William Hall Bush is an American radio and television host. A member of the Bush family, he is the nephew of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush, and the cousin of the 43rd president, George W. Bush, and 43rd Florida governor Jeb Bush.
After appearing as a correspondent on Access Hollywood from 2001 to 2004, Bush became a primary anchor of the program in 2004. Bush also hosted The Billy Bush Show, a nationally syndicated talk and music radio show that aired from 2008 to 2014. He departed Access Hollywood in 2016 after being named a co-host in the third hour of Today.
Bush's tenure on the Today Show was short-lived, as in October 2016, during the presidential election, he became the subject of controversy when the 2005 Access Hollywood recording surfaced of him and presidential candidate Donald Trump having a lewd conversation. Due to this incident, Bush was fired from Today. From 2019 to 2025, Bush hosted the syndicated newsmagazine TV show Extra, a year after the series moved from NBC to Fox.
Early life
William Bush was born in Manhattan, New York City, He has one older brother, Jonathan S. Bush. His uncle (his father's older brother) was George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States. George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush are his first cousins. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and government from Colby College in 1994. He was also a four-year letterman and a two-time co-captain as a junior and senior with the Mules' men's lacrosse team. As of 2017, he is 4th (182), 8th (97), and 4th (85) in career points, goals and assists respectively in program history and was a first-team All-NESCAC in 1994.
Career
FM radio
Bush began his career hosting the afternoon drive show on WLKZ-FM in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, later moving to Washington, D.C., where he hosted the midday show on WARW-FM. In March 1997, Bush joined WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C. as host of Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show, which aired until January 2001.
Early television work
In January 2003, Bush hosted a short-lived NBC prime-time version of Let's Make a Deal.
Bush joined Access Hollywood, a daily entertainment news magazine, as East Coast correspondent in December 2001.
From September 13, 2010, to October 2016, Bush co-hosted the syndicated national daily entertainment talk show Access Hollywood Live, along with co-host Kit Hoover. This show is a sister show of Access Hollywood, with host chat of popular topics and celebrity live interviews. Bush and Hoover traveled together to the UK to cover Prince William's wedding to Catherine Middleton, as part of the NBC team coverage.
Bush played the drill sergeant in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance and had a small role as the voice of a newscaster in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6. He has also had several appearances on television shows including 30 Rock and Donny!.
Today
In May 2016, Bush was selected to be the co-host of the third hour of NBC's Today. He served as a replacement for Willie Geist.
Ryan Lochte controversy
Bush was the first reporter to interview American Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte after the athlete claimed he was robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Bush's due diligence as an interviewer was scrutinized after critics claimed Bush did not ask questions that would have shown Lochte's story was fabricated. When details of Lochte's story began to fall apart, Matt Lauer re-interviewed the swimmer in a move that was seen as a snub to Bush. Bush defended Lochte, saying he lied about "some" details whereas Roker characterized Lochte's statement as a lie.
Trump tape scandal
On October 7, 2016, The Washington Post reported that video footage was released of Donald Trump having a lewd conversation with Bush, with Trump either unaware or unconcerned that his microphone was active. Bush is heard laughing about Trump's failed effort to seduce a married woman, and joining in by commenting on actress Arianne Zucker's appearance, calling her "hot as shit." The video was made on the NBC Studios lot in the course of videotaping an Access Hollywood episode in mid-September 2005, promoting Trump's cameo appearance in an episode of daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives to promote The Apprentice.
In the video, Trump discussed a failed attempt to seduce Bush's then-co-host Nancy O'Dell: "I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married." He also talked about stars groping women: "...you just kiss...when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything [Bush: Anything you want]...grab them by the pussy..."
However, Bush received criticism online and calls for his resignation from the show, with The Washington Post stating, "Bush's public image was damaged—perhaps beyond repair." Bush was 33 years old at the time the video was made. On October 9, 2016, NBC announced that Bush was suspended from Today for his role in the 2005 video. He was suspended pending an internal review. By October 17, Bush had been fired.
After The New York Times reported in late November 2017 that Trump had privately told people, including a sitting senator, that the voice on the tape was not his, Bush published an op-ed in the paper on December 3, reaffirming that the voice in the tape was the president's and accusing him of engaging in revisionist history.
Extra
On May 8, 2019, Telepictures announced they would hire Bush to be the host of Extra. Bush replaced Mario Lopez at the start of the 26th season on September 9, 2019, in a revamp of the show, which was originally to be renamed ExtraExtra. This came after Lopez departed Extra to host Access Hollywood, a show Bush previously hosted from 2001 to 2016.
On May 5, 2025, Bush announced his departure from Extra after six seasons to further his involvement with his new podcast, Hot Mics with Billy Bush, which began that same year.
Hot Mics
In early January 2025, Bush announced he was launching a new podcast, Hot Mics with Billy Bush, which will stream twice a week on TuneIn, starting Monday, January 13 and airs live Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m. When discussing why he was starting this new program, Bush said, “A hot mic was the thing that led to my silencing, and now the hot mics are the vehicle by which I find an authentic, real voice." His first guest will be Megyn Kelly.
Other appearances
In 2024, Bush competed in season 11 of The Masked Singer as the wild card contestant "Sir Lion". He was eliminated on "TV Theme Night".
Personal life
He married Sydney Davis in April 1998 and the couple have three daughters.
Through his mother, Bush is a descendant of Louis DuBois, who fled religious persecution in France and settled in what was then the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam; he helped found the town of New Paltz, New York. He is also a descendant of the Hasbrouck family and the Van Vleck family, making him a second cousin, three times removed of Nobel Physics Prize recipient John Hasbrouck Van Vleck.
He announced on his new podcast on July 8, 2025, that he has a girlfriend named Allie. She is 48.