Wikipedia

Billy Bush

For the American record producer, see Billy Bush (record producer). For the American actor, see Billy "Green" Bush.

William Hall Bush[2] (born October 13, 1971)[3] is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of former President George H. W. Bush and cousin of former President George W. Bush and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Billy Bush
Bush in 2023
Born
William Hall Bush

(1971-10-13) October 13, 1971 (age 53)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.[1]
Alma materColby College (BA)
Occupation(s)Television presenter, radio personality
Spouse
Sydney Davis
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 2018)​
Children3
Parent(s)Jonathan Bush
Josephine Bush
RelativesBush family

After appearing as a correspondent on Access Hollywood from 2001 to 2004, Bush became a primary anchor of the program in 2004. Bush also hosted The Billy Bush Show, a nationally syndicated talk and music radio show that aired from 2008 to 2014.[4] He departed Access Hollywood in 2016 after being named a co-host in the third hour of Today. Bush's tenure on the Today Show was short-lived, as in October 2016, during the presidential election, he became the subject of controversy when the 2005 Access Hollywood recording surfaced of him and presidential candidate Donald Trump having a lewd conversation. Due to this incident, Bush was fired from Today.[5] Since 2019, Bush has been the host of the syndicated newsmagazine TV show Extra, a year after the series moved from NBC to Fox.

Early life

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Bush was born in Manhattan, New York,[1] to Jonathan Bush, a banker, and Josephine Colwell Bush (née Bradley).[6][7] He has one older brother, Jonathan S. Bush. William Bush's uncle (his father's older brother) was George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. George W. Bush, the 43rd President, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush are William Bush's first cousins.[3]

Bush attended middle school at St. Bernard's School in Manhattan and high school at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island.[8] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and government from Colby College in 1994.[2] He was also a four-year letterman and a two-time co-captain as a junior and senior with the Mules' men's lacrosse team.[9][10] As of 2017, he is 4th (182), 8th (97), and 4th (85) in career points, goals and assists respectively in program history and was a first-team All-NESCAC in 1994.[11]

Career

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FM radio

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Bush began his career hosting the afternoon drive show on WLKZ-FM in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, later moving to Washington, D.C., where he hosted the midday show on WARW-FM.[citation needed] In March 1997, Bush joined WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C. as host of Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show, which aired until January 2001.[12]

Early television work

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In January 2003, Bush hosted a short-lived NBC prime-time version of Let's Make a Deal.[12] He was also a correspondent for WNBC-TV's Today in New York morning show.[12][13]

Bush joined Access Hollywood, a daily entertainment news magazine, as East Coast correspondent in December 2001.[1] He was promoted to co-anchor in June 2004.

While working at Access Hollywood, he was present at high-profile red carpet events including the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards, and hosted ABC's live pre-show for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Academy Awards and the 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special.

Bush was a reporter for NBC at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and was the host for Access Hollywood's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In addition, Bush hosted the reality competition Grease: You're the One that I Want! on NBC in 2007, and stood in for Meredith Vieira for a week of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows on April 21–25, 2008. He and Vieira both had credited cameos as hosts of fictional game shows in the 2004 remake of Ira Levin's 1972 satirical thriller The Stepford Wives.

He returned to radio with The Billy Bush Show, a nightly talk radio and entertainment interview show. It airs from KBIG in Los Angeles and is syndicated by Westwood One. The show is written by Ryan Miller and produced by Corrin Barlow, while Bush and Access Hollywood executive producer Rob Silverstein are the show's executive producers.[13] The show, which airs evenings Monday through Friday, focuses on the top entertainment stories and personalities in the news, and features celebrity guests and listener calls.

Bush co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant four times: in 2003 and 2004 with Daisy Fuentes; in 2005 with fellow Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell; and in 2009 with Claudia Jordan. He has also co-hosted the Miss USA pageant four times, with almost the same partners: in 2003 with Fuentes; 2004 and 2005 with O'Dell; and again in 2009, this time with Nadine Velazquez. After the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards of 2008 were cancelled as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Bush co-hosted the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Announcement press conference with O'Dell on January 13, 2008.

Bush was named one of Esquire magazine's "10 Men" in July 2005.[13] "He's a furious, inventive interviewer, unafraid of playing the fool in exchange for a true reaction", opined the writer of the accompanying magazine profile.[14]

From September 13, 2010, to October 2016, Bush co-hosted the syndicated national daily entertainment talk show Access Hollywood Live, along with co-host Kit Hoover. This show is a sister show of Access Hollywood, with host chat of popular topics and celebrity live interviews. Bush and Hoover traveled together to the UK to cover Prince William's wedding to Catherine Middleton, as part of the NBC team coverage.

Bush played the drill sergeant in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance and had a small role as the voice of a newscaster in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6. He has also had several appearances on television shows including 30 Rock and Donny!.[15]

Today

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In May 2016, Bush was selected to be the co-host of the third hour of NBC's Today.[16] He served as a replacement for Willie Geist.[17]

Ryan Lochte controversy

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Bush was the first reporter to interview American Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte after the athlete claimed he was robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics.[18] Bush's due diligence as an interviewer was scrutinized after critics claimed Bush did not ask questions that would have shown Lochte's story was fabricated.[19] When details of Lochte's story began to fall apart, Matt Lauer re-interviewed the swimmer in a move that was seen as a snub to Bush.[19] Bush garnered attention once again after he and Al Roker got into an argument during Olympic coverage on Today after Lochte was exposed.[20] Bush defended Lochte, saying he lied about "some" details whereas Roker characterized Lochte's statement as a lie.[21]

Trump tape scandal

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Main article: Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape

On October 7, 2016, The Washington Post reported that video footage was released of Donald Trump having a lewd conversation with Bush, with Trump either unaware or unconcerned that his microphone was active. Bush is heard laughing about Trump's failed effort to seduce a married woman, and joining in by commenting on actress Arianne Zucker's appearance, calling her "hot as shit."[22] The video was made on the NBC Studios lot in the course of videotaping an Access Hollywood episode in mid-September 2005,[23] promoting Trump's cameo appearance in an episode of daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives to promote The Apprentice.

In the video, Trump discussed a failed attempt to seduce Bush's then-co-host Nancy O'Dell:[24] "I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married." He also talked about stars groping women: "...you just kiss...when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything [Bush: Anything you want]...grab them by the pussy..."[22]

When the news of the footage first broke, Bush was at New York's JFK International Airport waiting to take off for Los Angeles. He spent the six-hour flight reading news reports on the unfolding controversy. By the time he arrived in Los Angeles, a horde of paparazzi had materialized at Los Angeles International Airport and at his home in Los Angeles, where they remained for more than a week. Bush spent the remainder of that weekend trying to save his job at Today, which had already garnered controversy, first over Bush's lack of hard-news experience and the rude tone he exhibited during red carpet events and then over the Ryan Lochte matter. Initially, NBC News signaled Bush would return that Monday to apologize on-air. Bush later stated, "I would have welcomed addressing the audience."[25]

However, Bush received criticism online and calls for his resignation from the show, with The Washington Post stating, "Bush's public image was damaged—perhaps beyond repair."[20] He issued an apology, stating: "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."[26] Bush was 33 years old at the time the video was made. On October 9, 2016, NBC announced that Bush was suspended from Today for his role in the 2005 video. He was suspended pending an internal review.[27] By October 17, Bush had been fired.[28][29]

After The New York Times reported in late November 2017 that Trump had privately told people, including a sitting senator, that the voice on the tape was not his, Bush published an op-ed in the paper on December 3, reaffirming that the voice in the tape was the president's and accusing him of engaging in revisionist history.[30][31]

Extra

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On May 8, 2019, Telepictures announced they would hire Bush to be the host of Extra. Bush replaced Mario Lopez at the start of the 26th season on September 9, 2019, in a revamp of the show, which was originally to be renamed ExtraExtra. This came after Lopez departed Extra to host Access Hollywood, a show Bush previously hosted from 2001 to 2016.[32][33]

Other appearances

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In 2024, Bush competed in season 11 of The Masked Singer as the wild card contestant "Sir Lion". He was eliminated on "TV Theme Night".[34]

Personal life

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He married Sydney Davis in April 1998[35] and the couple have three daughters.[2] On September 19, 2017, the couple announced they were separating.[35] On July 15, 2018, Bush and his wife announced their divorce due to irreconcilable differences.[36]

Through his mother, Bush is a descendant of Louis DuBois, who fled religious persecution in France and settled in what was then the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam; he helped found the town of New Paltz, New York. He is also a descendant of the Hasbrouck family and the Van Vleck family, making him a second cousin, three times removed of Nobel Physics Prize recipient John Hasbrouck Van Vleck.[37]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "A Bush cousin finds his TV niche". philly.com. August 12, 2004. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Billy Bush: Biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Billy Bush: Television Personality (1971–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Billy Bush, co-host of TODAY's third hour". TODAY.com. August 22, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Koblin, Josh (October 17, 2016). "Billy Bush Officially Departs NBC". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  6. ^ "(unknown title)". New York. Vol. 23, no. 38–42. October 1990.
  7. ^ "Jonathan Bush & Josephine Bush Married, Children, Joint Family Tree & History". FameChain.
  8. ^ -St. John, Warren (June 23, 2002). "Eluding Family Ties As He Hunts For Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Men's Lacrosse Alumni (1972–2016)". Colby College Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  10. ^ "Colby Men's Varsity Lacrosse Captains 1970–2016". Colby College Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  11. ^ "Men's Lacrosse Individual Records & Honors". Colby College Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c "Billy Bush Biography". Yahoo!. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c "About Billy Bush". Westwood One/The Billy Bush Show. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009.
  14. ^ Chiarella, Tom (July 1, 2005). "The Bob Woodward of the Red Carpet". Esquire. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011.
  15. ^ "Billy Bush>Filmography", IMDb. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  16. ^ Hines, Ree (May 18, 2016). "TODAY anchors welcome Billy Bush: 'We're so happy he's joining our crew'". Today. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Prudom, Laura (August 22, 2016). "Willie Geist Leaving Third Hour of 'Today,' Billy Bush to Replace Him". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  18. ^ Chung, Jen. "Ryan Lochte: Rio Police Impersonator 'Cocked' Gun & 'Put It To My Forehead' During Robbery". Gothamist.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Contrera, Jessica (October 9, 2016). "NBC has suspended Billy Bush. But will he ever come back?". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  20. ^ a b Emily Yahr, Elahe Izadi (October 7, 2016). "Billy Bush was already polarizing. His lewd Donald Trump conversation makes things much worse". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  21. ^ Hanson, Hilary (August 20, 2016). "Al Roker Goes In On Ryan Lochte, Becomes Internet Hero". The Huffington post. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Fahrenthold, David A. (October 7, 2016). "Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005". Washington Post. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  23. ^ "Donald Trump, Billy Bush discussed Nancy O'Dell in leaked audio". USA Today. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  24. ^ Capelouto, Susanna (October 8, 2016). "Nancy O'Dell, the woman who rebuffed Trump". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  25. ^ Rose, Lacey; Guthrie, Marisa (May 21, 2017). "Billy Bush Breaks His Silence on Trump, the 'Access Hollywood' Tape, NBC, and a Comeback Plan". The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ^ Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin (October 7, 2016). "Billy Bush Says He's Ashamed by Lewd Talk With Donald Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  27. ^ Gold, Hadas (October 9, 2016). "Billy Bush suspended from 'Today' show". POLITICO. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Hibberd, James (October 17, 2016). "Billy Bush officially out at Today". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  29. ^ Puente, Maria (October 17, 2016). "Billy Bush is out at Today". USA Today. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  30. ^ Johnson, Alex (December 3, 2017). "Billy Bush on Trump's 'Access Hollywood' tape: 'Of course he said it'". NBC News. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  31. ^ Bush, Billy (December 3, 2017). "Opinion | Billy Bush: Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  32. ^ Harris, Elizabeth A. (May 8, 2019). "Billy Bush to Return to Television Three Years After Trump Tape Fallout". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  33. ^ Barnes, Brooks (August 25, 2019). "Billy Bush Is Ready for a Return to TV. Will Viewers Welcome Him Back?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  34. ^ Schneider, Michael (March 27, 2024). "'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identity of Sir Lion: Here Is the Celebrity Under the Costume". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Stone, Natalie; Dugan, Christina (September 19, 2017). "Billy Bush and Wife Sydney Davis Separating After Nearly 20 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  36. ^ Haas, Mariah (July 15, 2018). "Billy Bush's wife, Sydney Davis, files for divorce after nearly 20 years of marriage: report". Fox News. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  37. ^ "William Hall "Billy" Bush". ourfamtree.org. Ray Gurganus. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
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Media offices
Preceded by Host of Let's Make a Deal
2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of Access Hollywood
(2004–2016)
with Nancy O'Dell (2004–2009) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of Miss USA
with Daisy Fuentes (2003)
with Nancy O'Dell (2004–2005) 		Succeeded by
Nancy O'Dell and Drew Lachey
Preceded by
Phil Simms with Daisy Fuentes
 Host of Miss Universe
with Daisy Fuentes (2003–2004)
with Nancy O'Dell (2005) 		Succeeded by
Nancy O'Dell with Carlos Ponce
Preceded by Host of Miss Universe
with Claudia Jordan 2009 		Succeeded by
Bret Michaels and Natalie Morales
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