The man who offensively laughed and bantered with Donald Trump while Trump admitted to sexually assaulting women has been found unworthy to continue to host his television program. Meanwhile, Trump Republicans and many in the media still continue to accord Trump the seriousness of being worthy to be elected president of the United States of America.
Billy Bush, a host on NBC's "TODAY" show, has been suspended "pending further review," per an internal memo sent to staff by senior vice president Noah Oppenheim, who oversees the broadcast.
Bush has come under fire for his involvement in a 2005 "Access Hollywood" videotape with Donald Trump that has sparked backlash against the Republican nominee. On the tape, Trump is heard boasting in lewd terms about a failed attempt to seduce a married woman and talks about kissing and groping women without their consent, saying "when you're a star, they let you do it." Bush, then an anchor for the entertainment show, is heard on the tape laughing and joking along with Trump.
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Bush apologized in a Friday evening personal statement after the video surfaced saying, "Obviously I'm embarrassed and ashamed. It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."
Oppenheimer stated:
Let me be clear — there is simply no excuse for Billy's language and behavior on that tape.
So, yes, despite the wording of suspended “pending further review”, NBC fully realizes that it would incur the wrath of its viewing audience, should it return Bush as host of its program, at least in the foreseeable future.
NBC Entertainment producers, who are well versed in the likes and dislikes of the overwhelming majority of the American television audience, realize that Bush’s brand is no longer palatable to their program’s viewers, in effect, no longer welcome to appear in these viewers’ homes as a television host.
Billy Bush Suspended From 'TODAY' Show
If Trump’s campaign is a product of reality television, it is fitting that NBC has just declared, by proxy, what many of us have known for a very long time—due to his many prior examples of racist, xenophobic, and sexist pronouncements and deeds—that Trump’s deeply offensive brand is unpalatable to the overwhelming majority of Americans.
Every time it is mentioned that Billy Bush has been pulled from his program due to his banter with Trump, the audience will be reminded of Trump’s repugnant candidacy.
Rest assured, he will never be accepted into our homes, on television or otherwise, as president of this nation.