Getting fired by Donald Trump can be a miserable experience -- just ask Bret Michaels!

Bret’s shocking elimination from the All-Stars Celebrity Apprentice Sunday night shocked audiences, but Breaking Celebrity News has exclusively learned that no-one was more stunned by the decision than Michaels himself.

“Bret was crying and totally distraught after he was fired,” a show insider tells Radar.

The Every Rose Has Its Thorn singer returned to the show as a triumphant past season winner -- making it all the more shocking that he was first to the chopping block.

“Bret totally went into the show believing he was going to win again," the source says. "He couldn’t believe it that he was let go so quickly. It was brutal to watch him freaking out the way he did.”

As Breaking Celebrity News previously reported, Trump had to decide between axing Bret or La Toya Jackson, and in the end he chose to let the aging rocker go.

“It was a mess when Bret was told the news and filming was done," the source says. "He couldn’t stop crying and even the producers