Omarosa Manigault is speaking out after news emerged that she would leave the White House in early 2018. The controversial Trump aide and former “Apprentice” star said she decided to depart after seeing developments which made her “uncomfortable.”
“As the only African-American woman in this White House, as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally,” she told Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America” Thursday.
Strahan pressed Omarosa on rumors of her unhappiness about President Trump’s response to Charlottesville and his endorsement of Roy Moore, but she sidestepped answering until she officially left the White House.
“I have to still go back and work with these individuals,” she said. “When I can tell my story, it is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear.”
She also pushed back against reports that her departure came after a spat with Chief of Staff John Kelly and that she had to be physically removed from the White House.
“I like to hear all of these interesting tales but I have to tell you that they’re 100 percent false,” she said calmly, “[Chief of Staff] John Kelly and I had a very straightforward discussion about concerns that I had, issues that I raised and, as a result, I resigned.”
Strahan also pressed Omarosa on rumors that she had a tense relationship with Kelly and that she had once enjoyed walk-in privileges to the Oval Office.
“Certainly I had more access than most and people had problems with that. People had problems with my 14-year relationship with this president,” she said.
A former Democrat who had worked in the office of Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration, Omarosa raised eyebrows by publicly supporting Trump’s campaign and then following him to the White House.
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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."
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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