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, 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) | Jonathan Bush Josephine Bush |
| Relatives | Bush family |
William Hall Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is known for hosting popular entertainment news shows.
Billy Bush 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 are George W. Bush, the 43rd President, and Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida.
He worked as a correspondent for Access Hollywood from 2001 to 2004. Later, he became a main anchor for the show in 2004. Billy Bush also hosted The Billy Bush Show, a radio program that ran from 2008 to 2014. He left Access Hollywood in 2016 to become a co-host on the third hour of Today. His time at Today ended after a controversy. Since 2019, Bush has been the host of Extra, another TV newsmagazine show.
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.
He went to middle school at St. Bernard's School in Manhattan. For high school, he attended 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 at Colby College, he was a dedicated lacrosse player. He played for four years and was a co-captain twice. He is still ranked high in the team's history for career points, goals, and assists.
Career in Media
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, he joined WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C. He hosted Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show until 2001.
Early Television Work
In 2003, Billy Bush hosted a short-lived NBC game show called Let's Make a Deal. He also worked as a correspondent for WNBC-TV's Today in New York morning show.
In December 2001, Bush joined Access Hollywood. This is a daily entertainment news program. He started as the East Coast correspondent. By June 2004, he was promoted to co-anchor.
While at Access Hollywood, he covered many major events. These included the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards. He also hosted ABC's live pre-shows 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 as well. In 2007, Bush hosted the reality competition Grease: You're the One that I Want! on NBC. He also filled in as host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for a week in 2008. He had small acting roles in the 2004 movie The Stepford Wives.
He returned to radio with The Billy Bush Show. This was a nightly talk and interview show about entertainment. It was broadcast from KBIG in Los Angeles. The show focused on top entertainment stories and featured celebrity guests.
Billy Bush has co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant four times. He hosted in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009. He also co-hosted the Miss USA pageant four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009. In 2008, he co-hosted the press conference for the 65th Golden Globe Awards when the main ceremony was cancelled.
In July 2005, Esquire magazine named him one of their "10 Men". The magazine praised him as a "furious, inventive interviewer."
From 2010 to 2016, Bush co-hosted Access Hollywood Live. This was a daily entertainment talk show. He hosted it with Kit Hoover. They covered many popular topics and interviewed celebrities live. They even traveled to the UK to cover Prince William's wedding.
Bush also had some acting roles. 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 has also appeared on TV shows like 30 Rock and Donny!.
Time at 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. His time at Today ended after a controversy.
Hosting Extra
On May 8, 2019, it was announced that Billy Bush would host Extra. He replaced Mario Lopez when the show started its 26th season in September 2019. This happened after Lopez left Extra to host Access Hollywood, a show Bush had hosted before.
New Podcast: Hot Mics
In early 2025, Billy Bush announced a new podcast called Hot Mics with Billy Bush. It will stream twice a week on TuneIn. Bush explained that a "hot mic" incident led to his past silencing. Now, "hot mics" are how he finds his true voice. His first guest was Megyn Kelly.
Other Appearances
In 2024, Billy Bush appeared on The Masked Singer. He was a wild card contestant named "Sir Lion" in season 11. 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 in July 2018.
Through his mother's side of the family, Billy Bush is a descendant of Louis DuBois. DuBois was a Huguenot who escaped religious persecution in France. He settled in what was then the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam. He helped establish the town of New Paltz, New York. Bush is also related to the Hasbrouck family. This makes him a distant cousin of Nobel Physics Prize winner John Hasbrouck Van Vleck.
