Anthony Scaramucci better hope his stint in the “Big Brother” house is longer than his one in the White House. Donald Trump’s former director of communications, who held that job for all of 10 days in 2017, will now follow his ex-boss into the world of reality TV — as one of the contestants this month on CBS’ “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.”
Scaramucci was among the latest roster of D-list celebs announced by the Eye Network on Sunday, along with other players like noted houseguest Kato Kaelin, Olympian Ryan Lochte and former heartthrob Joey Lawrence.
Scaramucci’s “Celebrity Big Brother” stay comes a year after another former member of the Trump administration, Omarosa Manigualt, spent time inside the house and offered up plenty of White House dish. Ironically, earlier this year Scaramucci told reporters that he had turned down several reality show offers. He later reportedly shopped his own show around town, to little interest.
That doesn’t mean the Mooch has given up on cashing in on his 15 minutes of White House fame. Besides signing up for “Big Brother,” Scaramucci was seen on the Golden Globes party circuit last week.
“Big Brother” isn’t just a vanity play for these participants, however: Scaramucci and the other houseguests will be competing to win $250,000. And that’s not for charity.
The majority of the show’s new cast are no stranger to reality shows — even accomplished names like Lochte have starred on their own shows in the past. Many of the contestants have even listed “TV personality” as their occupation. And then there’s Dina Lohan, who still gives “momager” as her job.
Other successful reality stars in the house include Tamar Braxton (“Braxton Family Values”) and Kandi Burruss (“Real Housewives of Atlanta”).
Additional players include actor/host Jonathan Bennett (“Veronica Mars,” “Cake Wars”), comedian Tom Green (“Freddy Got Fingered”), Olympian Lolo Jones, actor/singer Joey Lawrence (“Gimme a Break,” “Blossom”), WWE wrestler Natalie Eva Marie, and former NFL player Ricky Williams.
There’s also quite a few former “Dancing with the Stars” contestants in the mix, including Bennett (Season 19), Braxton (Season 21), Jones (Season 19), Lawrence (Season 3), and Lochte (Season 23). Green was on “Celebrity Apprentice” with Scaramucci’s former boss Trump, while Williams was on “The New Celebrity Apprentice,” but with host Arnold Schwarzenegger (not Trump).
Julie Chen Moonves is back to host “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition,” which launches on Monday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m., followed by another episode on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. on CBS. Here’s a look at this year’s housemates, along with their stated occupations:
CREDIT: CBS
Jonathan Bennett (37)
Hometown: Rossford, Ohio
Current City: Newport Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Actor/host
CREDIT: CBS
Tamar Braxton (41)
Hometown: Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Current City: Los Angeles
Occupation: Singer/TV personality
CREDIT: WireImage
Kandi Burruss (42)
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Current City: Atlanta, Ga.
Occupation: Singer/TV personality
CREDIT: CBS
Tom Green (47)
Hometown: Ottawa, Canada
Current City: Los Angeles
Occupation: Comedian
CREDIT: CBS
Lolo Jones (36)
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Current City: Baton Rouge, La.
Occupation: Olympic track and bobsled star
CREDIT: CBS
Kato Kaelin (59)
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisc.
Current City: Los Angeles
Occupation: Actor/host
CREDIT: CBS
Joey Lawrence (42)
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
Current City: Los Angeles
Occupation: Actor/producer
CREDIT: CBS
Ryan Lochte (34)
Hometown: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Current City: Gainesville, Fla.
Occupation: 12-time Olympic medalist in swimming
CREDIT: CBS
Dina Lohan (56)
Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.
Current City: Long Island, N.Y.
Occupation: Momager
CREDIT: CBS
Natalie Eva Marie (34)
Hometown: Concord, Calif.
Current City: North Tustin, Calif.
Occupation: Former WWE wrestler/actress
CREDIT: CBS
Anthony Scaramucci (55)
Hometown: Port Washington, N.Y.
Current City: Manhasset, N.Y.
Occupation: Former White House director of communications/financier
CREDIT: CBS
Ricky Williams (41)
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Current City: Venice Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Former NFL superstar