Billy Bush Explains Why He Let Trump’s ’Grab ‘Em by the P*ssy’ Comment Slide

Here's why Billy Bush didn't stop Trump's infamous words on women.

March 17, 2018

Donald Trump shocked many when he boasted that he can grab women "by the pussy" in a 2005 recording with former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. Now, Bush is explaining why he didn't stop Trump in his tracks after the remarks.

“I was the entertainment correspondent for NBC, he was the cash cow," explained Bush on Real Time with Bill Maher around the 00:57 mark. "He was pulling 20 million viewers a week or something."

Bush, who said he "sort of" had to kiss Trump's ass, shared that it would have been difficult to cut Trump off as well.

"You can interrupt him and then you know how volatile he is, right? So he’d be like, 'I hate Billy Bush,' he’s done, moving on, Entertainment Tonight only. Forget Billy Bush. And then I have to explain why I lost Trump, the big fish," Bush said.

Trump denied that he said the lewd comments while Bush later confirmed that it was true. "Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from America's highest-rated bloviator," read Bush's op-ed on the New York Times last year. "Along with Donald Trump and me, there were seven other guys present on the bus at the time, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this was real. We now know better."

Now, Bush, who was fired from the Today show after the comments resurfaced, says if he was caught in the same situation, he would probably just "change the topic."