--- title: Billy Bush Speaks Out After 'Access Hollywood' Tape description: In his first interview since the Access Hollywood tape was leaked, Billy Bush described the "roller coaster" the past seven months have been canonical: https://time.com/4788179/billy-bush-interview-access-hollywood-tape/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-22T15:43:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:05:39.416Z og:title: Billy Bush Says That 'Access Hollywood' Trump Tape Is Not Locker-Room Banter og:description: 'I am an athlete, and no, that is not the type of conversation that goes on' og:url: https://time.com/4788179/billy-bush-interview-access-hollywood-tape/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1bcf094f1ebfb494/6988ce408fd2ee41f1357276/gettyimages-621189068.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1920 og:image:height: 1080 og:image:alt: billy-bush-interview og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Billy Bush Says That 'Access Hollywood' Trump Tape Is Not Locker-Room Banter twitter:description: 'I am an athlete, and no, that is not the type of conversation that goes on' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1bcf094f1ebfb494/6988ce408fd2ee41f1357276/gettyimages-621189068.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Billy Bush Says That _Access Hollywood_ Trump Tape Is Not Locker-Room Banter > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 22, 2017 3:43 PM UTC  In this 2005 frame from video, Donald Trump (center) prepares for an appearance on 'Days of Our Lives' with actress Arianne Zucker (right). He is accompanied to the set by Access Hollywood host Billy Bush (left). In this 2005 frame from video, Donald Trump (center) prepares for an appearance on 'Days of Our Lives' with actress Arianne Zucker (right). He is accompanied to the set by Access Hollywood host Billy Bush (left).Photograph obtained by The Washington Post— Getty by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 22, 2017 3:43 PM UTC [Billy Bush](http://time.com/4545973/will-ferrell-george-w-bush-impression-billy-bush/) described the “roller coaster” since the now infamous _Access Hollywood_ tape with [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/4783890/donald-trump-israel-visit-middle-east-jerusalem/) was leaked in his first interview since the video came out seven months ago. Speaking to [_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/billy-bush-breaks-his-silence-trump-access-hollywood-tape-nbc-a-comeback-plan-1005744), Bush commented on Trump’s defending of his comments by saying it was [“locker room talk.”](http://time.com/4530118/donald-trump-locker-room-talk-college/) “I’m in a lot of locker rooms, I am an athlete, and no, that is not the type of conversation that goes on or that I’ve participated in,” Bush said. Bush said of getting fired from the _Today_ Show while Trump became President that the “irony is glaring,” though Bush said he’s tried to learn from the experience. “I’ve come out of this with a deeper understanding of how women can connect to the feeling of having to fight extra hard for an even playing field,” he said. Bush also said the leaked tape affected his relationships with his three daughters. He said one of his daughters called him crying from boarding school asking why he laughed along with what Trump said. Bush said that if a similar conversation came up now that he would change the subject. He said learning he would not return to the _Today_ Show “hurt a lot.” “I put together an apology right away, the one you saw,” Bush said.”I told people that I was ashamed and embarrassed. 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