The host is no longer scheduled to appear on the show Monday, October 10 to address the sexist comments he made during a chat with Trump back in 2005.
- Oct 10, 2016
AceShowbiz - Billy Bush has been suspended from "Today" show after his old conversation with Donald Trump was leaked. The host was originally slated to appear as usual on the 9 A.M. hour of the talk show Monday morning, October 10 to explain the lewd comments he made in a 2005 chat with the businessman, but NBC has decided not to go with the plan.
"Today" senior producer Noah Oppenheim announced the suspension to the show's staffers via an internal memo on Sunday. "I know we've all been deeply troubled by the revelations of the past 48 hours. Let me be clear - there is simply no excuse for Billy's language and behavior on that tape. NBC has decided to suspend Billy, pending further review of this matter," it read.
Bush has been heavily criticized since his conversation with Trump was posted online on Friday, October 7 by The Washington Post. Bush, who was an "Access Hollywood" host at the time, was heard making sexist and misogynistic comments about women, including his colleague Nancy O'Dell, while he and Trump were preparing for a segment on the show.
After the audio surfaced online, Trump apologized in a statement. "This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago," he explained. "Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course-not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended."
Bush, who was 33 when the conversation was recorded, also expressed regret in his own statement, which read, "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. I'm very sorry."
Making things more interesting, The New York Post reported on Sunday that the outgoing voicemail message at Bush's NBC office now says, "You've reached Billy Bush's office, he's busy making America great again, please leave a message."
