Billy Bush, the former NBC "Today" show anchor who lost his position in 2016 following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape featuring Donald Trump, has secured a role as a Fox News contributor. The move marks a significant career rehabilitation for Bush a decade after the scandal derailed his network television prominence.
Bush served as an anchor on NBC's "Today" show when the tape emerged in October 2016, roughly a month before the presidential election. The recording captured Trump making crude comments about women during a 2005 conversation with Bush. While Trump remained on the ballot and won the presidency, Bush's career trajectory shifted immediately. NBC terminated his role, citing the network's standards and practices. Bush's exit from mainstream television represented one of the most visible professional casualties of the early #MeToo era, when high-profile men faced swift consequences for past behavior captured on tape or reported by accusers.
The intervening decade saw Bush work primarily in satellite radio at SiriusXM, where he hosted a morning show. That platform allowed him to maintain a media presence without the same visibility or scrutiny that major broadcast networks commanded. His sirius role kept him employed but relegated him to a secondary tier of the media landscape compared to his previous perch at NBC, one of the "Big Three" networks alongside CBS and ABC.
Fox News, the cable news powerhouse owned by parent company Fox Corporation, regularly brings on external contributors to provide commentary and reporting on stories. Contributor roles offer less editorial control and responsibility than anchor or permanent host positions. They allow networks to tap talent for specific segments while maintaining distance from permanent staff arrangements.
The timing of Bush's move to Fox arrives during a period of significant flux in television news. Traditional broadcast networks face declining viewership as cord-cutting accelerates. Cable news outlets like Fox News continue to command larger audiences than broadcast competitors, though they too face audience aging and competition from digital-native news platforms. Networks frequently reshape contributor and talent rosters to maintain audience engagement and respond to viewership trends.
Bush's rehabilitation reflects broader patterns in media and politics. Public figures removed from high-profile roles for past behavior sometimes find pathways back into industry work through platforms with different ownership or editorial structures. His return to television follows other instances of former media figures attempting comebacks on cable or digital platforms after scandals or network departures.
The move also underscores Fox News' positioning within the media ecosystem. The network frequently courts personalities and commentators who have strained relationships with mainstream broadcast outlets. Fox positions itself as an alternative to network television news, and hiring contributors like Bush reinforces that brand positioning to its core audience.
Bush's career transition from "Today" show anchor to satellite radio host to Fox News contributor represents a downward trajectory in terms of audience reach and platform prestige. Yet it demonstrates that network television positions, once lost, prove difficult to reclaim. Cable news contributor roles offer reentry for dismissed talent seeking to maintain media careers.