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The Real Reason The ‘Today Show’ And NBC Won’t Be Taking Billy Bush Back

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 08:30 PST, Oct 11, 2016

It seems that Billy Bush was the architect of his own undoing according to reports that he pointed NBC colleagues to the tape of him engaging in “locker room talk” with Donald Trump on an Access Hollywood bus. Bush reportedly bragged to Today Show co-workers while they were on location in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics that such a tape existed, and it prompted some who are not fans of Bush to seek out and share the Bush/Trump tape. The sentiment behind the scenes has reportedly been against Billy Bush from the start, and now, in light of the misogynistic chat with Trump, other NBC employees have been vocal that they don’t want to work with him.

Today Show stars Al Roker, Tamron Hall, and Savannah Guthrie have all made on-camera statements about Billy Bush’s absence on the Today Show. All three revealed that after the airing of the video with Donald Trump caused NBC to suspend Billy Bush. Tamron Hall said that Bush would be suspended for his role in the conversation “until further review.”

Billy Bush appears to be more of a liability than an asset to NBC, with his fumbling of the Ryan Lochte gaffe in Brazil, and now his part in the conversation that has perhaps taken Donald Trump out of a presidential election. NBC staffers are saying that Bush bragged to them about his conversation with his buddy, Donald Trump, that took place while he was hosting Access Hollywood with Nancy O’Dell, says PageSix. All of Bush’s boasting caused the staff to track down the now infamous “locker room” conversation on the Access Hollywood bus.

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But Billy Bush did not mention the event or existence of the tape with Donald Trump to the Today Show brass, and that will likely be Bush’s undoing according to insiders, who say that this will likely violate the morality clause in Bush’s contract with NBC.

“Billy was bragging about the tape to other NBC staff while in Rio. If he knew about the tape, and remembered the full extent of such an explosive conversation with a presidential candidate and didn’t disclose that to NBC News, that is a very, very serious problem.”

On the tape, NBC staffers say that Billy Bush is egging on his friend Donald Trump, and encouraging the offensive tone of the talk. Today Show’s Kathie Lee Gifford says that she doesn’t even want Bush “throwing” the show to her and Hoda Kotb for the last hour.

“She has Jesus in her life and feels this is just not right.”

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that NBC and Billy Bush are in the process of negotiating his exit, and it will likely be announced this week, as publicists are voicing their concern over having their clients subjected to Billy Bush.

“I would not want to put a client with him.”

Marcel Pariseau, who is a partner at True Public Relations, and reps many high profile female clients like Scarlett Johansson say clients will not be on Bush’s hour of the Today Show.

“He was rude and lewd to a few female clients of mine. Boycotting the 9 a.m. hour of the Today show.”

Publicists are discussing of pulling clients who are already scheduled for the Today Show, and making the move over to Good Morning America. Hive Collective co-founder Bumble Ward, who reps Sofia Coppola wrote on her Facebook page of her disgust with Bush’s attitude.

“At last year’s Oscars he was the only interviewer who was downright dismissive of my asking him, very politely, and before the rush of celebrities hit him, whether he’d like to speak to my (nominated) director client. He actually turned away with a roll of the eyes.”

NBC execs have said that there is no excuse for the language that was used on the tape and that Billy Bush is suspended at this time. The NBC leadership gave no end date, and sources say that there are many meetings behind the scenes to decide what to do with Bush.

Do you think NBC is going to do everything they can to distance themselves from Billy Bush?

[Featured Image by RW/Media Punch/AP Images]

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