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| Billy Bush, a cousin of former President George W. Bush, in August. |
For Billy Bush, the presidential cousin and genial Hollywood interviewer, this was supposed to be a transformative year.
But not like this.
Just weeks after starting a high-profile hosting gig on NBC’s “Today” show, Mr. Bush on Friday found himself cast in a harsh and unflattering light after video emerged of him exchanging lewd and misogynistic remarks about women with Donald J. Trump.
In the video, from 2005, Mr. Bush can be heard laughing as Mr. Trump describes in lewd terms his efforts to seduce a married woman. The men, who were taping a segment for “Access Hollywood,” then boisterously admire the looks of a nearby television actress, with Mr. Bush shouting, “Yes, the Donald has scored!”
When Mr. Trump boasts that as a celebrity, he “can do anything” with women, another voice, apparently Mr. Bush’s, laughs and says: “Whatever you want.” Mr. Bush also encouraged the actress to give Mr. Trump a hug.
Mr. Bush, 44, a cousin of former President George W. Bush, is known as a gung-ho entertainment journalist with a talent for cozying up to celebrities, a skill he honed for 15 years on “Access Hollywood.”
His move to the 9 a.m. slot of the “Today” show, announced in May, was supposed to be a major career leap. But Mr. Bush struggled to adapt his preppy persona to the gauzier realm of morning television and tensions with co-stars spilled into the open, including an on-air rebuke from Al Roker over Mr. Bush’s defense of the Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte.
Mr. Bush issued a statement on Friday evening, writing: “Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along.”
Mr. Bush’s behavior in the Trump video, which was published on Friday afternoon by The Washington Post, prompted an immediate online backlash. Mr. Bush’s Facebook page was flooded with hundreds of outraged comments, many from women, a group that “Today” counts as a crucial part of its audience.
“Just saw the video with you and Donald Trump,” wrote a Facebook user named Gina Preziosi, beneath a picture of Mr. Bush handing out strips of bacon to a group of “Today” viewers. “You’re as scummy as he is.”
“WOW,” wrote a woman named Lavern Smith. “You’re such a pig.”
Representatives for NBC and “Access Hollywood” declined to comment on Friday. Inquiries to Mr. Bush’s agent were not returned. Executives at NBC said they had no current plans to discipline Mr. Bush.
When Mr. Bush joined “Access Hollywood” in 2001 as its East Coast correspondent part of his job was befriending celebrities and putting them at ease. “I bang around,” he told The New York Times in 2002.
“Hanging around with people, that’s my thing.”
A member of one of the country’s most powerful families, he became a popular figure in the world of entertainment, where he “covered and interviewed literally everyone in Hollywood,” as Noah Oppenheim, a senior “Today” show producer, wrote in a memo announcing his hire this year.
But his go-along, get-along style proved a liability this summer. Mr. Bush appeared to score a journalistic coup when he interviewed Mr. Lochte, the Olympic swimmer, in Rio de Janeiro, shortly after Mr. Lochte claimed to have been the victim of an attempted armed robbery.
Mr. Lochte later admitted he had made up his account. When Mr. Bush said on live television that Mr. Lochte had merely “embellished,” Mr. Roker, visibly frustrated, saying, “He lied.”
The footage released on Friday is particularly ill-timed because of recent scrutiny on the television industry’s treatment of women, notably the sexual harassment allegations at Fox News and the ouster of its chairman, Roger Ailes.
In the video, Mr. Bush is heard on a live microphone joking with Mr. Trump as they travel on an “Access Hollywood” bus to the set of “Days of Our Lives,” where Mr. Trump was taping a segment.
When the men spot Arianne Zucker, the actress who would be greeting Mr. Trump, Mr. Bush, using a profanity, marvels at her looks. As Mr. Trump veers into vulgar comments about aggressively groping and kissing women, Mr. Bush continues to comment on Ms. Zucker’s appearance, saying, “Oh, that’s good legs.”
When his view of the actress was apparently blocked, Mr. Bush barks, “Oof, get out of the way, honey.”
At the end of the footage, Mr. Bush is seen saying farewell to Mr. Trump. “You’re my man,” he says.
Source: New York Times
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