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Update: NBC May Fire Billy Bush; Tensions High at 'Today'
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Update
“How are any of the women going to be expected to work with him?” asks a source close to the show.
There is a growing sense of outrage at NBC’s Today show — especially among the show’s many female staffers — about comments Billy Bush made on a hot mic with Donald Trump during a taping for a 2005 Access Hollywood segment. And many of them are wondering what management is going to do about it.
“It’s disgusting,” said one female staffer. “He was already unpopular,” said another, noting that Bush and his 9 a.m. co-anchor, Tamron Hall, have an icy relationship. Bush also has clashed on air with Al Roker over Bush’s handling of an interview with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte during which Bush failed to challenge Lochte’s yarn about being held up at gunpoint in Rio.
NBC delayed releasing the tapes for nearly four days, according to the Washington Post, out of fear of a Trump lawsuit. A source confirms to THR that Access Hollywood and the news division held the audio until lawyer approval. [...]
Multiple sources at NBC News say there is growing concern that the scandal, if not handled quickly, could taint the entire Today show brand – one that counts women as its core viewer constituency. The incident comes at a time when the flagship 7-9 a.m. broadcast co-hosted by Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, has in the last year inched past rival Good Morning America in the critical 25-54 demographic.“How are any of the women [at Today] going to be expected to work with him?” asked a source close to the show. [...]
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Billy Bush is “horribly embarrassed” by the Donald Trump tape — while TV insiders are tittering that it must have been leaked by staffers on his former show “Access Hollywood.” [...]
An NBC insider said: “It happened 11 years ago … Billy was in a different place. He was a lot younger and more immature. He’s definitely embarrassed by this, but his job at ‘Today’ is safe.”
Another TV source continued, “Trump supporters might not care, but the ‘Today’ show will … they want Billy to look like ‘nice funny’ Billy, not a frat boy. The problem is that what to do if his interview subjects bring it up? He’ll have to address it on TV.”
Of his rival Matt Lauer, who isn’t happy about Bush being his heir apparent, the source added, “Somewhere in New York, Matt Lauer is having a big belly laugh.” [...]
Another source told us that: “There are only a few people who could have leaked this. The cameraman, who wouldn’t hold on to it. The editor, who also has no incentive to keep it and [‘Access Hollywood’ executive producer and close Bush pal] Rob Silverstein … They are the ones with access. There would be no reason to hold onto it from 2005. The would only [reason to] leak it now [is] because of Donald Trump’s bid for president. NBC is in crisis mode. They have to protect [Billy].”
Meanwhile, Bush and the “Today” show were both getting eviscerated on Facebook on Friday, with commenters flooding their most recent posts with nasty remarks.
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