Billy Bush Recalls Bumping Heads With Matt Lauer After “Today” Show Firing

Throughout his career, entertainment personality Billy Bush has been a staple on shows like “Access Hollywood,” “Extra,” and “Today.” But his tenure at the latter came to an end in 2016, after an audio clip of his lewd conversation with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump broke the internet.

During his time on the “Literally! With Rob Lowe” podcast, Billy Bush recalled being let go from the longstanding morning talk show and explained how he bumped heads with former head honcho Matt Lauer on the way out.

“He’s like, ‘I just can’t get past the irony that this happened,’” Bush told Lowe on the July 9, 2025, episode. “And he and I had a very stern conversation. I laid into him because I said to myself, ‘If I speak to him again I’m gonna lay into him.’ And I did.”

According to Bush, he felt Lauer should’ve done more to stand up for him when he was fired from “Today.”

“I said, ‘I was at ‘Access Hollywood’ for 15 years. I was the Big Cheese there like you’re the Big Cheese at the ‘Today’ show,’” he said. “‘Now I know we’re dealing between a Cadillac and a jalopy, but nonetheless, I was the main man there. And if a young guy who had joined us was a good guy and you know he’s a good guy and he’s helpful to the show and he’s good on the air and he’s got everything that’s good for the team, you could have stood up for me.’”

Later, during his conversation with Lowe, Bush implied that another reason he was bothered by Lauer was that he felt the Ohio University alum was jealous of him when he was employed by “Today.”

“Have them suspend me, have them do whatever, but the blowing out of me and taking my entire livelihood and career and making me unemployable and just wiping me out for something that’s 11 years old, you should have stood up and you didn’t,” Bush said he told Lauer, who was fired from “Today” in 2017. “And you didn’t because you’re small. You didn’t want me around. I just f-cking laid right into the guy and he said, ‘No, no, no, I defended you in private.’ I’m like, ‘No, you didn’t, get the h-ll out of here.’”

Lauer joined the “Today” news team in 1994 before being promoted to co-anchor in 1997.

He remained with the company until 2017, when he was fired after a female colleague made a detailed complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, per NBC News.

Lauer was later accused of similar behavior by additional female colleagues, prompting NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack to describe Lauer’s alleged actions as a “clear violation of our company’s standards.”

“Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender,” Lack said.

Lauer isn’t the only celebrity Bush has clashed with professionally.

During his same conversation with Lowe, the “Extra” host also revealed he once offended singer Ricky Martin after asking the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” performer whether he was gay.

“He stiffens up in the chair and he goes, ‘What?’ And I go, ‘Oh boy,’” Bush said, according to a report from The Blast. “And he goes, ‘You motherf-cker,’ rips off his microphone.”

Bush explained that after his question, Martin walked away from the set, calling him a “piece of garbage.”