgan. Their feud persists even until today, but it began when Morgan pinpointed her as the biggest liability among the women and refused to pronounce her name correctly.
NBC
Radio personality-turned-daytime TV star Wendy Williams hosted Manigault-Newman on her fledgling talk show in 2008 to promote her book, "The Bitch Switch." That interview quickly devolved into a series of snide comments about each other's looks and a full-blown argument about whether or not Manigault-Newman is a good representative for the black community.
Fox
Her third and final "Apprentice" appearance was in the show's "All-Stars" season in 2013, when she again clashed with Morgan, who was brought back to judge the contestants as a past winner. But it was La Toya Jackson who took the brunt of her anger when the singer dared to try and tell her what to do during one of the weekly challenges.
NBC
Manigault-Newman and "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel held animosity for each other for years, but the pair tried to turn their beef into ratings when the "Apprentice" alum appeared on Frankel's daytime talk show in 2013. Manigault-Newman slammed Frankel as "mediocre," saying she'd had an easier path to fame and success because of her race.
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Michael Clarke Duncan's family hired a lawyer in 2013 to investigate the late actor's decision to rewrite his will to make Manigault-Newman, his then-fiancee, his main beneficiary a year before his death. The "Green Mile" star's sister also took issue with Manigault-Newman's decision to sell some of his belongings without their knowledge.
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Shortly after taking on her position as a communications official in the Trump White House, Manigault-Newman made headlines for a verbal altercation with veteran reporter -- and former friend -- April Ryan. Witnesses said the two got into a heated argument outside the Oval Office, and Ryan later said Manigault-Newman claimed to have "dossiers" of damaging information about a number of reporters.
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Manigault-Newman returned to her reality TV roots after leaving the Trump administration, entering the "Big Brother" house for the CBS competition show's first celebrity edition. One of her first acts as a born-again TV star was to tearfully warn that the country's "not going to be okay" with Trump in office. The White House fired back at a press briefing, boasting about how many times Manigault-Newman was fired on "The Apprentice."
CBS
While promoting her book "Unhinged" on NBC's "Meet the Press," Manigault-Newman played a recording of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly firing her. She also hinted at the existence of other recordings, including of Trump himself. The president has fired back, repeatedly calling his former aide a "lowlife."
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The reality TV villain has made more than her fair share of enemies over the years
White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman exited the Trump administration in 2017, and some reports said she had to be "physically dragged and escorted" off the premises. It's hardly the first time the "Apprentice" alum has gotten into a high-profile disagreement since coming into the public eye over a decade ago.