Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey won’t be in attendance at Monday night’s Emmy awards — but it’s not because of a reported scuffle between Burnett and Tom Arnold at an Emmys party on Sunday night.
An individual close to the situation told TheWrap on Monday that Burnett had no plans to attend the awards show, which he also opted out of last year.
The NBC singing competition “The Voice,” which counts Burnett as an executive producer, was nominated for multiple Emmys this year, including Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
In a Twitter post Sunday night, Downey suggested that the confrontation was connected to Arnold’s upcoming Viceland series, “The Hunt for the Trump Tapes,” which premieres Tuesday.
“Got this bruise tonight when Tom Arnold tried to ambush my husband Mark and me at a charity event,” Downey wrote. “Is your TV show worth it Tom? Please stop.”
Got this bruise tonight when Tom Arnold tried to ambush my husband Mark and me at a charity event. Is your TV show worth it Tom?Please stop pic.twitter.com/lXvuKjIMI2
— Roma Downey (@RealRomaDowney) September 17, 2018
An individual close to the situation told TheWrap that a person filming with Arnold during Sunday night’s incident said, “I got it.”
In an interview with Salon published Sunday, Arnold intimated that he wanted to confront Burnett, although at Monday night’s Emmy Awards.
“They’re really worried about me being anywhere near him,” Arnold said, adding, “I’m definitely going to do something at the Emmys.”
During the scuffle, Burnett’s T-shirt was torn and Arnold ripped two crucifixes from Burnett’s neck, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation. In a tweet Sunday, Arnold wrote, “Mark Burnett just went apes–t & choked me at this huge Emmy party then he ran away with his torn Pink shirt & missing gold chain.”
Arnold also contradicted Downey’s recollection of events, replying to her tweet with, “Bulls–t. You lie your crazy husband attacked me you psycho.”
Bullshit. You lie your crazy husband attacked me you psycho. I’m filing police report & suing you for defamation. https://t.co/9yXAEXM6na
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) September 17, 2018
Arnold has filed a police report alleging battery with the Los Angeles Police Department, an LAPD spokesperson told TheWrap on Monday.
TheWrap has reached out to representatives of Arnold, Burnett and Vice for comment on the reported altercation.
During a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour in July to promote the Viceland show, Arnold said that he wanted former “The Apprentice” producer Burnett to share unedited footage from “The Apprentice” that would reveal the “real” Trump.
“I’d like him to stand up and say, ‘You know, actually, we had to cut out all the lies and the sexual harassment and the insanity and the incompetence,” Arnold said. “The real [Trump] is this other guy.”
Arnold also called out Burnett for enabling Trump’s rise.
“Mark Burnett says he’s a Christian, and he lets that man do all this bulls—?” he said. “He’s in this town making money, all these people are working for him, and he lets a sexual harasser work on his show?”