Billy Bush Officially Fired From ‘TODAY’ Show After Donald Trump Tape Leak, How Much Did NBC Pay Him?
After much speculation, Billy Bush has officially been fired from the Today show today. NBC has reached a financial settlement with the host and is officially cutting ties with the host after the Donald Trump tape leaked last week.
Sources close to the former Today show host say that he understands NBC’s position and he is happy with the final numbers that the company offered him as severance according to TMZ.
Bush had just started hosting on the Today show in August, signing a deal for three years with $3.5 million per year.
After the tape recording of Donald Trump and Billy Bush’s inappropriate conversation was leaked 10 days ago, NBC suspended the host “temporarily.”
An insider claimed that Bush felt as though the suspension was an unfair punishment because he had openly talked about the tape with his bosses and was never previously disciplined.
Trump can be heard in the tape recording from 2005 saying things like “grab ’em by the p****.” Trump talked in graphic terms about how easy it was for celebs like himself to seduce women.
Bush allegedly feels like he was let go from the Today show purely for PR reasons.
After the recording was leaked, Bush told Variety that he obviously regretted what he had said.
“Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened eleven years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry.”
However, his apologies were not enough to save his new hosting gig at NBC on the Today show.
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Melania Trump was just heard on-air blaming Billy Bush for Donald Trump’s “locker room” talk.
Melania Trump went on CNN and told Anderson Cooper that she had never heard her husband use that kind of language before the Access Hollywood recording was released.
Trump openly says that she believes Billy Bush encouraged him to speak that way.
Trump claimed during the second presidential election that he had never sexually assaulted anyone and that the recording was just guy talk and did not mean anything.
Since the debate, a number of women have come forward claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump in the past. Most of these women felt fearful in coming forward, but after seeing him say that live on-air, made a lot of women want to call Trump out for what he had done.
Donald Trump’s response to the tape recording being leaked was to say that others have done much worse, TMZ reported.
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.”
Many people even suggested that Donald Trump should drop out of the presidential race after the tape was leaked. Trump made it clear that he has no intentions of dropping out of the election and fully plans on becoming the President of the United States.
Did Donald tell Melania to defend him on television? Or does Mrs. Trump really believe that her husband respects women? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
[Featured Image by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images]
