Billy Bush, who lost his job as co-host of the Today show after the notorious Access Hollywood tape from 2005 was revealed, is making a comeback after nearly three years. In an exclusive interview with People , he spoke about the consequences of that incident and the “glaring” irony of what happened to him versus what happened to President Donald Trump.
In 2016, after the tape was revealed, many thought it would ruin Trump’s chances for a successful presidential campaign. While it did cause quite a stir, it did not hinder Trump’s run for office.
Billy Bush, however, who was interviewing Trump, lost his job as co-host of the Today show. He apologized for his part in the tape and withdrew from the public eye.
He has had plenty of time to reflect over what happened, and he told People that he had to work through a lot of emotions after he lost his job.
“The irony is glaring about where Donald Trump ended up and where I ended up,” Bush, 47, said, adding that Trump has “the No. 1 job in the world for the guy that did all the talking” on the tape.
It has taken time for him to get over the fallout.
“Like anything major in people’s lives, you go through stages,” he explained.
“I’ve been through resentment, anger, inconsolable to ‘wait a minute, maybe I have an opportunity here to just put a foot in front of the other and get going.’ You realize nobody goes unscathed in life.”
Billy Bush to return to TV two years after Trump tape scandal https://t.co/H32VY3ZQvm
— Independent US (@IndyUSA) May 9, 2019
Bush did take credit for his part of the tape, in which he was seen laughing while Trump bragged about groping women.
“I own the moment,” he admitted.
“It was a bad moment. I was in it. It’s not other people’s fault.”
Bush told People that what helped get through the tough time was some advice from his cousin, former President George W. Bush, who told him not to fight back and to accept the fact that he was not extraordinary. The former president also told him that everything was going to be fine, and the former entertainment show host said he was right.
Bush has moved on from the incident and in the fall, he will return to work as the managing editor and host of Extra Extra , an entertainment news show that will reportedly take the place of the TV program Extra .
Bush said that the experience changed him and that he returns as a person that is more evolved, adding that everyone needs to evolve to grow.
Extra Extra is slated to premiere September 9.
