Sarah Palin Says 'No' to Mark Burnett for TV Talk Show

By Jim Meyers and Robert V. Carl
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been offered a major syndicated TV talk show by reality show producer Mark Burnett but turned down the deal, Newsmax has learned.

One of country’s sought after speakers on the political circuit, Burnett believed he could turn Palin into the next Oprah, offering to produce a daytime TV talk show hosted by the conservative icon herself.

But so far, Palin has said no — though the deal is not completely dead, say insiders.

The sticking points have been over location and money, people familiar with the deal say.
Burnett has insisted that Palin do the show from either New York or Los Angeles, which would require her to move for a significant portion of the year from her residence in Alaska where she lives with husband Todd.

Palin has a distaste for cultural elites in the Big Apple and LA, one person familiar with the discussions said.

Another top Hollywood studio executive tells Newsmax that Palin was ultimately willing to move to either city, but “she passed over money.”

“I don’t think she closed the door,” he added.

Asked to comment about the offer, Palin told Newsmax via email: "Todd and I have always loved working with Mark Burnett, and our family is always up for adventure, so never say never."

Burnett’s office declined to comment on the matter.

The terms of Burnett’s deal have not been disclosed, but typically a new host would receive a fraction of advertising and syndication fees.

British-born producer Burnett, called "the king of reality TV," launched "Survivor" back in 2000 and "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump in 2004.

In addition to "Survivor," he currently has three other reality shows on the air, "Celebrity Apprentice" with Trump, "The Voice," and "Shark Tank."

He also produced, along with his wife, actress Roma Downey, the wildly successful miniseries "The Bible," which aired on the History channel in March.

Palin previously hosted the TLC cable TV show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" in 2010-11, which was produced by Burnett's production company.



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