NBC severs ties with Billy Bush

As the dust settles from a lewd recorded conversation released almost two weeks ago, the first casualty is official.

On-air personality Billy Bush—whose exchange with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a 2005 segment for “Access Hollywood” brought swift backlash—has been fired from NBC’s “Today” show.

Noah Oppenheim, the show’s producer, broke the news Monday with a short email to employees:

Dear Colleagues,

Billy Bush will be leaving the TODAY show’s 9am hour, effective today. While he was a new member of the TODAY team, he was a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward.

Sincerely,

Noah

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Bush issued the following statement:

I am deeply grateful for the conversations I’ve had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead.

Melania Trump: Bush ‘egged on’ the bawdy revelation

Parting ways with NBC wasn’t the only swing at Bush and his reputation.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Trump’s wife, Melania, blamed the conversation’s tawdry progression on Bush.

The Associated Press reported:

"I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Melania Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on — like egged on — from the host to say dirty and bad stuff."

The New York Post reported:

[Melania] later recalled how Trump apologized to her for the raunchy recording behind closed doors.

“We talked in private,” she said. “I accept his apology and I hope the American people will accept it, as well. It was many, many years ago. [The man on the tape] is not the man that I know, and many times I said, and he’s said it as well, it’s very hard, especially for him, when he decided to run for [the] presidency because he did so much stuff in his life. He was on so many tapes. So many shows. And we knew that. He knew the tapes would come out. People will want to go against him, but my husband is real. He’s raw. He tells it as it is. He will say it as he feels it. So you know, I know he respects women. But he’s defending himself because they’re lies.”

Twitter users mocked and criticized the interview:

This is true. She actually said Billy Bush pushed Donald in to saying he sexually assaults women. https://t.co/E0bftYKdZ4

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) October 18, 2016

Can't say I saw Billy Bush's role in this election coming.

— Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) October 17, 2016

Ted Cruz: "Billy Bush made me do it!"#billybushmademedoit http://pic.twitter.com/CQArdAvrzv

— MJ⛳️ (@MJGWrites) October 17, 2016

Billy Bush, according to Melania. http://pic.twitter.com/fVdesrbLSq

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) October 18, 2016

Melania says her husband was "egged on" to say things. Really? Because If Billy Bush can get him to do that, imagine what Putin would do.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) October 18, 2016

Blaming Billy Bush for Trump's words implies that Trump is weak which means Melania might have just thrown the most savage shade of all time

— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) October 17, 2016

Page Six reported that Bush is “likely to get a $10 million lump settlement from NBC.”

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