They say we should always think twice before we talk because once you say something, you cannot take it back. Lawyers believe a retraction of a statement sets everything straight, but if the words spoken hurt someone, then the damage is permanent. Billy Bush is one who will forever hold his tongue and intervene when necessary after his career derailed. Luckily for him, life always gives us second chances. Now the time has come for Billy to redeem himself in the eyes of the public and other future potential employers. Let’s take a look at the events leading up to Billy’s firing and a new job as “Extra” host.
Billy gets fired
Nothing stays hidden forever since the tape that brought Billy to suicidal thoughts was made in 2005, but he underwent the repercussions in 2016. It all started with a casual talk between Trump and Billy as Trump prepared to guest star in “Days of Our Lives.” Billy saw it as a perfect opportunity to talk to the current US president about his role on the soap opera. Trump has never been known to mince his words, and he let it be known that he had tried and failed to seduce Billy’s co-host, Nancy O’Dell. Being a go-getter, Trump disregarded the fact that Nancy was married and preyed on her like a vulture circling a carcass. He further disclosed that he would be tempted to kiss Arianne Zucker since he is naturally to any beautiful thing or person. Trump even went ahead to drop a hint of his arrogance, saying that as long as you are a star, women will allow men to do anything.
Billy also made the comment that would forever change his life. He said that Arianne is hot as sh*t and further urged her to hug Trump after getting off the bus. The recording stayed undisclosed for more than a decade until in October 7, 2016, David Fahrenthold published the story on The Washington Post, having received a copy of the recording from an anonymous source. Since it was NBC’s story first, the channel also published the article with the details of the recording minutes apart from David’s publication. The world can be so unfair at times. While David received a Pulitzer Prize for the story, and Trump ended up as the most powerful man in the United States, the public was enraged with Billy Bush. The article had attracted so much public attention that over 100,000 people read it that afternoon. As the numbers increased, the servers went off momentarily, and Americans had learned enough to call for Billy’s resignation.
NBC had a hard time letting go of Billy Bush; on October 8, they said that Billy would address the controversy. However, on October 10, the channel revealed that they would suspend him indefinitely pending further review. On October 11, they had changed their minds and were negotiating his exit leading to Billy announcing his resignation on October 17, 2016.
Coming to terms with being fired
While the world came to know of Billy’s firing a week and a half after the story was published, Billy had been fired earlier. As he told People, Billy thought his job was safe because he was even reassured that he did nothing wrong. However, two days after the leak, Billy was preparing to go to work only to be told that the ride had been canceled. Billy had barely spent a year as a co-host of “Today,” and he had his career prospects but all of his life came crashing that day. According to Billy, the ultimate degradation of a man is losing his career. Therefore apart from feeling embarrassed and ashamed, he grieved for the loss of his job. Billy became so depressed that he started having suicidal thoughts but could never go through with it because he has three daughters who depend on him. Therefore instead of committing suicide, Billy drowned his depression with alcohol. Life became even more complicated when his 21-year marriage ended. Although Billy said it had nothing to do with the tape, and they still are friends, it must have hit him hard.
The redemption
The best thing about hitting the lowest points of your life is that you cannot sink any lower. The only other option is to go up, and that is what Billy has done. Billy defines his unfortunate incident as a character-building moment because he has learned his lessons. Seems like he even stopped depending on alcohol and preferred reading inspirational books. According to Cheat Sheet, Billy read “The Purpose of Christmas” last Christmas and it gave him hope and renewed his sense of purpose. After turning the pages of the book and absorbing Rick Warren’s words, Billy was overwhelmed by an overpowering presence, and he knew then that everything would be fine.
Since Billy is a Christian, indeed it was God’s way of telling Billy Bush that He never forsakes His children and He had his back. Looking back at trying to redeem himself in the eyes of the public, Billy avoided the media for seven months and then appeared in interviews seeking sympathy, but nothing worked. No one wanted to hire him, and those that did never took him seriously. Therefore even when the Daily Mail offered Billy the position of a television show host, Billy declined, knowing that a show centered on gossip would only further damage his reputation.
Now Billy Bush has a job that he can look forward to every morning; he is the managing editor and anchor of “Extra.” His experience with behind-the-scenes interviews will come in handy because that is what the new show will focus on, in the process of celebrity journalism. As a result, Billy, who is no stranger to cameras, will have cameras following him all day to put pieces of the show together.
Is his job safe now?
We can only wish Billy Bush luck as he prepares to take on his first job since 2016. As for her employer, The New York Times thinks that Lisa Gregorisch Dempsey is risking her professional reputation by hiring Billy. Who knows? It could be that Billy is back to elevate the producer’s reputation instead. We will have to stay tuned in to see how it turns out for everyone, especially Billy.
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