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Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director and political commentator, will be featured on the second season of Celebrity Big Brother. Scaramucci, often known as “The Mooch,” is the second employee of President Donald Trump to reside in the “Celebrity Big Brother” house, following Omarosa Manigault Newman, who starred in the first season.
Although Scaramucci only lasted a few days at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he has determined to win CBB, and claims his time at the White House helped prepare him for the show. Scaramucci will be joined in the house by actor Jonathan Bennett, singer Tamar Braxton, singer Kandi Burruss, comedian Tom Green, Olympian Lolo Jones, OJ Simpson trial figure Kato Kaelin, actor Joey Lawrence, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, “Momager” Dina Lohan, wrestler Natalie Eva Marie, and former NFL running back Ricky Williams.
Here’s what we know about Scaramucci:
1. Scaramucci Was Fired From Job as White House Communications Director at the Request of John Kelly, The White House Chief of Staff
In a expletive-laced telephone call with New Yorker writer Ryan Lizza in July, 2017, Scaramucci railed against Reince Priebus and Stephen Bannon, the president’s [then] chief strategist, both of whom opposed his hiring earlier that week. He also vowed to get the chief of staff fired. “Reince Priebus — if you want to leak something — he’ll be asked to resign very shortly,” Mr. Scaramucci said, according to the New York Times.
He made it very clear to Lizza that he was wanted Priebus gone, saying “Reince is a f–king paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” he said. Scaramucci also claimed that Priebus had prevented him from getting a job in the White House, saying he “blocked Scaramucci for six months.”
In the same phone call, he also directed profanity-laced insults at Bannon, saying “I’m not Steve Bannon. I’m not trying to suck my own c–k. I’m not trying to build my own brand. I’m here to serve the country.”
Scaramucci later tweeted his regret at the “colorful language” that he had used during the interview, but the damage had already been done. Kelly called Scaramucci into his office and fired him, telling Scaramucci that it would be impossible for him to stay on because he would “never recover” from the interview with Lizza.
2. Audio of The Infamous Interview Was Published by New Yorker Magazine
Audio of the vulgarity-laced phone interview between Lizza and Scaramucci can be heard above, but be warned: the interview is filled with expletives that some might find offensive.
The New Yorker reported on August 3 that, in the segment on the New Yorker Radio Hour, “Ryan Lizza and David Remnick listen to excerpts from the call and discuss what they suggest about the Trump Administration.”
Since Scaramucci left the White House, a memo that he apparently wrote to overhaul the White House communications office also leaked to the media, keeping him in the headlines for several weeks after the interview was published, CNN reported.
3. He Believes His Experience at the White House Helped Prepare Him For His Role on Celebrity Big Brother
When asked if he thought his 10 days working in the West Wing with a former reality TV star as president would help his hand on the CBS show, Scaramucci told Entertainment Weekly he absolutely believed it would help his chances.
“Surprisingly, I think the — my White House experience is somewhat similar to the ‘Big Brother’ programming because unfortunately these are games of elimination.”
He continued: “If you think about presidential politics as an example, it is the peak of elimination games. And so what happens in elimination games is people get rough with each other and they say mean and nasty things, and they’re elbowing each other and then they’re politicking against each other,” he said. “And that’s really similar to what goes on in the ‘Big Brother’ house. And so I think that experience has well-primed me.”
4. He Has Written Several Books & Started His Career at Goldman Sachs
Nice way to end the year!! 🇺🇸
After he finished law school, Scaramucci began working at Goldman Sachs in 1989. He held various positions at the company, including investment banking, equities, and private wealth management divisions. He left Goldman Sachs in 1996 to start Oscar Capital Management with Andrew Boszhardt.
Scaramucci is a former contributor to the Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel and co-host of Wall Street Week. Aside from his political contributions, Scaramucci has authored the books Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole: How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success, Goodbye Gordon Gekko: How to Find Your Fortune Without Losing Your Soul, and The Little Book of Hedge Funds.
5. Scaramucci is Proud of His Italian Heritage & Credits His Father For Raising Him to Fight For The American Dream
If it’s Sunday it must be @MeetThePress @chucktodd #bluecollarpresident
Scaramucci hails from an Italian mining family and grew up on Long Island. He often credits his father for helping raise him to fight for the American dream. He is very proud of his Italian roots.
“My dad labored in the sand mines of Long Island for 42 years,” he wrote on Facebook. “He taught me what it meant to put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Now he has trouble hearing due to the effects of heavy machinery, but he’d tell you it was worth it. My father’s sacrifices allowed his children to be upwardly mobile.”
He added that he was proud of his parents and told the news site in 2016, “They’re married 58 years and live in the same house I grew up in. They didn’t go to college. They’re pretty happy. They helped me get to where I am.”
The premiere episode of Celebrity Big Brother airs from 8-9 p.m. ET/PT and 7-8 p.m. CT. Check out the full schedule of the show here.
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