Celebrity Apprentice 2012: Who is Adam Carolla and why is he famous?

He might be the most controversial player on the Celebrity Apprentice 2012 season, but anti-gay activist Adam Carolla certainly thinks he should be hired (not fired) by show host Donald Trump. Who is Adam Carolla and why is he famous? Television fans remember his the host of The Man Show back in the days when girls on trampolines were cool and Jimmy Kimmel was his sidekick. He might be popular with guys who still have mullet haircuts and live in their parents basements, but the TV star turned radio talk show host has not won many friends in Hollywood. He’s like Howard Stern minus the cool. But the Donald seems to think he’s interesting enough to have on the show, so here’s more about why he is famous and the charity he’s playing for on the reality TV show.

Who is Adam CarollaStar celeb radio show host and television personality Adam Carolla is competing on this season of Donald Trump‘s Celebrity Apprentice on NBC. Having earned a Guinness Book of World Records for the most download podcast in history, the television personality, radio host, and comedian is both rich and famous. He even gave Dancing With The Stars a shot (which was a surprise because he is famous for making misogynistic and anti-gay jokes and the contestants have to work closely with women and gay dance pros in the ballroom).

During the 2012 season, he will be competing on the show to earn $250,000 to support Catholic Big Brothers and Sisters, according to the Daily Mail. Yep, that’s right. Adam Carolla (former host of The Man Show with co-host Jimmy Kimmell) is the poster boy for being a good Catholic. That may not come as such a surprise to those he’s hurt with his hateful words he’s spoken over the years against the LGBT community. After all, good Catholics are supposed to persecute those that don’t fit into their version of the Bible, right?

Whenever he’s forced to discuss legalizing gay marriage and offering gay, lesbian, and transgendered Americans equal civil rights protection under the law, and angry Carolla often asks, “When did we start giving a sh*t about these people?” When, indeed? Uhm, Mr. Carolla, you may like to stir up some controversy, being a radio personality, but a lot of people have cared about the LGBT community for many years. And those same people, their friends, and family members are not rooting for you to win. Not in the least.

The fact that he’s willing to compete for a charity is a good thing, but it comes across as though he’s doing it more for his own fame and fortune than for charity in particular. What’s more, the charity he’s picked is likely to support his anti-humanitarian beliefs that gays and lesbians should not be treated like human beings.

Not that the Catholic Big Brothers and Sisters is a bad charity to shoot for. That’s all well and good. But speaking out against a group that suffers from serious abuse and discrimination, even if it was joke for ratings, is in pretty bad taste, and not very charitable. Not exactly a green celebrity sort of take on charitable giving. His bestselling book, In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks, may be as telling about his real motives as anything.

And while he’s probably best identified as a libertarian, according to the National Post, it’s pretty obvious he sides with the Republican party, when he went as far as claiming Occupy Wall Street protestors are “a bunch of f-ing self-entitled monsters.” [And, no, he didn’t censor himself.] Pretty cruel if you ask us. Although he did help sponsor the Adam Carolla’s 2007 Charity Car Wash, sponsored by gentleman’s club Spearmint Rhino, a chain of one of the most respected gentleman’s clubs in the world, in Torrance California, according to the Loveline Companion.

Do you think he deserves to win the $250,000? Or is he too controversial to ever be considered a real winner, even if the longshot did win the honor of being hired as the Celebrity Apprentice?