Before Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States and the apparent symbol of a divided nation, he was in many ways a darling of Hollywood. He was the host and executive producer of The Apprentice and franchise, undoubtedly one of the most successful brands in the world of reality TV.
In 1996, he bought the Miss Universe pageant and agreed a broadcasting deal with CBS for the same. For nearly 20 years, he was at the helm of one of the most prestigious pageants in the world, until he sold it to Endeavor Group Holdings in 2015. During this period, Trump used Miss Universe to promote his superstar image as well as business interests in the States and around the world.
In those days, he would often make appearances as a special guest at celebrity events, a pattern which a number of famous stars would later come to regret. Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally is one such celebrity, who today rues her experience with Trump back in 2005.
A Competition Right Up Trump's Alley
On September 18, 2005, the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. This was just a few days before the fourth season of The Apprentice kicked off on NBC.
The first three seasons had been a resounding success, and Trump was at the height of his popularity. His show had been nominated alongside American Idol, Survivor, Project Runway and eventual winner, The Amazing Race for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
Mullally herself had been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, for her portrayal of the character Karen Walker on NBC's sitcom, Will & Grace. It was one of five nominations that the show had bagged that year, including one for Outstanding Comedy Series.
As part of the Emmys show back then, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences had crafted a section called 'Emmy Idol.' Here, they would have various celebrities get on stage to sing theme songs of old TV shows. Fans would then vote for the act they thought did best. This kind of competition fell right up Trump's alley.
Looked The Part
Trump and Mullally teamed up to sing the theme song for the 1960s sitcom Green Acres, which aired on CBS. The future president dressed up in a farmer's overall to look the part, and also carried a pitchfork onto the stage. Mullally, in simpler fashion, appeared as Karen from Will & Grace.
Up against the Trump and Mullally dream team were acts like Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars, who sang the theme from Fame, NBC's 1980s classic. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Gary Dourdan performed the famous 'Movin' on Up' theme from The Jeffersons.
William Shatner, who was at the time starring in ABC's Boston Legal, was joined by opera star Frederica von Stade. They did a rendition of the theme from Shatner's classic show, Star Trek: The Original Series.
Shatner drew applause from the audience with his part, which was essentially a recitation of the famous Star Trek introductory monologue, "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!"
Responded In Horror
Those moments were seemingly forgotten for a long time, until Trump - having since become president - dug them back up. In his time in office, the magnate was well known for his near-obsessive use of Twitter.
In December 2018, moments before signing a farm bill at the White House, he took to the social media platform and posted a clip of him and Mullally jigging at the 2005 Emmys. He captioned it, "Farm Bill signing in 15 minutes! #Emmys #TBT." Soon after, Mullally responded in horror to the tweet, saying, "omg... if you guys need me, i’ll be in a hole in the ground."
Mullally had, however, already spoken about the experience with Trump in an interview with Stephen Colbert two years earlier. A few weeks before #45 was sworn into office in January 2017, Colbert unleashed a photo Mullaly and Trump at the Emmys. He quipped, "There is you, with the leader of the free world, doing Green Acres."
Mullally responded with equal cynicism and said, "You see this photo? Otherwise known as my suicide note!" Colbert continued in jest and asked whether she would land a cabinet position in the Trump administration, to which she simply responded, "Do you have a barf bag?"