It seems years since the so-called Pussygate scandal, when a hot mic captured Donald Trump and then-Access Hollywood reporter Billy Bush giggling about sexual assault. Bush lost his job on NBC’s Today because of that tape, and we thought that Trump’s brag about grabbing women’s genitals might cost him the presidency. Ah, how naive we were. Trump is now president-elect, and Bush is being courted by Breitbart News.
Page Six reports that the right-wing news source, helmed by Trump’s chief advisor, Steve Bannon, envisions Bush as their Hollywood reporter. As of now, however, Breitbart lacks a television network, existing only in blog form.
“Billy’s ego is big,” an anonymous media insider said. “He likes to be a TV star, and would want to go to [an NBC] rival like ABC or CBS.”
Bush’s settlement does not preclude him for working for a competing network, but they also don’t seem to be knocking on his door. Trump’s win could endear Bush to the conservative crowd that frequents Breitbart, if he accepts the job. He is currently licking his wounds with a $10 million severance package — but with no gigs on the horizon, being choosy might be a luxury he cannot afford.
For the record, Bush has not revealed whether he voted for Trump in last week’s presidential election. It’s thus unclear as to whether Bush’s own politics would influence this decision (though, admittedly, I’m dubious as to his scruples).