Emmys 2019: Billy Bush Makes First Red Carpet Appearance Since 2016 Trump Scandal

Billy Bush made his return to the red carpet for the first time since The Today Show fired him for his role in President Donald Trump‘s 2016 Access Hollywood tape scandal. Bush recently returned to television as a host on Extra and was stationed outside Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater to interview stars before the show. Several celebrities still stopped to talk to him, despite the scandal.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s Chris Gardner reported on Twitter that Bush was creating a “big buzz” for his return among his colleagues. Extra also tweeted several photos showing Bush interviewing Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Kelly, Patricia Arquette, James Van Der Beek, Taraji P. Henson, Laverne Cox, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia.

In October 2016, a 2005 tape of Bush and Trump leaked, in which Trump said he could grab women “by the p—y” because he is a celebrity. While Bush was fired from the Today Show a few days after the tape surfaced, Trump later became president.

In the three years since then, Bush made a few attempts at a comeback, but none stuck until this year, when he was hired by Extra. Before his first episode debuted, he told The Daily Beast he felt suicidal.

“Suicidal thoughts pop into your head,” Bush admitted. “I’d never seriously do it — because I have children that matter. But when you’re really low — and this is important to include — you’re emoting at the most extreme.”

Bush said he began drinking and felt “lost and abandoned” by his industry.

During another interview on The BUILD Series, Bush said he would no longer answer questions about the scandal once he started working at Extra.

“Let me be totally straight. This week, have at it. Any question you want. As soon as I go on the air next Monday night, never again. That’s it,” Bush said. “I’m just going to politely say, ‘If that’s on your agenda, I’m not going to participate if it’s okay.’ But this week, of course.”

Bush added that his experience was not completely unique, just the details behind it.

“Everybody is going to go through something. The details of what I went through are very particular. They’re unique. It’s a unicorn. There’s nothing like it before. There won’t be anything like it again. It’s just one of those things,” Bush said.

He continued, “But someone’s gonna go through something. Someone sitting here in this front row, I don’t know. It’s a natural disaster, home, whatever relative, something. So, you know, you just talk about it.”

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