Billy Bush is sharing details of his firing from the "Today" show. He spent months holed up in his apartment drowning his sorrows in alcohol following his fall from grace. Not only had he lost his job, but he had also lost his trust in his co-host Matt Lauer, Bush revealed in an interview with Men's Health.
Bush was axed from the NBC show in 2016 amid the fallout of the "Access Hollywood" scandal involving now-President Donald Trump. After the tape emerged, he was ready to issue an on-air apology and believed Lauer was on his side. When he was let go two months into the job, Bush felt betrayed by his former co-host.
"That he didn’t fight for me is so deeply hurtful because I’ve known him for absolutely ever," Bush said.
Compounding the situation was that Bush split from his wife. He turned to the bottle to cope with the pain. He spent four months drinking in his apartment before finally turning to his brother, Jonathan, for help.
"I’m paralyzed. I can’t get off my couch," he recalled telling Jonathan. "I can’t stop crying. I can’t stop thinking terrible thoughts of what I would want to do to myself if I didn’t have children. … Help."
Bush sought help at the Hoffman Process, a week-long retreat, and worked hard to overcome his problems but things only truly turned around when he took on the position of anchor and managing editor at Extra. Speaking with Men's Health, Bush said that "life isn't fair" but the "Access Hollywood" ordeal "was important for my development as a broadcaster, as a journalist, as a man, as a person."
In a 2019 interview with a left-wing website, Bush admitted he harbored suicidal thoughts after the scandal broke. He found solace in reading "The Purpose of Christmas" by California megachurch pastor Rick Warren.
"I felt this unbelievably overpowering presence come over me," Bush said. "It took me from the deepest feelings of despair to a warm glow of everything’s gonna be just fine."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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