Billy Bush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Bush
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Bush in 2023
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| Born |
William Hall Bush
October 13, 1971 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Colby College (BA) |
| Occupation | Television presenter, radio personality |
| Spouse(s) |
Sydney Davis
(m. 1998; div. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Bush family |
William Hall Bush (born October 17, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is part of the famous Bush family. His uncle was George H. W. Bush, who was the 41st President of the United States. His cousins include George W. Bush, the 43rd President, and Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida.
Billy Bush worked as a reporter for Access Hollywood from 2001 to 2004. He then became a main host for the show in 2004. He also hosted The Billy Bush Show, a radio program that ran from 2008 to 2014. In 2016, he left Access Hollywood to become a co-host on the TV show Today. However, his time on Today was short. In October 2016, during the presidential election, a recording from 2005 surfaced. This recording showed him and presidential candidate Donald Trump having an inappropriate conversation. Because of this, Bush was fired from Today. Since 2019, Billy Bush has been the host of the TV news show Extra.
Early life and education
Billy Bush was born in Manhattan, New York. His father was Jonathan Bush, a banker, and his mother was Josephine Colwell Bush. He has an older brother named Jonathan S. Bush. As mentioned, his uncle was George H. W. Bush, the 41st President. His cousins, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, are also well-known figures.
Bush went to middle school at St. Bernard's School in Manhattan. He attended high school at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island. In 1994, he graduated from Colby College. He earned a degree in international studies and government. While in college, he was a dedicated member of the Mules' men's lacrosse team. He was a co-captain for two years.
Career highlights
Radio beginnings
Billy Bush started his career in radio. He hosted an afternoon show on WLKZ-FM in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Later, he moved to Washington, D.C.. There, he hosted a midday show on WARW-FM. In 1997, Bush joined WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C. He hosted Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show until 2001.
Early television roles
In 2003, Bush hosted a short-lived NBC game show called Let's Make a Deal. He also worked as a reporter for WNBC-TV's Today in New York morning show.
In December 2001, Bush joined Access Hollywood. This is a daily entertainment news show. He started as the East Coast reporter. By June 2004, he was promoted to co-anchor.
While at Access Hollywood, he covered many big events. These included the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards. He also hosted ABC's live pre-show for the Academy Awards in 2004, 2005, and 2006. He hosted the 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special.
Bush was a reporter for NBC at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He also hosted Access Hollywood's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. He covered the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing too. In 2007, Bush hosted the reality competition Grease: You're the One that I Want! on NBC. He also filled in for Meredith Vieira on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for a week in 2008.
He returned to radio with The Billy Bush Show. This was a nightly talk and interview show. It focused on top entertainment stories and featured celebrity guests.
Bush co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant four times. He also co-hosted the Miss USA pageant four times. In 2008, he co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards Announcement press conference. This happened when the main awards show was canceled due to a writers' strike.
Esquire magazine named him one of their "10 Men" in July 2005. The magazine praised his interviewing style.
From 2010 to 2016, Bush co-hosted Access Hollywood Live with Kit Hoover. This show was related to Access Hollywood. It featured discussions on popular topics and live celebrity interviews. Bush and Hoover traveled to the UK to cover Prince William's wedding.
Bush also appeared in movies. He played a drill sergeant in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance. He was the voice of a newscaster in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6. He also made appearances on TV shows like 30 Rock.
Time on Today
In May 2016, Billy Bush became a co-host for the third hour of NBC's Today show. He took over from Willie Geist.
Ryan Lochte interview
Bush was the first reporter to interview Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. This happened after Lochte claimed he was robbed during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Some people questioned Bush's interview. They felt he did not ask tough enough questions when Lochte's story started to seem untrue. Later, Bush and Al Roker had a disagreement on Today about Lochte's story.
Controversy and departure
In October 2016, a video from 2005 was released. It showed Donald Trump and Billy Bush having an inappropriate conversation. The video was made while they were filming an Access Hollywood episode. In the video, Bush was heard laughing and making comments about an actress's appearance.
When the video became public, Bush faced a lot of criticism. Many people called for him to leave the Today show. He issued an apology, saying he was "embarrassed and ashamed." He explained that the video was from eleven years earlier when he was younger and less mature. On October 9, 2016, NBC announced that Bush was suspended from Today. He was fired from the show on October 17.
In late 2017, after some reports questioned the authenticity of the tape, Bush wrote an article for The New York Times. In it, he confirmed that the voice on the tape was indeed the president's.
Extra and Hot Mics
On May 8, 2019, it was announced that Billy Bush would host Extra. He took over from Mario Lopez in September 2019. This was part of a new look for the show.
In January 2025, Bush launched a new podcast called Hot Mics with Billy Bush. It streams twice a week on TuneIn. Bush said he started the podcast because a "hot mic" incident led to his previous challenges. Now, he uses "hot mics" to share his authentic voice. His first guest was Megyn Kelly.
Other appearances
In 2024, Billy Bush appeared on The Masked Singer in season 11. He was a wild card contestant known as "Sir Lion." He was eliminated during "TV Theme Night."
Personal life
Billy Bush married Sydney Davis in April 1998. They have three daughters together. In September 2017, the couple announced they were separating. Their divorce was finalized on July 15, 2018.
Through his mother's side of the family, Bush is related to Louis DuBois. DuBois fled religious persecution in France and helped found the town of New Paltz, New York.
On his podcast on July 8, 2025, Billy Bush shared that he has a girlfriend named Allie. She is 48 years old.
