Billy Bush is returning to TV for his first gig since being fired from the “Today” show in 2016 over his participation on the infamous “locker room talk” Trump tape.
Bush will host “Extra Extra,” his publicist confirmed for TheWrap, a new iteration of the current syndicated entertainment show. The “Extra” spinoff will debut Sept. 9 on Fox stations, and aims to cover pop culture, sports and politics.
“We all have to be able to evolve as we grow,” Bush told People magazine, which first reported the news of his comeback. “The guy that left the scene in 2016 was already a changed person [since 2005], but I had the opportunity to grow up a little bit. Facing adversity in some way is good. And I feel I’ll be better at my job than I ever was. This is my next step.”
“Extra Extra” will also the “next step” in the entertainment news genre, in Bush’s words, one which he said “needs an overhaul.”
During his conversation with the magazine, Bush didn’t avoid questions about the 2005 “Access Hollywood,” audio tape, on which he is caught on a hot mic laughing with Donald Trump about the then-businessman’s crass words about inappropriately touching women.
“I own the moment,” Bush said. “It was a bad moment. And I was in it. But one moment doesn’t define your life.”
Read more from People’s interview with Bush here.