‘Apprentice’ Axed from Real Job

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Jennifer Crisafulli, who was fired by Donald Trump on the NBC show “The Apprentice” last week, has been forced out of her job with real estate firm Douglas Elliman over comments she made on the show. It was a big fall, from spending several weeks with her face prominently displayed on the firm’s Web site to having all mention of her name purged from it.


On Wednesday, Mr. Trump fired Ms. Crisafulli in front of millions of television viewers after she botched a job as project manager of the women’s team. The assignment was to open a restaurant and receive a higher Zagat Survey rating than the competing team. Ms. Crisafulli blamed her team’s failure on two elderly diners who didn’t like the food, referring to them as “two old Jewish fat ladies” and, later, “jaded old bags.” The comments roused the ire of her teammates and, ultimately, of some colleagues at Douglas Elliman, which presented her with her walking papers on Saturday.


“It was an unfortunate incident and we felt bad, but we have to run a company and her behavior was not appropriate,” the president of Douglas Elliman, Dottie Herman, told The New York Sun yesterday. “We had an awful lot of calls, and people really felt it was wrong.”


Ms. Crisafulli last week defended her comments. “If these women were Irish, I would have said ‘those two Irish women,’ and no one would have blinked,” she said in an interview with the Sun on Thursday.


Ms. Crisafulli added that after landing the spot on the reality show she was partnered with two Israelis, Ilan Bracha, a top earner at the firm, and another partner, Gilad Azaria. Each one has a number of Donald Trump apartment listings. Reached on his cell phone yesterday, Mr. Azaria would not comment.


In addition to working with Israelis, Ms. Crisafulli has a Jewish half-brother who keeps kosher, she added.


Despite her attempts to apologize, some Douglas Elliman brokers wanted her out of the firm. “Personally, I hope she is no longer at Douglas Elliman,” the firm’s senior executive vice president, Steven James, said last week.


On the Web site Friendster, where fans post comments on the candidates vying to be Donald Trump’s apprentice, several people rang in on the controversy.


“U probably won’t post this but I wanted to let you know that I am very disappointed that you would make such a lewd comment on national TV. I am not Jewish myself but to speak of a certain religion in a derogatory manner isn’t representing what a leader should stand for,” wrote one “fan” calling herself “Brianna.”


“Dave” kept it short and sweet, writing, “Wow you suck. You need to know when to shut up when your boss is talking to you.”


Ms. Crisafulli could not be reached for comment yesterday, but her Web site, www.jennifercrisafulli.com, which includes press mentions and headshots, still has a link to her former employer.


The New York Sun

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