James Mark Burnett[11] was born on 17 July 1960 in London,England.[12] He is the only son of Archie Burnett[5] and Jean Nicol Burnett (née Scott).[13] Both originally from Glasgow,[5][14] Burnett's parents moved to Dagenham[15] where Archie was employed as a Ford Motor factory worker[5] and boxing coach,[16] while Jean worked at a battery compound.[15][17] Burnett's father is Roman Catholic while his mother was Presbyterian.[15] His mother passed away in 1993.[13][12]
In October 1982,Burnett immigrated to the United States,where his friend Nick Hill,who had emigrated from the UK earlier,was working as a nanny and chauffeur. Hill knew of an open position for a live-in nanny with the Jaeger family in affluent Beverly Hills. Despite having no experience as a nanny,Burnett went on the interview. The Jaegers,realizing the advantage of having a nanny and security at the same time,hired him. After a year of working for the Jaegers,he moved on to another family in Malibu,California,taking care of two boys for $250 a week. He was eventually given a position in the insurance office owned by the boys' father. Two years later,Burnett rented a portion of a fence at Venice Beach in Los Angeles,and sold T-shirts for $18 each during weekends. Realizing he made more money selling T-shirts,he left his insurance job.[19]
In 1991,Burnett and four others joined a French adventure competition,the Raid Gauloises. Afterward,Burnett saw a business opportunity in holding similar competitions. He purchased the format rights and brought a similar competition,Eco-Challenge,to America. Eco-Challenge launched Burnett's career as a television producer.[20]
Burnett first produced the expedition race show Eco-Challenge in 1995.[21] This led to the hit reality show Survivor which premiered in the summer of 2000,and was the most watched summer series since Sonny &Cher.[22]Survivor was named the Number 1 reality series of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2009.[23]
In 2004,NBC premiered The Apprentice,a reality television series in which contestants competed for a job under Donald Trump.
Burnett and his wife,actress Roma Downey,produced The Bible,a ten-hour History Channel drama based upon stories of the Bible.[24]The Bible became the No. 1 new series on cable TV in 2013[25] and was the No. 1 series in Canada,Spain and Portugal.[26] In total,with subsequent airings,The Bible was seen by more than 100 million viewers.[27]
After the success of The Bible,Burnett and Downey started developing more faith-based scripted series. A.D. The Bible Continues premiered on NBC on Easter Sunday 2015,and The Dovekeepers miniseries aired on CBS in 2015.
In September 2014,MGM acquired a 55 percent interest in One Three Media and LightWorkers Media. The two companies were consolidated into a new film and television company,United Artists Media Group,which was then acquired fully by MGM in 2015.
In December 2015,Burnett was named president of MGM Television and Digital Group,signing a five-year deal. Burnett's appointment was set up to occur simultaneously with the closing of MGM's acquisition of the remaining 45 percent of Hearst's,Burnett's and Roma Downey's interests in United Artists Media Group (UAMG),which would be absorbed under the MGM Television Group umbrella. MGM Television would now have numerous unscripted and scripted television shows airing on network and cable or in production,including:The Voice (NBC);Survivor (CBS);Shark Tank (ABC);Beyond the Tank (ABC);Celebrity Apprentice (NBC);Fargo (FX);Vikings (HISTORY);Teen Wolf (MTV);500 Questions (ABC);The People's Choice Awards (CBS);LIGHT TV,Lucha Underground (El Rey Network) and America's Greatest Makers (INTEL/Turner).[28] In June 2018,MGM appointed Burnett as Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television.
Shortly after moving to California,Burnett met Kym Gold through his t-shirt selling business,as Gold owned a wholesale apparel store.[5] After Burnett took a six week course on Judaism,[5] they married in 1988[13] at the house of Gold's parents in Malibu. The wedding was officiated by a rabbi.[29] They divorced a year later,shortly after Burnett received his green card.[5][30]
In 1989,Burnett met actress and talent agent Dianne Minerva while both were working at the talent agency of Gold's father.[13] The two married on 29 June 1992 in Hanalei Bay.[13][5] They have two sons together,[31] James (born 20 August 1993) and Cameron (born 26 April 1996).[13] The couple separated in 2003 and divorced in 2006.[32] According to Minerva,she found out that Burnett intended to file for divorce after hearing him call their marriage a "failure" and himself "single" on The Howard Stern Show.[5]
Downey and Burnett at the 2015 Salvation Army Sally Awards
In January 2004,Burnett began dating Roma Downey after meeting in a salon.[5] In November 2006,Burnett proposed while vacationing with their children in Zihuatanejo,Mexico. The couple wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's former co-star,Della Reese.[31]
Burnett grew up in a joint Catholic and Presbyterian household and received an Anglican education.[15] He explored converting to Judaism during his first marriage,[5] and attended Catholic services during his second marriage.[13] During an interview with Esquire in 2001,Burnett described religion as a "waste of time."[40] Burnett became more dedicated to his faith after meeting Downey,with the two calling themselves the “noisiest Christians in Hollywood.”[5] Since 2014,Burnett has described himself as a non-denominational Christian.[15][41] He has stated that he does not attend one specific church,but that he and Downey attend many different churches of different denominations across the U.S.[42]
Political views and affiliations
Due to his close personal relationship with Trump,there has been significant media speculation about Burnett's political views and affiliation.[5][43] In 2001,Burnett described himself as "apolitical"[44] and reiterated this in 2016.[5] In 2008,Burnett donated the maximum contribution to Barack Obama's campaign[5] and $30,400 to the Democratic National Committee.[45] In 2013,he donated more than $5000 to Democratic Secretary of State of KentuckyAlison Lundergan Grimes.[43] As of 2025,he has made no known donations to any Republican candidates.[43]
"Given all of the false media reports,I feel compelled to clarify a few points. I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump’s candidacy. I am NOT “Pro-Trump" ... Further,my wife and I reject the hatred,division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign."[46]
Burnett has been accused across multiple shows of interfering with results and compromising the shows' integrity. During Eco-Challenge,Burnett was accused of setting more hurdles than player were made aware of prior to starting the race[49] and admitted to waiving the $12,500 entrance fee for specific teams.[3]
In 2001,Survivor contestant Stacy Stillman sued CBS,claiming that Burnett had interfered in the show's results. According to the lawsuit,two cast members originally planned on voting out fellow contestant Rudy Boesch,but Burnett stepped in and convinced them to vote out Stillman. This,alleged Stillman,was because Burnett viewed Boesch as a potential fan favourite and feared that losing the oldest cast member would alienate an older viewing audience. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court.[50]
In the years following the 2016 presidential election,several former producers and contestants on The Apprentice accused Trump of making derogatory statements,using racial slurs,and sexually harassing contestants while on set.[52][53][37] In 2016,several media outlets alleged Burnett owned and was withholding tapes from Apprentice that showcased this behaviour.[5][37][54] Burnett responded stating that he did not have the access or rights to release archival footage from the show,as it was owned by MGM and subject to "existing contractual obligations."[55] In 2018,actor Tom Arnold released a series in collaboration with Viceland that sought to find disparaging recordings of Trump.[56] In episode two of The Hunt for the Trump Tapes,Arnold reiterated the allegations that Burnett personally held unreleased Apprentice footage featuring inappropriate behaviour.[57] While promoting the show,Arnold stated that he planned to confront Burnett about the footage at that year's Emmy Awards ceremony.[58] At a pre-Emmys party on 16 September,Burnett and Arnold got into a physical altercation.[59] Arnold later filled out a battery report with the Los Angeles Police Department but no charges were filed against either party.[60]
In 2004,Time called Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today.[61] Burnett was also named "Philanthropist of the Year" by the Reality Cares Foundation. He has won both Brandweek's "Marketer of the Year Award",the prestigious Rose d'Or Frapa Format Award,the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and the Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America.
In 2013,The Voice,Shark Tank,and The Bible were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards;The Voice won for Outstanding Reality –Competition Program. The Voice and Shark Tank were nominated at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards,at which Shark Tank won for Best Reality Series.
In 2014,Burnett was named the "Number 1 Reality Producer" on The Hollywood Reporter Reality Power List.[66]
In 2014,Burnett and his wife Roma Downey were recipients of the Anti-Defamation League's Entertainment Industry Award. He and Downey are heavily involved with philanthropic organizations Operation Smile and Compassion International.[67] In 2015,they partnered with the Institute for Global Engagement to launch the Cradle Fund (TCF). TCF is focused on raising $25 million to help Middle Eastern minorities displaced by ISIS[68] to return to a home where they can practice their faith without fear.[69][70] As of 2019,they have helped more than 10,000 displaced Christian refugees to relocate.[71]
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