Who Is Billy Bush’s Daughter, Mary? Where Host Is Now After Infamous Leaked Trump Tapes

Former “Today” host Billy Bush devastated his daughter, Mary, in October when she heard the 2005 leaked conversation her father had with now-President Donald Trump. The New York businessman talked about women in a crude manner, and it brought Bush’s daughter to tears.

Trump infamously said: “And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” Bush was fired from “Today” several days after the tape went public. Trump was elected president the next month.

READ: ‘Today’ Co-Host Matt Lauer Speaks On Billy Bush Exit

For the first time since the incident leaked, Bush opened up about how the leaked tapes affected his family.

“She was really upset, and I said, ‘Mary, it’s, it’s, going to be OK. You know, don’t worry,’ ” Bush recalled during an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, which was published Monday. “And she said, ‘No. Why were you laughing at the things that he was saying on that bus? Why were you playing along with it, Dad? It wasn’t funny.’”

“I said, ‘Mary, I am sorry. And there is no good answer for that,’” Bush said. “That was Dad in a bad moment a long time ago. You know me. I am really sorry that you had to hear and see that. I love you.”

Mary is the middle child. Bush is also the father to Lillie, 12, and Josie, 18. They didn’t have the same respond as Mary. The “little one” did watch or listen to the tapes and the eldest was ready to defend her father. “She was like, ‘All right, who do I need to take out?’” Bush recalled.

Months later, Bush, 45, doesn’t know who was behind the tape’s leak. Seeing it more than a decade later left him “totally and completely gutted.” He wished he had the opportunity to address the audience of “Today” about the tape’s contents before he was fired. Bush was filled with regret. “Looking back upon what was said on that bus, I wish I had changed the topic,” he said. “[Trump] liked TV and competition. I could’ve said, ‘Can you believe the ratings on whatever?’ But I didn’t have the strength of character to do it.”

Since the tape was leaked, Bush said his life was like a “rollercoaster,” adding: “If you start from the day everything happened, Friday, Oct. 7, it was just instant shock. Things were happening way too fast, and a media circus developed. I've never been the type that the paparazzi would be interested in. So that early part was just chaos. But then things progressed, and when you have a big, traumatic event, you go through stages, and it led to acceptance and understanding. And then I found myself in a place of soul searching. And I developed a commitment to become a better, fuller man.”

READ: Where Is Billy Bush Now? Why NBC Host's Career Could Be Over

If Bush had the opportunity to apologize, he would have expressed his guilt to the “Today” audience. He shared his apology with THR:

“I am deeply embarrassed,” he would have said. “I sit before you every morning, and I have on a different show [Access Hollywood Live] many mornings, and I hope you know the person you're looking at and have developed an opinion about is [the real me]. You aren't wrong about that. I am ashamed. Going forward, you can be sure that I will not participate in anything like that. And I will keep my eyes out and do what I can to stop it from happening.”

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