Billy Bush Suspended by NBC Over Part on Trump Tape

NBC suspended Billy Bush indefinitely on Sunday after a 2005 footage of him having an indecent conversation with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned up two days earlier.

In a memo on Sunday, “Today” Executive Producer Noah Oppenheim stated that there is simply no excuse for Billy’s language and behavior on that tape. The “Today” show host has been suspended “pending further review of the matter.”

Bush was a host of “Access Hollywood” show in 2005 when he was taped in a discussion with Trump. The conversation took place when the future presidential nominee was on a Hollywood set to make a guest appearance on a soap opera.

On the videotape, Trump boasts about fondling and kissing women. He also talked about trying to sleep with women who were not his wife. Bush takes part and laughs at Trump’s remarks. Later on, he encouraged an actress to hug Trump.

Bush used a cuss-word as he called the actress “hot”.

Since the tape came out, Bush has been assaulted on his own Facebook page. Hundreds of unfavorable comments were appended to his post of him handing out a plate of bacon to “Today” watchers surrounding the show’s studio. In a comment that about 5,000 had “liked”, a woman wrote, “You are sickening!”

Bush had a rocky start at “Today” and had only been with the show for two months. He was the reporter to whom American swimmer Ryan Lochte lied about being robbed at the Olympics. An associate, Al Roker, dressed him down when he tried to defend Lochte on “Today.”

NBC extremely embarrassed

The released tape has embarrassed NBC news on several levels. The Washington Post scooped the news on Friday when the paper was tipped off about it and got a story out within hours while NBC’s news division had known about it for days.

Bush is a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush. He issued an apology for his actions through a released statement on Friday.

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