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Billy Bush will receive millions in NBC settlement

BILLY Bush might’ve been abruptly booted from Today but that doesn’t mean his bank account is going to suffer.

Bush might’ve been fired from the <i>Today show </i>but he’ll be leaving with a reported US $10 million.
Bush might’ve been fired from the Today show but he’ll be leaving with a reported US $10 million.

EMBATTLED Today anchor Billy Bush is likely to get a US $10 million lump settlement from NBC after his abrupt ouster following the vulgar revelations on the Donald Trump tape.

Bush and his legal team have been battling with NBC News chiefs to iron out a settlement — which, sources exclusively tell Page Six, will involve a large lump payment said to be the full value of his three-year contract, valued at around US $10 million.

Bush’s lawyer Marshall Grossman told Page Six on Friday, “Negotiations between Billy and NBC are progressing, and will continue to progress, and hopefully we will reach a conclusion in the near future. We were preparing for battle, but today we are preparing for settlement.”

High-powered Hollywood lawyer Grossman declined to discuss what they were hoping for in the settlement, or the exact timing of the deal.

Bush was booted from Today where he was a co-anchor of the 9 a.m. hour, following the leak of the tape to the Washington Post, where presidential candidate Trump can be heard saying the eternally awful line about how he likes to sexually assault women: “Grab ’em by the p — y”.

A screenshot from the leaked video that put Trump and Bush into some incredibly hot water.
A screenshot from the leaked video that put Trump and Bush into some incredibly hot water.

It is not believed Bush is going to be offered the courtesy of a “soft landing” of a face-saving job at NBC, which was extended to Brian Williams, who ended up at MSNBC as a breaking-news anchor after he was fired from Nightly News over his “misremembered” tall tales.

The New York Post was told NBC News chief Andy Lack has already ordered Bush’s office be cleared and all traces of him removed from their Rockefeller Center offices. A Today rep declined to comment.

Sources close to Bush feel he has been poorly treated by NBC News, which — after release of the tape by Access Hollywood was delayed — leaked the tape to the Washington Post.

Then, after saying Bush’s job was initially safe a week ago, NBC execs acted with apparent horror at the tape’s contents and the subsequent public backlash. One source said, “Billy feels he’s the political roadkill in NBC’s desire to take down Trump.”

But, since he started on Today in August, $10 million for a month’s work isn’t bad.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished here with permission.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/billy-bush-will-receive-millions-in-nbc-settlement/news-story/daf508aa42ffb06fe8f71eea602ec469