Billy Bush is setting the record straight once and for all: President Trump did say “grab ‘em by the p*ssy” in the Access Hollywood Trump tape.
On Sunday, the former Access Hollywood host published an op-ed story for the New York Times saying Trump made the lewd comments the leaked Access Hollywood footage from 2005.
“He said it,” Bush wrote in his op-ed piece. “‘Grab ’em by the p*ssy.’ Of course he said it.”
In 2005, Trump was the host of NBC’s The Apprentice and it was Billy Bush’s first full year as a co-host on Access Hollywood. In the op-ed piece, Bush says he laughed along with Trump’s comments because, at the time, his work as a co-host Access Hollywood was more about establishing strong relationships with high-profile celebrities and Donald Trump was one of the biggest names on NBC.
“None of us were guilty of knowingly enabling our future president,” Bush wrote. “But all of us were guilty of sacrificing a bit of ourselves in the name of success.”
The president apologized for what he said in the Access Hollywood footage, but he has recently questioned the tape’s authenticity by saying the voice on the tape is not his.
“President Trump is currently indulging in some revisionist history, reportedly telling allies, including at least one United States senator, that the voice on the tape is not his. This has hit a raw nerve in me,” Bush wrote.
Credit: Screenshot, YouTube
Bush adds that he revisited an article from October 2016 about 20 women who all came forward to accuse Trump of sexual harassment and misconduct. These women have all accused Trump of inappropriate behavior including unwanted kissing and groping without their permission.
In the op-ed Bush says he believes the women who have accused Trump in the past of sexual misconduct and expressed empathy toward the victims.
“To these women: I will never know the fear you felt or the frustration of being summarily dismissed and called a liar, but I do know a lot about the anguish of being inexorably linked to Donald Trump,” Bush wrote. “You have my respect and admiration. You are culture warriors at the forefront of necessary change.”
In October 2016, Bush was fired from NBC and was given a nearly $40 million severance package. During an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May, Bush broke his silence about the Access Hollywood tape, saying he did a lot of soul-searching.
On Monday, Billy Bush will make his first late-night TV appearance since he was fired over the Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape. The former host will visit The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and we’re sure there will be plenty to discuss.
