Who is Noel Casler and what other claims has he made about The Apprentice and Donald Trump?
Executive summary
Noel Casler is a stand-up comedian and former talent wrangler who worked on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice and Trump-run beauty pageants for roughly six seasons and later began publicly sharing behind-the-scenes accounts despite having signed non‑disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the show’s producers [1] [2]. His most widely reported allegations include claims that Trump used stimulants like Adderall to focus during tapings, invited young contestants to his penthouse in exchange for favors, and behaved inappropriately toward women at pageants and on set — assertions Casler has repeated across stand‑up sets, interviews, podcasts and social media [3] [1] [4].
1. Who Noel Casler says he is and how he emerged as a source
Casler presents himself as a former Celebrity Apprentice talent handler and beauty‑pageant staffer who worked the live finale tapings for six seasons, a background he has detailed in interviews and podcasts where he recounts close, repeated interactions with Trump and his family during production [1] [4]. After leaving the production, Casler began posting and speaking publicly about his experiences — a pattern outlets and programs characterize as a violation or flouting of NDAs he signed with producer Mark Burnett and NBC — which helped him build a sizable online following and get booked on radio and podcast programs [2] [5].
2. The drug‑use and focus‑aid allegations
Casler has alleged publicly that Trump used Adderall or similar stimulants to maintain focus while reading cue cards on Celebrity Apprentice, a claim he first made in stand‑up and has reiterated in interviews [3] [1]. These allegations were reported by mainstream outlets quoting his routine and subsequent interviews, but the record in the provided reporting does not show corroboration from production staff beyond Casler’s own testimony [3] [1].
3. Allegations about behavior toward women and pageant contestants
In comedic sets and interviews Casler has described instances he says occurred during Miss Teen USA and other pageant work, alleging that Trump would invite young contestants up to his penthouse and line women up “like they were pieces of meat,” framing advancement as dependent on private encounters [3]. These accounts have been amplified on social platforms and cited by other performers; reporting notes Casler’s specific recounting but does not include on‑the‑record corroboration from other named crew or contestants within the provided sources [3] [2].
4. How Casler’s disclosures have been received and their consequences
Casler’s revelations have attracted attention from media, comedians and left‑leaning commentators — Kathy Griffin publicly vouched for him on social media after he went public — and he has been interviewed extensively on radio and podcasts where hosts treat his material as insider testimony [3] [4] [5]. The reporting also documents that Mark Burnett reportedly warned former Apprentice staffers during the 2016 campaign about speaking out, which Casler cites as context for why many crew stayed silent and why his decision to go public was consequential [1]. Multiple outlets label his breaking of an NDA as a key reason for his prominence and note both that his claims are first‑hand and that independent corroboration in the sources provided is limited [2] [5].
5. Limits, alternative viewpoints and what remains unverified
While Casler’s status as a former staffer and his repeated public accounts are well documented in interviews and programs, the provided reporting does not include contemporaneous production records, independent eyewitness testimony, or law‑enforcement findings that corroborate specific allegations such as drug use or explicit quid‑pro‑quo meetings in Trump’s penthouse; mainstream coverage therefore treats his disclosures as notable first‑person claims rather than settled fact [3] [2]. Producers and the White House responses are not present in these sources beyond People’s outreach note, and other staff allegedly kept quiet after legal warnings — an implicit agenda that complicates full verification and is cited by Casler to explain why corroboration can be scarce [1] [2].