January 17, 2022 • 41 mins
Olivia is having a heart to heart with Billy for a little advice and guidance and even a few laughs. Billy Bush is a family friend and close pal of Olivia’s Dad so he is the guy to tell it like it is! No sugarcoating here.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Conversationous with Olivia Jade and my Heart Radio podcast.
Hi everybody, welcome back to another episode of Conversations with
Me your host Silvia Jade. We all know this already.
I am honestly, so so so excited about today's episode
(00:22):
because I'm bringing on a dear friend, somebody I know
personally and somebody that you guys probably have seen through
the media and just being around and being a host
for so many years. And you probably already know from
the title, But today we have Billie Bush coming on
the podcast, and I am just thrilled. I want to get,
honestly some advice from him, because he's been in the
(00:45):
industry for so long and I think that he has
so many wise and just key points to make it
and so you don't drown in this whole thing. But
I also want to talk to him about things that
he's been through and things that I can relate to.
And um, yeah, with all that being said, please welcome
Mr Billy. What's up? What's up? Billy Fish? How are
(01:08):
you very well? Very two? I'm nine pounds down in
eleven days. Are you serious? Yeah? How what if you
did you cut our alcohol? No? I cut off a
Leg'll do it. That's a heavy leg. No, I'm going
booze list. You know what your father Gosh, if he
can go booze list for like a month at a
(01:29):
time and he's going longer, U, then I can go like,
you know, two weeks. Although I'm making the move from
dry January, I think to damp January. I'm hearing this
term out there and I like it. What is that
where you just dabble a little bit but not full
send weekends only weekends only. I should join you in
that endeavor, even though I'm not nearly as crazy as
(01:51):
you and my dad. But no, you're you're you're young.
I would go hard in the paint if I thank
you for the advice. Well, welcome on the podcast us.
Thank you so much. I am really excited because I
feel like I've been talking to you about this for
quite some time and I think, well, good for you
do it. Thanks, thank you so much. Um. You can
(02:12):
also jump in and carry as much as this of
this conversation as you want, because you are the pro
at everything that has to do with this. But for
those that don't know you, do you want to just
give a little intro as to who you are. I'm
Billy Bush and I've been doing this far too long,
the host of Extra before that, Access Hollywood very briefly
the Today Show two months, um, but father of three
(02:35):
girls and uh friend of your father and your mother
and uh golfer, patriot advocate, uh philanthropist, bicyclist, whatever that
sums it up. That's perfect. Well, Honestly, I think something
that I kind of want to start out with is
I don't even really know this. I don't think I've
(02:56):
really ever had an end depth conversation with you. But
obviously people know your last name and it's very connected
to politics, and I'm curious how you went the route
of journalism. Well, no one would ever vote for me, um,
so I thought would would would they? Possibly? You know?
Um watch Me TV? I found later I was in
um in college and I found the college radio station
(03:21):
and started having a lot of fun on that, you know,
just calling buddies and putting them on the air and
and playing some music. And I really fell in love
with the radio. And after I graduated college, I spent
seven years in radio before touching local television, which of
course then led to everything else. But radio was my
first love, which we're kind of doing right now. Yeah,
(03:42):
it kind of feels like that. Yeah. I started in
radio in Lake Winnipesake, New Hampshire, up in I mean,
very very small town, three thousand watt station, an unrated market.
It was so small the the Arbitron Ratings Care didn't
even care about it. But I started in sales because
the general manager of the station was like, yeah, you
can be on the air, but we're gonna pay you
five dollars an hour. No kidding, five dollars an hour.
(04:05):
You're not gonna make any money, but you seem to
have a decent personality. Maybe you know you could sell
some advertising. Well, there is no harder job. I'm convincing
the world and selling air to people. I mean it's
not you have to sell them on this idea of
filling sixty seconds of air. It was brutal, doors slammed
in my face everywhere, but I broke through as a
(04:26):
sales guy by figuring out this lesson. Everybody buys differently.
You buy you, you make a different decision when you
buy Olivia that the car dealer makes it different. This guy.
The biggest advertiser was Plymouth Auto Village and Tilton Ford
a duopoly, a huge car dealer duopoly, and they're advertised
(04:49):
on seven out of the eight radio stations in the
Lakes region of New Hampshire. I was the eighth, and
I'm like, what this guy is spending so much money?
How come he's not doing it here. I went to
see the guy lo and behold, he slams the door
in my face four or five times. My boss finally says,
you have to go back one more time and ask
him why he won't buy from you. So I go
(05:11):
and I show up and they said, why won't you
buy from me? I just wanted to know that one
thing before you throw me out again. He said, well,
you know what, if you had a nice set of
legs and a good set of buns, you know, maybe
we'd uh, maybe we'd get somewhere. And I went, oh, okay.
It just so happens that we have an exchange program
(05:32):
with this radio station in Sweden and we have this
new girl working for us named Olga. I could send
her up here on Monday and maybe we get there.
He goes, now we're talking. I said, great, no problem,
thank you for that information. I left. I come back
Monday morning. The mid day woman on the on the
station had lent me her heels. She was a tall woman.
(05:55):
Her heels, her miniskirt, her wig, her lashes, her lipstick,
a pair of socks in the chich rolled up Daisy
Duke style. I pulled in. I had already pre written
the largest contract our station had ever seen. I printed
it out. This was like more money than we make
in a quarter. I walk in. The little guy sitting
(06:17):
behind his desk. They're busy on the sales room floor.
I walk in. I put my foot up on it.
Everybody in the showroom stops. They're looking going, oh my,
what is this horror? I mean, this is New Hampshire, right,
Northern New Hampshire, all freaking out. The service guys in
the back bays, they come out there in the floor.
Everybody's going crazy. I walk over, put my foot up
(06:38):
on this little man's desk, and I said, Mr Vincent,
my name is Old God from the Oldie's one oh
five radio station. Billy Bush sent me here. He didn't
tell me how cute you are. Look, oh my god.
I put my foot up. He looks at me and
he goes, Jesus, kid, you have some balls. Oh my
(06:58):
gut and I put the contract out in front of him.
I held my composure. They're all cheering, going crazy. He
takes out his pen. He signs the biggest radio contract
our station at ever seen. Bam, it goes through the roof.
I make the sale, I leave, I go in town.
I get a couple of beers with a friend. It's terrific.
(07:20):
And just as I'm leaving, I'm driving out of town
and there's my other client. I managed to get on
Community Bank and Trust a great The president was Ron Sibley.
I'll never forget little Ron. He's sitting in his office.
There's a light on in there. This is She goes, YEA,
how fast word travels in a small town. I decide,
you know what, I've had a little couple of beers.
Let me say goodbye to Ron. Let me say hi.
(07:40):
I knock on the door. Ron Sibley comes and opens
the bank door, and he says hello, Billy. I said, Ron,
I'm sorry to Bobby. I just wanted to stop in
and and say hello. He goes, no problem, I'm just
so sorry you're not wearing a dress. That is honestly
one of the greatest stories I've ever been told I've
(08:01):
been dying to get a chance to tell that story
to someone in some sort of public form. So you're
the You're the You're the one who is this the
first hit on this story? Have you never talked about
that on any of your first hit on this? Absolutely
the first hit on this story. But it does go
to show you, like in life, like everybody buys differently,
(08:21):
there's a way to get almost anything done. You just
got to know who you're dealing with. That is so true,
and the persistence too, is so admirable. The fact that
you walked in with heels and you stop on his
desk is the funniest thing I've ever heard, and it's genius.
Well yeah, I mean, you know, it was such a moment.
(08:42):
He was totally peer pressure, the crowd cheering. He had
to then sign, you know, which was I don't know,
like ten grand a month or something, But in that
kind of in that area, it's unbelievable. I then moved
to a lake house and bought a small boat. Wow. Okay,
So then what happened after that encounter? So and you
got the well, then eventually the I I was accounting
(09:05):
for about fifty percent, if not a little more of
the of the radio station sales, and so they I
became the sales manager. But I'm like, this isn't what
I wanted to do, what I came for. So I
said to the guy who was running the station, Look,
I gotta sell very less. I'll manage my accounts, but
I need to take over one of the full time shifts.
(09:25):
I had the leverage. He gave it to me. Two
months of being on the radio full time and I
packed up my bags and left. And where did you come?
And on the greener Pastors? Yeah, I ended up in
in Rockville, Maryland, which serviced the d C market, on
a classic rock station. So I was getting slightly younger.
I started on an oldies station and then I went
(09:45):
to a classic rock station. A year into that, the
brand new Top forty station picked me up as the
morning drive host at years old. Wow, you know what's
so interesting to me too? I feel like when you
I'm from like some any sort of well, I can
kind of relate to this, but or how I feel
in my life, it's like, since people know that I
(10:06):
come from some sort of family, that's like in the
business or in an industry, I think that there's like
a big misconception that you don't have to work as
hard and honestly, just even from the first story you
just told, like hearing that you went in after time
after time of being declined and then dressing up as
a woman, even though you did grow up around people
that were very influential and you probably did have great
connections and opportunities. But I just think it's it's something
(10:28):
that I feel like most people maybe wouldn't assume, which
I think is really really cool. Yeah, I would say
the you know, in the grand scheme of things, the
the being Ray I certainly raised and privileged, there's no
question about that. But as far as like getting into
Hollywood or this business, I mean, I don't know. Last time,
(10:49):
if you check, it's a it's a pretty liberal town.
A guy named Bush. That's really good to dictate how
far you go? You really got to cut your own swap.
In fact, in my first contract at end be way
back when I first signed with Access Hollywood in two
thousand one, I made it mandatory that they were never
allowed to introduce me or refer to the Bush family
(11:14):
as far as politics, because I really you know you
you you you live by that sword. You die by
that sword. Focus less on the bush, don't ride the bush,
ride the billy, believe in the billy. And so no
one knew for the longest time. I still have people like,
wait a minute, a way you're connected. Well, to be honest,
I didn't even really know that until I was talking
(11:35):
to my mom recently. Well, I tell you what, if
you want to be a long term player and be
serious in the biz and all that, you can't I
don't think it's wise to to ride the easy door
in or the more notable found the gimmick. I mean,
you know, build a career. I've been at I've been
a broadcaster for twenty oh man, I don't know since
(11:58):
four include radio, so almost thirty years. Wow. So then
(12:19):
at what point did you really when it really started
to pick up and you're own access and then um
extra now obviously, but like when you moved to l
A and you start your family, Like, what give us
a little timeline my career. I knew I would make
it in television. Well, I knew i'd make it in
television when I started it Access Hollywood. My boss was
(12:42):
like he was a little frustrated with me. One I
look terrible at like corduroy jackets and my hair was
all over the place. I didn't look like you're slick,
you know, entertainment guy, or I find that hard to believe.
I well, I'm smooth. I wasn't. I was a total ruffian.
I mean right out of you know. Uh, it's certainly
(13:04):
not Central casting, but I covered. My first interview was
with sir Ian mckillan, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Right,
this guy is a great serious Shakespearean actor. And I
interviewed him at Sardi's Restaurant off Broadway, and I prepared
meticulously for the interview, and I did about a forty
five minute sit down interview my best Barbara Walters, and
(13:27):
the boss says, look, he said, Jesus, dude, this is
Access Hollywood. It's not Dateline. I'm looking for a moment,
just a moment. If the drink spills on the table,
it's a moment. If you get you know, if there's
a laugh about something, it's a moment. We're a show
about moments. I said, oh, okay, I got it. And
then the next thing, I started just turning in moments.
(13:51):
And the first one I think was the victorious Secret
fashion show, Heidi Kloone, Gazelle, Bunch, entire of banks, oh gee,
super models, I mean the bosses of bosses, and I went.
They were all doing makeup and they let the press
come in and I brought in three large pizzas from
across the street as a delivery man. The cameras rolling,
(14:12):
and I said, pizza for Clome, Pizza for Clome, and
Heidi is like, what new, and all the girl they don't.
They've been they've been getting ready for this fashion show,
so they've been watching their diets. And the pizzas came
in and everybody devoured him and it was really fun.
That's a clever way. Yeah, So it was just a moment, right,
(14:32):
No one had ever seen that kind of thing, right,
some moments that's like the key kind of thing that
you've taken home. Yeah that makes sense. Okay, I'm like
taking that as a note for myself because I still
feel like I'm new out all of this and this
is one of my I mean, this is really one
of my first I think I've only released like five
or six episodes so far up the podcast. So they
say five is the number for legitimacy, right, you gotta
(14:54):
have five if you want to get to all the
platforms or something like that. Is that a thing? I think? So? Um,
if you say unless you work for a woman named Amy, shoot, um,
well yeah, so I think that's actually some great advice.
And also I was wondering about the I don't know
(15:15):
how much you want to get into certain things, so
I won't. Yeah, because I think I can really relate.
And I've talked to you privately before when I went
through like my family stuff about just honestly just being
in the media something that I can um understand, and
when you do have a setback, like just some advice
not even just for me, but for those that have
(15:36):
had setbacks too in different capacities, like in the darkest times,
how you kind of got through it because I know
you and you're such a lighthearted fun man to be around,
but obviously you went through something. Yeah, oh for sure. Well,
I mean, look, it's like canceled culture is a little
bit like um, it's kind of like you know, my
dad used to say about a motorcycle accident. If you
(15:57):
have a motorcycle, if you haven't been in an accident,
you will be There's two types of motorcycle riders right,
those who have been in the accident, those who will
be in the accident. And at this rate, if you
haven't been canceled, your time is coming because we're we're
we're we're getting into an area that's and I'm the
o G. I guess I'm the o G of canceled culture.
I don't know, but we're getting into an area where
(16:18):
if someone has a thought that is not a good
thought and intrusive thought, they could be fired for it.
You know, the rules are getting all life is gray
area and we live in this black and white prism
that somehow has has ruled our culture. I you know,
(16:42):
Steve Harvey just talked a little bit about it. Um,
I can tell you this. It's when it had it
happened to me. It took me, oh, I think it
took me until recently, probably four years to really you know,
four or five years to really get that's how long
ago was to be through the PTSD, because um, it's
(17:10):
it's brutal. I mean you you you you know you're
I'm providing for my family, I have a livelihood, you know,
I'm and all of a sudden, you're unhirable for three
years in the business that you love. Um, you know
what did you do in that meantime in those three years? Well,
first I drank a lot of alcohol, uh, very hard.
(17:32):
The bottle became my my, my bestie. Then I put
it down and just started figuring. Okay, like behind me,
over my shoulder. I have but you know, thirty books
or something. I've read every one of them. The role
in the self help area. Uh. I went to a
retreat for ten days in northern California, no phones, no electronics,
(17:54):
just about trying to get the first foot forward again,
get walking again. Went to Tony Robbins. I mean, I
did everything I possibly could. In the end, it just
it takes time. And what you really want to do
is own your own stuff. The best thing for me,
I finally realize, is to own my faults, own my role,
(18:18):
own accountability for me and let everyone else who whatever
they did, let them do that for themselves or if
they're not going to fine, I can only be responsible
for myself. And frankly, in the end, I'll tell you
what it gave me. It gave me a tremendous blessing,
and that is and you can relate to this. There
(18:39):
is a lot of value in knowing what it feels
like to be down, makes you approach other people a
different way, makes you think twice before you cast judgment
on someone, makes you kind of have a have a
more open heart to other people because everybody's going through something.
We also, Yeah, and I think also it's really interesting
about just cancel culture in general. I mean, right now
(19:01):
it's at new heights because although like four or five years,
as you were saying, it was obviously still around your
the o G. But now it's just like you could
just post the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, and
instantly with social media and the bandwagon effect, I feel
like it's just almost too easy. But I also think
that it's interesting because it doesn't make a lot of
(19:22):
sense to me. Um, I think that I think that
it's just I mean, my perfect example would be you,
obviously we're in a situation that was a mistake on
I'm sure a lot of people's parts and whatever. It
was not going to speak on that, but you know,
like you lost your job and then somebody also became
the president who's who also was in the car and
(19:44):
said certain things. Um, and I just find it really
interesting though, like what I just always think about, like
what is the what's the decipher like of who gets
canceled and then somebody becomes the president. It's like mind
blowing to me. No one can understand the l rhythm
of crime and punishment. Does the punishment fit the crime?
There is ano some people can do amazing things, like
(20:08):
there are certain late night hosts. We don't have to
go back and cancel them retroactively because I don't know,
maybe they're on the right side of the prevailing media narrative, right,
so they're considered protected. Uh maybe there. You know, it
depends on where you fall on the pendulum, and there's
always usually someone to gain when someone's down. I am
(20:35):
very good now at seeing all the pieces of the puzzle.
It's never just oh, that was someone's If someone's going down,
someone's going up. There there's a sesaw effect, you know.
I'm working on a new show coming up, a project
that I have which will be able to lift that
curtain and show the little man pulling the strings there,
the little Wizard of Oz in the background of who's
(20:57):
all the imaginations of what's going on where and who's
doing what? You know, so people can see now that
I've survived, there's so much ample material for me to
analyze um. And in the end, you know, in my life,
people have I think there are very few people left
to say, let's punish Billy Bush, I think right. So
(21:19):
now I'd like to do what I can to embrace
the gray area again and open people's hearts. And first
question you gotta ask, Olivia, is does anyone here when
something happens to someone? So wait a minute before we judge,
does anyone here have the wiring inside them to maybe
have done something similar at some point on a bad day?
(21:40):
Do you have it in you? If you don't, go ahead,
judge away. Yeah, it's so true. It's so true because
it's we live in a society though, where you know,
if everybody's worse moments were caught on camera. I was
actually talking to a friend about this recently. This is
a really this is not a serious idea, but we
were talking about there should be a day, I swear
(22:01):
and like some somewhere in the near future, because it
needs to happen where everybody, whatever video they have, whatever evidence,
are proof of their worst moment or the worst thing
they've said, or something that's a mistake that you wouldn't
want public just one day, national like annual time, whatever
it is. Everybody just throws it up at the same time.
So it's everybody's worst mistake out there. And then it's like,
(22:23):
how can you even judge anybody that's so brilliant. I
call that the buyback program. They do it with guns
right in major cities. They'll say, okay, it's the buyback brogram.
If you have a weapon, bring it forward on this day,
and there will be no prosecution for you or anything.
Even the legal weapon of some kind come in, turn
it in. Everybody take their worst moment, offer it up.
It would be such a therapeutic session. It wouldn't once
(22:46):
did a terrible thing. I know, next you go around,
you know, yeah, exactly, That's what we were talking about.
It was just like it would just I think it
would eliminate so much judgment because then you you'd finally
look in the mirror and be like, oh wait, I
actually I've messed up a lot of times too, And
I wouldn't want that for everybody to judge and see
and read every day for years. Like there's you mentioned
(23:06):
a very interesting thing here, because there is a got
you element. If people feel like they got you, then
it can be very shameful and very punishing. But if
you come forward on your own, it's a different story.
Like Dave Letterman had some indiscretions with people on his
staff and it was a big story. But at the
time he was being extorted by a man and he
(23:27):
came forward and said, I will not be extorted. This
is a terrible thing. Yes, I've had some indiscretions and
I haven't conducted myself perfectly, but I will not I
will not be extorted by this man. And he came forward.
People were like, good for you. Nothing happened. He came
forward first. He beat them to the punch. You are
in trouble and you know it's about to happen. Come
(23:48):
from Twitter fast, yea, the one that brought it out.
Take it from us. Um, when did you realize you
could come back and like after you did a lot
of like self work and you took time. At what
point were you like, Okay, I'm ready to like jump
back into my job and do what I love again.
I just did serve my time and over, you know,
(24:10):
depending on how you feel. I mean, uh, extra was
um they needed a captain, you know, the host for
the for the show, and I don't think anyone would
ever say that I wasn't good at my job. So
they were like, yeah, I think this makes sense and
let's grab him and if he wants to go. And
so I met with the actually Lisa g the producer,
(24:33):
slid into my d M s can we have lunch?
And there we decided let's do a different type of show,
let's change the format a little bit, and sure, let's
get Rocket and so um, you know, back we went.
(24:59):
And Ashley from the Almost Famous podcast, it's that time
of year where drama fills the air. The Bachelor is
back with an all new season premiering January three. There's
a new host, Jesse Palmer, and a brand new Bachelor, Clayton.
Clayton is a Midwest boy that has that great smile,
nice teeth, and he's really tall. Ash let's call it
(25:21):
what it is. He's a beefcake. Okay, Well, Clayton seems
to be a good guy though, and he can't wait
to find love, get married, and have kids. And he
believes more than anything that his future wife is on
this show. It sounds like a fairy tale, but also
a bit of an emotional world coaster because Clayton tells
(25:42):
three different women he's falling in love with him. Technically
he told one, I couldn't be more sure that I'm
falling in love with you, and another one, I'm falling
in love with you, and the third one, I am
in love with you. You don't miss a thing. It's
your years of over analyzing everything that guys say. But
(26:03):
his heart is in the right place. But other parts
of him as we find out what he admits to
two different women that he was intimate with both of them. Yeah,
I don't think it's gonna go over Well, we'll be
breaking down it all on the Famous podcast Ben is
Married Now Well Ashley's a mom will change our opinions
(26:24):
of what we think is acceptable single behavior. Good question.
Listen to Almost Famous on the I Heart Radio app
on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Who's
the who's your most favorite favorite guest? Or like memorable
moment you've had on any any show you've ever hosted?
(26:46):
Is there one? Oh my gosh? Well, I used to
do Access Hollywood Live, which was a little, you know,
the live daytime version hour long of Access Hollywood back
in the day. I loved doing that more than anything
was stuff. We had John Corbett um Aiden, you know,
for whatever, from from Sex in the City of the Actor.
He would come. He stripped down one time when he
(27:08):
got the music was going and he stripped down to
his maroons Skivvy's. That was a big laugh. Uh. We
did more fund spontaneous things. I once interviewed Mike Tyson.
I said, Mike, and I had nowhere to go, like
we were out of the interview, but I had a
little more time, and I said, so, I just say, said, Mike,
(27:28):
A lot of people have told me you have a
beautiful singing voice. How is it that I have never
heard this. I have no idea if Mike Tyson can sing,
I'm assuming probably not that well. And all of a sudden,
all of a sudden, he's like, he goes, what I
go work with me, Mike. I've been told by multiple
reliable sources that you have a fantastic singing voice. And
(27:50):
I'm like, oh god, I'm going down. I'm sinking. The
moment is not happening. He looks at me like I've
got seven heads. And then finally he goes, who the
dogs out. How do you like live? Did you feel
the pressure when you had to interview people lives so
much more than obviously like a prerecorded So funny, I
(28:12):
used to always say on our live show back in
the day, and so, you know what, I don't know
if it's today or tomorrow or a few months from now,
but at some point I'm gonna say something that's likely
going to get me fired, and I'm just you know,
getting ready for it. Ended up being something from eleven
years earlier that was in a tape vault. But you know,
because I saw the direction we were going, you know,
(28:35):
and the and I always felt me on live TV
is a terrible miss. It's it's a risky endeavor, but
it can be fun the time. It's really fun. Maybe
there's nothing better than than than you know, walking that
tight rope every day. It can be terrified. I would
there was just say and we're clear. When the show
was over and we're clear, and I would just go,
(28:56):
are you sure, okay? Good? Positive? I made another day. Yeah,
That's how I felt when I was on Dancing with
the Stars. With the live shows, obviously I didn't have
to speak, but I was like, after they were like,
and it's over and you're off camera and you run
off stage, You're like, Okay, I didn't fall, I didn't
say anything bad. I didn't mess up like onto the
next week, hope for the best and what excuse me,
(29:17):
but what a hoof for you are? The dancing is unbelievable.
Have you danced since I haven't? I was. I was
on the phone with my the guy that was my
pro val, like two days ago, and I was like yes,
and I was like, please, I really want you to
like introduce me to somebody because he doesn't do private
training obviously, it was just for the show, um. And
(29:38):
he said he would hook me up with a really
great instructor. So that's like upcoming back. I really miss it.
I do. It was such a very very good I
knew you'd take to it well, but not as well,
I mean as well as you did that. That was impressive.
And I know your your parents were both unbelievably you're
dead and tears in his eyes. It was so cute.
(29:59):
That's so sweet. Yeah, I think I got the I
think I got the moves from Moss, although I've only
ever seen those moves come out of my dad when
he's had some tequila. I had to do it sober,
which was way scarier and not and not afraid and
not afraid to do so. I believe I'm playing golf
with him on Saturday. So I'm hoping that that my
dry January will probably turning damp. It's turning damp, and
(30:22):
it's turning damp. Qu He has a tremendous golf His
golf company is through the roof, I mean people sending
contures and yeah, he is doing pretty well. What advice
would you give me? Obviously, you know my parents, you know,
I'm a young twenty two year old woman living in
l A trying to figure out my next move. And
(30:45):
what do you have anything that you could maybe tell
your younger self or something that I could take away? Yeah?
You got I think you got a tremendous life lesson
very early. And you know, there's it comes with many
different you know, um facets to it. I mean one
(31:06):
is things are very unpredictable. Uh you know when when
when there's an error made you own up. Uh you're
you went through a period of feeling down all the
way down, Like am I ever gonna get back? I
I don't know that type of feeling is very causes
a lot of anxiety and stuff, but it really also
makes you a warmer, nicer, kinder, you know, more empathetic person,
(31:32):
and we need more people like that. So I think
going forward, you have at a lesson that you never
saw it coming. It was never on the you know,
it just it occurred, and you now I think, have
the fortification to really dominate in whatever you want. One
you're smart and and you know you've got those things,
(31:54):
but you've got the fortification. I hope you never look back.
I hope you just you know, blast toward knowing well
the worst is behind me. That can be fuel for you. Yeah,
for sure. Did you when you guys went through your
hiccup and obviously you have daughters, what was did they
take away or learn from that situation? Was that like
(32:15):
a really challenging time as a family. Yeah, only because
I was despondent, you know what I mean. I mean
that the they were I had a couple of frank
conversations with my girls. I've you know, I've they know
who I am. You know, they also know that there's
(32:37):
that back then, you know, when twelve years before that,
there was a desperate little guy that wanted to make
it in the business, who was young and and and
naive and and and a suck up and I want
to and was was his lips were numb from kissing
celebrity as I mean, it was like I was. But
of course that's what we want to embrace, right, his evolution.
(32:59):
By the at the time I was fired, I was
a completely different man. I was not a boy I was.
I was a man. I was a man. I controlled
the set um on the Today Show. I'm like, I'm
the guy that people walk in and say, oh, I
grew up watching you with my mom or something, and
then they're sitting with You're a different person in the room, right,
you have a different wait in the room. I couldn't
(33:22):
have been a lighter weight back in the you know,
at that moment. So I think it's you know, I
think it's important that we um that we let people evolve,
we let people screw up, we embrace failure. Again, Oprah said,
it wasn't the little successes that led to the big success,
(33:43):
it was the little failures that informed the big success. Yeah,
that's so true. So what's next. I got a great
project that um that we're that we're working on now.
But um is exciting. I've learned been in the business
too long to mention that at this point, although I
(34:04):
whispered to you later, ah, but you know you don't wanna,
you don't want to jinx yourself. There's that, there's that,
and then there's just um, I've been dry in January.
This is like, this is fantastic. I'm seeing my cheekbones again,
record breaking. You look great. I dropped nine pounds in
(34:28):
eleven days. That's so wild, isn't that incredible? Nine pounds
in eleven days? I'm like that. Also discuss to show
how much I mean sugar and just calories and everything
that's in booze. The fact that you can go sober
for a week, and so here's my mission. Can't go
(34:49):
dry period. I'm that's just that's not in me. So
I like DAMP. I like Damp two thousand, twenty two
weekends only maybe. But the mission is to make Booze special.
Ag end hmm, in what way? Instead of like a
Tuesday cocktail while I'm watching whatever? You know, it's make
(35:10):
it special, like look forward to it. You've you've served
your penance all week and now you've played golf. It's
five o'clock on Friday, ket me a gold martini and
you're shaking the martini and you're pouring it and you
haven't had four cocktails on the golf course, and so
you're tired at that point. You've played golf because it's
a sport and you don't drink during sports, and then
(35:31):
a nice cocktail afterwards you look forward to it. It's
special again, right, that's actually such a great idea. And
I think that this is a wonderful endeavor for you. Yeah,
you get a little blubber off you too, and you know,
you see the cheekbones and yeah, like a blubbery I'm fifty. Okay,
you were never blubbery. I would not use that word
to describe you. But bloated, bloated. Everybody used bloated, your lad.
(35:55):
I'm like so nervous to say anything. I'm like, oh,
is this going to be taking the wrong way? That's
the thing. Wait, you just touched on something so important,
the way our culture is going with the whole cancelation
and all this business and and and penalty and penalty,
you know, death by career, career death for a slip
(36:16):
up or anything like that. Whatever the circumstances are, We're
losing interesting people. We're losing voices that matter. Like, you know,
the the heretics of the of of history are the
ones that informed us and and made us in many
ways who we are. So if we lose those people's
(36:37):
daringness to say interesting thoughts or things that are different
or go out on a limb, I mean we're really
sanitizing too much. I mean, that's what's fascinating about our
discourse are wildly differing opinions. Yeah, it's so true. I
mean I always say that I'm like, I don't want
to speak on And I even had my sister on
one of the episodes, and Bella is very uh. I
(36:59):
think she's just like a direct a little bit more sarcastic,
and she really doesn't care about I think she cares,
but just not to the same degree about being canceled
and stuff Like she just is like, well, O, your
say what you gotta say, Like this is your life.
If people they don't have to watch, I don't have
to listen. Like, she's just a little bit more free
and open with her thoughts and I second guess everything
(37:21):
that comes out of my mouth because I think I
have trauma from everything that happened with my family, where
I'm like, I don't ever want to wake up and
see a text from my agent of an article link again,
Like I don't ever want to see you, Like I'm
so freaked out to mess up again that I almost
rather just like sit in silence, just be like, let
(37:42):
somebody else do talking. Yeah, yeah, I like, you're afraid
to like a bar stool sports Instagram because it's a
little you know, maybe not so, you know, it's a
little off color or something, and if you like it,
people like, oh you like that? You're oh god, what
b But that's you know, we have bloggers out there.
(38:03):
It's it's called the link economy. We have bloggers out there,
and they get paid upon not they don't. They don't
get a pulletzer. You get paid on page views. So
whatever can be mind, This conversation right now between you
and I will be mind, and something will be put out.
You know, someone probably find something and say, oh, back
(38:25):
up the ambulance, you know too, canceled, people crying. Whatever
they'll say, who knows cares. But right now where I am,
what I will likely do is either pound them back
or or call them on the phone, or I don't know,
something like that. Enough enough, no more here, But that's
I won't be doing that out. He's sitting in my
(38:46):
room like, no, no, you'll be underneath soon, you'll be
underneath the bed exactly. But I'll let you do the
calling for sure. I love it. I love nothing I
love more than calling a writer or a newspaper or
you know, some outlet and saying, let me ask you
a question. Are you an idiot? What do you? What
is the wrong? They call them right to their face.
It's as I can't stand dishonestly and I can't stand
(39:10):
lazy work. I've never tried that. Never. Yeah, I think
i'm a little young still. I think I gotta be
uh that whole respect your elders thing. I gotta gotta
have a few fs left, but not not a ton,
I think. Also, I get I just want to see.
This is exactly what you're going to see, a perfect
(39:31):
example of what I've been saying. How I'm scared to
say anything because I was going to go on to
say I don't want people to take what I'm saying
the wrong way. Obviously I'm in a huge position of privilege.
Everybody knows that you're a very you can you come
from a privileged family as well, and you're in a
position of privilege. And so I don't want this to
be taken as me like I was canceled and I'm
complaining about it and it's not fair, and it's like,
(39:53):
I just hope people see that there is you know,
you own your I own my mistake and then I
got to move forward at some point to be able
to talk about your experiences right. Well, also, but if
if you know, if nobody has an opinion about you,
and opinions go both ways, maybe it's not working. I mean,
(40:14):
you know, I've never had every as much as you.
You know, you like me. I'm a friend of your parents.
We have a lovely but not everyone does, right, you
know what I mean. That's got plenty of detractors, and
I appreciate them. Fine, that's life for you. I can't
please everyone's life for everybody. I mean I think, I mean,
like Rosie o'donnald you were too young, but she used
(40:37):
to be on the view on ABC, and Rosie was
a lightning run and people hated her or they loved
her but bore. The ratings were great and she made
the show. I wish she would go back on. Well, well,
thank you so much for coming on. I won't take
up any more of your time because I know you're
a busy man and you've got stuff to do. But
I loved having you on and I think you're very
(41:00):
wise man as well. So thank you, thank you, and
you're wiser than you expected to be at this age. Folks,
Olivia Jane genuinely live from her apartment. Thanks so much.
S
This is Conversationous with Olivia Jade and my Heart Radio podcast.
Hi everybody, welcome back to another episode of Conversations with
Me your host Silvia Jade. We all know this already.
I am honestly, so so so excited about today's episode
(00:22):
because I'm bringing on a dear friend, somebody I know
personally and somebody that you guys probably have seen through
the media and just being around and being a host
for so many years. And you probably already know from
the title, But today we have Billie Bush coming on
the podcast, and I am just thrilled. I want to get,
honestly some advice from him, because he's been in the
(00:45):
industry for so long and I think that he has
so many wise and just key points to make it
and so you don't drown in this whole thing. But
I also want to talk to him about things that
he's been through and things that I can relate to.
And um, yeah, with all that being said, please welcome
Mr Billy. What's up? What's up? Billy Fish? How are
(01:08):
you very well? Very two? I'm nine pounds down in
eleven days. Are you serious? Yeah? How what if you
did you cut our alcohol? No? I cut off a
Leg'll do it. That's a heavy leg. No, I'm going
booze list. You know what your father Gosh, if he
can go booze list for like a month at a
(01:29):
time and he's going longer, U, then I can go like,
you know, two weeks. Although I'm making the move from
dry January, I think to damp January. I'm hearing this
term out there and I like it. What is that
where you just dabble a little bit but not full
send weekends only weekends only. I should join you in
that endeavor, even though I'm not nearly as crazy as
(01:51):
you and my dad. But no, you're you're you're young.
I would go hard in the paint if I thank
you for the advice. Well, welcome on the podcast us.
Thank you so much. I am really excited because I
feel like I've been talking to you about this for
quite some time and I think, well, good for you
do it. Thanks, thank you so much. Um. You can
(02:12):
also jump in and carry as much as this of
this conversation as you want, because you are the pro
at everything that has to do with this. But for
those that don't know you, do you want to just
give a little intro as to who you are. I'm
Billy Bush and I've been doing this far too long,
the host of Extra before that, Access Hollywood very briefly
the Today Show two months, um, but father of three
(02:35):
girls and uh friend of your father and your mother
and uh golfer, patriot advocate, uh philanthropist, bicyclist, whatever that
sums it up. That's perfect. Well, Honestly, I think something
that I kind of want to start out with is
I don't even really know this. I don't think I've
(02:56):
really ever had an end depth conversation with you. But
obviously people know your last name and it's very connected
to politics, and I'm curious how you went the route
of journalism. Well, no one would ever vote for me, um,
so I thought would would would they? Possibly? You know?
Um watch Me TV? I found later I was in
um in college and I found the college radio station
(03:21):
and started having a lot of fun on that, you know,
just calling buddies and putting them on the air and
and playing some music. And I really fell in love
with the radio. And after I graduated college, I spent
seven years in radio before touching local television, which of
course then led to everything else. But radio was my
first love, which we're kind of doing right now. Yeah,
(03:42):
it kind of feels like that. Yeah. I started in
radio in Lake Winnipesake, New Hampshire, up in I mean,
very very small town, three thousand watt station, an unrated market.
It was so small the the Arbitron Ratings Care didn't
even care about it. But I started in sales because
the general manager of the station was like, yeah, you
can be on the air, but we're gonna pay you
five dollars an hour. No kidding, five dollars an hour.
(04:05):
You're not gonna make any money, but you seem to
have a decent personality. Maybe you know you could sell
some advertising. Well, there is no harder job. I'm convincing
the world and selling air to people. I mean it's
not you have to sell them on this idea of
filling sixty seconds of air. It was brutal, doors slammed
in my face everywhere, but I broke through as a
(04:26):
sales guy by figuring out this lesson. Everybody buys differently.
You buy you, you make a different decision when you
buy Olivia that the car dealer makes it different. This guy.
The biggest advertiser was Plymouth Auto Village and Tilton Ford
a duopoly, a huge car dealer duopoly, and they're advertised
(04:49):
on seven out of the eight radio stations in the
Lakes region of New Hampshire. I was the eighth, and
I'm like, what this guy is spending so much money?
How come he's not doing it here. I went to
see the guy lo and behold, he slams the door
in my face four or five times. My boss finally says,
you have to go back one more time and ask
him why he won't buy from you. So I go
(05:11):
and I show up and they said, why won't you
buy from me? I just wanted to know that one
thing before you throw me out again. He said, well,
you know what, if you had a nice set of
legs and a good set of buns, you know, maybe
we'd uh, maybe we'd get somewhere. And I went, oh, okay.
It just so happens that we have an exchange program
(05:32):
with this radio station in Sweden and we have this
new girl working for us named Olga. I could send
her up here on Monday and maybe we get there.
He goes, now we're talking. I said, great, no problem,
thank you for that information. I left. I come back
Monday morning. The mid day woman on the on the
station had lent me her heels. She was a tall woman.
(05:55):
Her heels, her miniskirt, her wig, her lashes, her lipstick,
a pair of socks in the chich rolled up Daisy
Duke style. I pulled in. I had already pre written
the largest contract our station had ever seen. I printed
it out. This was like more money than we make
in a quarter. I walk in. The little guy sitting
(06:17):
behind his desk. They're busy on the sales room floor.
I walk in. I put my foot up on it.
Everybody in the showroom stops. They're looking going, oh my,
what is this horror? I mean, this is New Hampshire, right,
Northern New Hampshire, all freaking out. The service guys in
the back bays, they come out there in the floor.
Everybody's going crazy. I walk over, put my foot up
(06:38):
on this little man's desk, and I said, Mr Vincent,
my name is Old God from the Oldie's one oh
five radio station. Billy Bush sent me here. He didn't
tell me how cute you are. Look, oh my god.
I put my foot up. He looks at me and
he goes, Jesus, kid, you have some balls. Oh my
(06:58):
gut and I put the contract out in front of him.
I held my composure. They're all cheering, going crazy. He
takes out his pen. He signs the biggest radio contract
our station at ever seen. Bam, it goes through the roof.
I make the sale, I leave, I go in town.
I get a couple of beers with a friend. It's terrific.
(07:20):
And just as I'm leaving, I'm driving out of town
and there's my other client. I managed to get on
Community Bank and Trust a great The president was Ron Sibley.
I'll never forget little Ron. He's sitting in his office.
There's a light on in there. This is She goes, YEA,
how fast word travels in a small town. I decide,
you know what, I've had a little couple of beers.
Let me say goodbye to Ron. Let me say hi.
(07:40):
I knock on the door. Ron Sibley comes and opens
the bank door, and he says hello, Billy. I said, Ron,
I'm sorry to Bobby. I just wanted to stop in
and and say hello. He goes, no problem, I'm just
so sorry you're not wearing a dress. That is honestly
one of the greatest stories I've ever been told I've
(08:01):
been dying to get a chance to tell that story
to someone in some sort of public form. So you're
the You're the You're the one who is this the
first hit on this story? Have you never talked about
that on any of your first hit on this? Absolutely
the first hit on this story. But it does go
to show you, like in life, like everybody buys differently,
(08:21):
there's a way to get almost anything done. You just
got to know who you're dealing with. That is so true,
and the persistence too, is so admirable. The fact that
you walked in with heels and you stop on his
desk is the funniest thing I've ever heard, and it's genius.
Well yeah, I mean, you know, it was such a moment.
(08:42):
He was totally peer pressure, the crowd cheering. He had
to then sign, you know, which was I don't know,
like ten grand a month or something, But in that
kind of in that area, it's unbelievable. I then moved
to a lake house and bought a small boat. Wow. Okay,
So then what happened after that encounter? So and you
got the well, then eventually the I I was accounting
(09:05):
for about fifty percent, if not a little more of
the of the radio station sales, and so they I
became the sales manager. But I'm like, this isn't what
I wanted to do, what I came for. So I
said to the guy who was running the station, Look,
I gotta sell very less. I'll manage my accounts, but
I need to take over one of the full time shifts.
(09:25):
I had the leverage. He gave it to me. Two
months of being on the radio full time and I
packed up my bags and left. And where did you come?
And on the greener Pastors? Yeah, I ended up in
in Rockville, Maryland, which serviced the d C market, on
a classic rock station. So I was getting slightly younger.
I started on an oldies station and then I went
(09:45):
to a classic rock station. A year into that, the
brand new Top forty station picked me up as the
morning drive host at years old. Wow, you know what's
so interesting to me too? I feel like when you
I'm from like some any sort of well, I can
kind of relate to this, but or how I feel
in my life, it's like, since people know that I
(10:06):
come from some sort of family, that's like in the
business or in an industry, I think that there's like
a big misconception that you don't have to work as
hard and honestly, just even from the first story you
just told, like hearing that you went in after time
after time of being declined and then dressing up as
a woman, even though you did grow up around people
that were very influential and you probably did have great
connections and opportunities. But I just think it's it's something
(10:28):
that I feel like most people maybe wouldn't assume, which
I think is really really cool. Yeah, I would say
the you know, in the grand scheme of things, the
the being Ray I certainly raised and privileged, there's no
question about that. But as far as like getting into
Hollywood or this business, I mean, I don't know. Last time,
(10:49):
if you check, it's a it's a pretty liberal town.
A guy named Bush. That's really good to dictate how
far you go? You really got to cut your own swap.
In fact, in my first contract at end be way
back when I first signed with Access Hollywood in two
thousand one, I made it mandatory that they were never
allowed to introduce me or refer to the Bush family
(11:14):
as far as politics, because I really you know you
you you you live by that sword. You die by
that sword. Focus less on the bush, don't ride the bush,
ride the billy, believe in the billy. And so no
one knew for the longest time. I still have people like,
wait a minute, a way you're connected. Well, to be honest,
I didn't even really know that until I was talking
(11:35):
to my mom recently. Well, I tell you what, if
you want to be a long term player and be
serious in the biz and all that, you can't I
don't think it's wise to to ride the easy door
in or the more notable found the gimmick. I mean,
you know, build a career. I've been at I've been
a broadcaster for twenty oh man, I don't know since
(11:58):
four include radio, so almost thirty years. Wow. So then
(12:19):
at what point did you really when it really started
to pick up and you're own access and then um
extra now obviously, but like when you moved to l
A and you start your family, Like, what give us
a little timeline my career. I knew I would make
it in television. Well, I knew i'd make it in
television when I started it Access Hollywood. My boss was
(12:42):
like he was a little frustrated with me. One I
look terrible at like corduroy jackets and my hair was
all over the place. I didn't look like you're slick,
you know, entertainment guy, or I find that hard to believe.
I well, I'm smooth. I wasn't. I was a total ruffian.
I mean right out of you know. Uh, it's certainly
(13:04):
not Central casting, but I covered. My first interview was
with sir Ian mckillan, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Right,
this guy is a great serious Shakespearean actor. And I
interviewed him at Sardi's Restaurant off Broadway, and I prepared
meticulously for the interview, and I did about a forty
five minute sit down interview my best Barbara Walters, and
(13:27):
the boss says, look, he said, Jesus, dude, this is
Access Hollywood. It's not Dateline. I'm looking for a moment,
just a moment. If the drink spills on the table,
it's a moment. If you get you know, if there's
a laugh about something, it's a moment. We're a show
about moments. I said, oh, okay, I got it. And
then the next thing, I started just turning in moments.
(13:51):
And the first one I think was the victorious Secret
fashion show, Heidi Kloone, Gazelle, Bunch, entire of banks, oh gee,
super models, I mean the bosses of bosses, and I went.
They were all doing makeup and they let the press
come in and I brought in three large pizzas from
across the street as a delivery man. The cameras rolling,
(14:12):
and I said, pizza for Clome, Pizza for Clome, and
Heidi is like, what new, and all the girl they don't.
They've been they've been getting ready for this fashion show,
so they've been watching their diets. And the pizzas came
in and everybody devoured him and it was really fun.
That's a clever way. Yeah, So it was just a moment, right,
(14:32):
No one had ever seen that kind of thing, right,
some moments that's like the key kind of thing that
you've taken home. Yeah that makes sense. Okay, I'm like
taking that as a note for myself because I still
feel like I'm new out all of this and this
is one of my I mean, this is really one
of my first I think I've only released like five
or six episodes so far up the podcast. So they
say five is the number for legitimacy, right, you gotta
(14:54):
have five if you want to get to all the
platforms or something like that. Is that a thing? I think? So? Um,
if you say unless you work for a woman named Amy, shoot, um,
well yeah, so I think that's actually some great advice.
And also I was wondering about the I don't know
(15:15):
how much you want to get into certain things, so
I won't. Yeah, because I think I can really relate.
And I've talked to you privately before when I went
through like my family stuff about just honestly just being
in the media something that I can um understand, and
when you do have a setback, like just some advice
not even just for me, but for those that have
(15:36):
had setbacks too in different capacities, like in the darkest times,
how you kind of got through it because I know
you and you're such a lighthearted fun man to be around,
but obviously you went through something. Yeah, oh for sure. Well,
I mean, look, it's like canceled culture is a little
bit like um, it's kind of like you know, my
dad used to say about a motorcycle accident. If you
(15:57):
have a motorcycle, if you haven't been in an accident,
you will be There's two types of motorcycle riders right,
those who have been in the accident, those who will
be in the accident. And at this rate, if you
haven't been canceled, your time is coming because we're we're
we're we're getting into an area that's and I'm the
o G. I guess I'm the o G of canceled culture.
I don't know, but we're getting into an area where
(16:18):
if someone has a thought that is not a good
thought and intrusive thought, they could be fired for it.
You know, the rules are getting all life is gray
area and we live in this black and white prism
that somehow has has ruled our culture. I you know,
(16:42):
Steve Harvey just talked a little bit about it. Um,
I can tell you this. It's when it had it
happened to me. It took me, oh, I think it
took me until recently, probably four years to really you know,
four or five years to really get that's how long
ago was to be through the PTSD, because um, it's
(17:10):
it's brutal. I mean you you you you know you're
I'm providing for my family, I have a livelihood, you know,
I'm and all of a sudden, you're unhirable for three
years in the business that you love. Um, you know
what did you do in that meantime in those three years? Well,
first I drank a lot of alcohol, uh, very hard.
(17:32):
The bottle became my my, my bestie. Then I put
it down and just started figuring. Okay, like behind me,
over my shoulder. I have but you know, thirty books
or something. I've read every one of them. The role
in the self help area. Uh. I went to a
retreat for ten days in northern California, no phones, no electronics,
(17:54):
just about trying to get the first foot forward again,
get walking again. Went to Tony Robbins. I mean, I
did everything I possibly could. In the end, it just
it takes time. And what you really want to do
is own your own stuff. The best thing for me,
I finally realize, is to own my faults, own my role,
(18:18):
own accountability for me and let everyone else who whatever
they did, let them do that for themselves or if
they're not going to fine, I can only be responsible
for myself. And frankly, in the end, I'll tell you
what it gave me. It gave me a tremendous blessing,
and that is and you can relate to this. There
(18:39):
is a lot of value in knowing what it feels
like to be down, makes you approach other people a
different way, makes you think twice before you cast judgment
on someone, makes you kind of have a have a
more open heart to other people because everybody's going through something.
We also, Yeah, and I think also it's really interesting
about just cancel culture in general. I mean, right now
(19:01):
it's at new heights because although like four or five years,
as you were saying, it was obviously still around your
the o G. But now it's just like you could
just post the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, and
instantly with social media and the bandwagon effect, I feel
like it's just almost too easy. But I also think
that it's interesting because it doesn't make a lot of
(19:22):
sense to me. Um, I think that I think that
it's just I mean, my perfect example would be you,
obviously we're in a situation that was a mistake on
I'm sure a lot of people's parts and whatever. It
was not going to speak on that, but you know,
like you lost your job and then somebody also became
the president who's who also was in the car and
(19:44):
said certain things. Um, and I just find it really
interesting though, like what I just always think about, like
what is the what's the decipher like of who gets
canceled and then somebody becomes the president. It's like mind
blowing to me. No one can understand the l rhythm
of crime and punishment. Does the punishment fit the crime?
There is ano some people can do amazing things, like
(20:08):
there are certain late night hosts. We don't have to
go back and cancel them retroactively because I don't know,
maybe they're on the right side of the prevailing media narrative, right,
so they're considered protected. Uh maybe there. You know, it
depends on where you fall on the pendulum, and there's
always usually someone to gain when someone's down. I am
(20:35):
very good now at seeing all the pieces of the puzzle.
It's never just oh, that was someone's If someone's going down,
someone's going up. There there's a sesaw effect, you know.
I'm working on a new show coming up, a project
that I have which will be able to lift that
curtain and show the little man pulling the strings there,
the little Wizard of Oz in the background of who's
(20:57):
all the imaginations of what's going on where and who's
doing what? You know, so people can see now that
I've survived, there's so much ample material for me to
analyze um. And in the end, you know, in my life,
people have I think there are very few people left
to say, let's punish Billy Bush, I think right. So
(21:19):
now I'd like to do what I can to embrace
the gray area again and open people's hearts. And first
question you gotta ask, Olivia, is does anyone here when
something happens to someone? So wait a minute before we judge,
does anyone here have the wiring inside them to maybe
have done something similar at some point on a bad day?
(21:40):
Do you have it in you? If you don't, go ahead,
judge away. Yeah, it's so true. It's so true because
it's we live in a society though, where you know,
if everybody's worse moments were caught on camera. I was
actually talking to a friend about this recently. This is
a really this is not a serious idea, but we
were talking about there should be a day, I swear
(22:01):
and like some somewhere in the near future, because it
needs to happen where everybody, whatever video they have, whatever evidence,
are proof of their worst moment or the worst thing
they've said, or something that's a mistake that you wouldn't
want public just one day, national like annual time, whatever
it is. Everybody just throws it up at the same time.
So it's everybody's worst mistake out there. And then it's like,
(22:23):
how can you even judge anybody that's so brilliant. I
call that the buyback program. They do it with guns
right in major cities. They'll say, okay, it's the buyback brogram.
If you have a weapon, bring it forward on this day,
and there will be no prosecution for you or anything.
Even the legal weapon of some kind come in, turn
it in. Everybody take their worst moment, offer it up.
It would be such a therapeutic session. It wouldn't once
(22:46):
did a terrible thing. I know, next you go around,
you know, yeah, exactly, That's what we were talking about.
It was just like it would just I think it
would eliminate so much judgment because then you you'd finally
look in the mirror and be like, oh wait, I
actually I've messed up a lot of times too, And
I wouldn't want that for everybody to judge and see
and read every day for years. Like there's you mentioned
(23:06):
a very interesting thing here, because there is a got
you element. If people feel like they got you, then
it can be very shameful and very punishing. But if
you come forward on your own, it's a different story.
Like Dave Letterman had some indiscretions with people on his
staff and it was a big story. But at the
time he was being extorted by a man and he
(23:27):
came forward and said, I will not be extorted. This
is a terrible thing. Yes, I've had some indiscretions and
I haven't conducted myself perfectly, but I will not I
will not be extorted by this man. And he came forward.
People were like, good for you. Nothing happened. He came
forward first. He beat them to the punch. You are
in trouble and you know it's about to happen. Come
(23:48):
from Twitter fast, yea, the one that brought it out.
Take it from us. Um, when did you realize you
could come back and like after you did a lot
of like self work and you took time. At what
point were you like, Okay, I'm ready to like jump
back into my job and do what I love again.
I just did serve my time and over, you know,
(24:10):
depending on how you feel. I mean, uh, extra was
um they needed a captain, you know, the host for
the for the show, and I don't think anyone would
ever say that I wasn't good at my job. So
they were like, yeah, I think this makes sense and
let's grab him and if he wants to go. And
so I met with the actually Lisa g the producer,
(24:33):
slid into my d M s can we have lunch?
And there we decided let's do a different type of show,
let's change the format a little bit, and sure, let's
get Rocket and so um, you know, back we went.
(24:59):
And Ashley from the Almost Famous podcast, it's that time
of year where drama fills the air. The Bachelor is
back with an all new season premiering January three. There's
a new host, Jesse Palmer, and a brand new Bachelor, Clayton.
Clayton is a Midwest boy that has that great smile,
nice teeth, and he's really tall. Ash let's call it
(25:21):
what it is. He's a beefcake. Okay, Well, Clayton seems
to be a good guy though, and he can't wait
to find love, get married, and have kids. And he
believes more than anything that his future wife is on
this show. It sounds like a fairy tale, but also
a bit of an emotional world coaster because Clayton tells
(25:42):
three different women he's falling in love with him. Technically
he told one, I couldn't be more sure that I'm
falling in love with you, and another one, I'm falling
in love with you, and the third one, I am
in love with you. You don't miss a thing. It's
your years of over analyzing everything that guys say. But
(26:03):
his heart is in the right place. But other parts
of him as we find out what he admits to
two different women that he was intimate with both of them. Yeah,
I don't think it's gonna go over Well, we'll be
breaking down it all on the Famous podcast Ben is
Married Now Well Ashley's a mom will change our opinions
(26:24):
of what we think is acceptable single behavior. Good question.
Listen to Almost Famous on the I Heart Radio app
on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Who's
the who's your most favorite favorite guest? Or like memorable
moment you've had on any any show you've ever hosted?
(26:46):
Is there one? Oh my gosh? Well, I used to
do Access Hollywood Live, which was a little, you know,
the live daytime version hour long of Access Hollywood back
in the day. I loved doing that more than anything
was stuff. We had John Corbett um Aiden, you know,
for whatever, from from Sex in the City of the Actor.
He would come. He stripped down one time when he
(27:08):
got the music was going and he stripped down to
his maroons Skivvy's. That was a big laugh. Uh. We
did more fund spontaneous things. I once interviewed Mike Tyson.
I said, Mike, and I had nowhere to go, like
we were out of the interview, but I had a
little more time, and I said, so, I just say, said, Mike,
(27:28):
A lot of people have told me you have a
beautiful singing voice. How is it that I have never
heard this. I have no idea if Mike Tyson can sing,
I'm assuming probably not that well. And all of a sudden,
all of a sudden, he's like, he goes, what I
go work with me, Mike. I've been told by multiple
reliable sources that you have a fantastic singing voice. And
(27:50):
I'm like, oh god, I'm going down. I'm sinking. The
moment is not happening. He looks at me like I've
got seven heads. And then finally he goes, who the
dogs out. How do you like live? Did you feel
the pressure when you had to interview people lives so
much more than obviously like a prerecorded So funny, I
(28:12):
used to always say on our live show back in
the day, and so, you know what, I don't know
if it's today or tomorrow or a few months from now,
but at some point I'm gonna say something that's likely
going to get me fired, and I'm just you know,
getting ready for it. Ended up being something from eleven
years earlier that was in a tape vault. But you know,
because I saw the direction we were going, you know,
(28:35):
and the and I always felt me on live TV
is a terrible miss. It's it's a risky endeavor, but
it can be fun the time. It's really fun. Maybe
there's nothing better than than than you know, walking that
tight rope every day. It can be terrified. I would
there was just say and we're clear. When the show
was over and we're clear, and I would just go,
(28:56):
are you sure, okay? Good? Positive? I made another day. Yeah,
That's how I felt when I was on Dancing with
the Stars. With the live shows, obviously I didn't have
to speak, but I was like, after they were like,
and it's over and you're off camera and you run
off stage, You're like, Okay, I didn't fall, I didn't
say anything bad. I didn't mess up like onto the
next week, hope for the best and what excuse me,
(29:17):
but what a hoof for you are? The dancing is unbelievable.
Have you danced since I haven't? I was. I was
on the phone with my the guy that was my
pro val, like two days ago, and I was like yes,
and I was like, please, I really want you to
like introduce me to somebody because he doesn't do private
training obviously, it was just for the show, um. And
(29:38):
he said he would hook me up with a really
great instructor. So that's like upcoming back. I really miss it.
I do. It was such a very very good I
knew you'd take to it well, but not as well,
I mean as well as you did that. That was impressive.
And I know your your parents were both unbelievably you're
dead and tears in his eyes. It was so cute.
(29:59):
That's so sweet. Yeah, I think I got the I
think I got the moves from Moss, although I've only
ever seen those moves come out of my dad when
he's had some tequila. I had to do it sober,
which was way scarier and not and not afraid and
not afraid to do so. I believe I'm playing golf
with him on Saturday. So I'm hoping that that my
dry January will probably turning damp. It's turning damp, and
(30:22):
it's turning damp. Qu He has a tremendous golf His
golf company is through the roof, I mean people sending
contures and yeah, he is doing pretty well. What advice
would you give me? Obviously, you know my parents, you know,
I'm a young twenty two year old woman living in
l A trying to figure out my next move. And
(30:45):
what do you have anything that you could maybe tell
your younger self or something that I could take away? Yeah?
You got I think you got a tremendous life lesson
very early. And you know, there's it comes with many
different you know, um facets to it. I mean one
(31:06):
is things are very unpredictable. Uh you know when when
when there's an error made you own up. Uh you're
you went through a period of feeling down all the
way down, Like am I ever gonna get back? I
I don't know that type of feeling is very causes
a lot of anxiety and stuff, but it really also
makes you a warmer, nicer, kinder, you know, more empathetic person,
(31:32):
and we need more people like that. So I think
going forward, you have at a lesson that you never
saw it coming. It was never on the you know,
it just it occurred, and you now I think, have
the fortification to really dominate in whatever you want. One
you're smart and and you know you've got those things,
(31:54):
but you've got the fortification. I hope you never look back.
I hope you just you know, blast toward knowing well
the worst is behind me. That can be fuel for you. Yeah,
for sure. Did you when you guys went through your
hiccup and obviously you have daughters, what was did they
take away or learn from that situation? Was that like
(32:15):
a really challenging time as a family. Yeah, only because
I was despondent, you know what I mean. I mean
that the they were I had a couple of frank
conversations with my girls. I've you know, I've they know
who I am. You know, they also know that there's
(32:37):
that back then, you know, when twelve years before that,
there was a desperate little guy that wanted to make
it in the business, who was young and and and
naive and and and a suck up and I want
to and was was his lips were numb from kissing
celebrity as I mean, it was like I was. But
of course that's what we want to embrace, right, his evolution.
(32:59):
By the at the time I was fired, I was
a completely different man. I was not a boy I was.
I was a man. I was a man. I controlled
the set um on the Today Show. I'm like, I'm
the guy that people walk in and say, oh, I
grew up watching you with my mom or something, and
then they're sitting with You're a different person in the room, right,
you have a different wait in the room. I couldn't
(33:22):
have been a lighter weight back in the you know,
at that moment. So I think it's you know, I
think it's important that we um that we let people evolve,
we let people screw up, we embrace failure. Again, Oprah said,
it wasn't the little successes that led to the big success,
(33:43):
it was the little failures that informed the big success. Yeah,
that's so true. So what's next. I got a great
project that um that we're that we're working on now.
But um is exciting. I've learned been in the business
too long to mention that at this point, although I
(34:04):
whispered to you later, ah, but you know you don't wanna,
you don't want to jinx yourself. There's that, there's that,
and then there's just um, I've been dry in January.
This is like, this is fantastic. I'm seeing my cheekbones again,
record breaking. You look great. I dropped nine pounds in
(34:28):
eleven days. That's so wild, isn't that incredible? Nine pounds
in eleven days? I'm like that. Also discuss to show
how much I mean sugar and just calories and everything
that's in booze. The fact that you can go sober
for a week, and so here's my mission. Can't go
(34:49):
dry period. I'm that's just that's not in me. So
I like DAMP. I like Damp two thousand, twenty two
weekends only maybe. But the mission is to make Booze special.
Ag end hmm, in what way? Instead of like a
Tuesday cocktail while I'm watching whatever? You know, it's make
(35:10):
it special, like look forward to it. You've you've served
your penance all week and now you've played golf. It's
five o'clock on Friday, ket me a gold martini and
you're shaking the martini and you're pouring it and you
haven't had four cocktails on the golf course, and so
you're tired at that point. You've played golf because it's
a sport and you don't drink during sports, and then
(35:31):
a nice cocktail afterwards you look forward to it. It's
special again, right, that's actually such a great idea. And
I think that this is a wonderful endeavor for you. Yeah,
you get a little blubber off you too, and you know,
you see the cheekbones and yeah, like a blubbery I'm fifty. Okay,
you were never blubbery. I would not use that word
to describe you. But bloated, bloated. Everybody used bloated, your lad.
(35:55):
I'm like so nervous to say anything. I'm like, oh,
is this going to be taking the wrong way? That's
the thing. Wait, you just touched on something so important,
the way our culture is going with the whole cancelation
and all this business and and and penalty and penalty,
you know, death by career, career death for a slip
(36:16):
up or anything like that. Whatever the circumstances are, We're
losing interesting people. We're losing voices that matter. Like, you know,
the the heretics of the of of history are the
ones that informed us and and made us in many
ways who we are. So if we lose those people's
(36:37):
daringness to say interesting thoughts or things that are different
or go out on a limb, I mean we're really
sanitizing too much. I mean, that's what's fascinating about our
discourse are wildly differing opinions. Yeah, it's so true. I
mean I always say that I'm like, I don't want
to speak on And I even had my sister on
one of the episodes, and Bella is very uh. I
(36:59):
think she's just like a direct a little bit more sarcastic,
and she really doesn't care about I think she cares,
but just not to the same degree about being canceled
and stuff Like she just is like, well, O, your
say what you gotta say, Like this is your life.
If people they don't have to watch, I don't have
to listen. Like, she's just a little bit more free
and open with her thoughts and I second guess everything
(37:21):
that comes out of my mouth because I think I
have trauma from everything that happened with my family, where
I'm like, I don't ever want to wake up and
see a text from my agent of an article link again,
Like I don't ever want to see you, Like I'm
so freaked out to mess up again that I almost
rather just like sit in silence, just be like, let
(37:42):
somebody else do talking. Yeah, yeah, I like, you're afraid
to like a bar stool sports Instagram because it's a
little you know, maybe not so, you know, it's a
little off color or something, and if you like it,
people like, oh you like that? You're oh god, what
b But that's you know, we have bloggers out there.
(38:03):
It's it's called the link economy. We have bloggers out there,
and they get paid upon not they don't. They don't
get a pulletzer. You get paid on page views. So
whatever can be mind, This conversation right now between you
and I will be mind, and something will be put out.
You know, someone probably find something and say, oh, back
(38:25):
up the ambulance, you know too, canceled, people crying. Whatever
they'll say, who knows cares. But right now where I am,
what I will likely do is either pound them back
or or call them on the phone, or I don't know,
something like that. Enough enough, no more here, But that's
I won't be doing that out. He's sitting in my
(38:46):
room like, no, no, you'll be underneath soon, you'll be
underneath the bed exactly. But I'll let you do the
calling for sure. I love it. I love nothing I
love more than calling a writer or a newspaper or
you know, some outlet and saying, let me ask you
a question. Are you an idiot? What do you? What
is the wrong? They call them right to their face.
It's as I can't stand dishonestly and I can't stand
(39:10):
lazy work. I've never tried that. Never. Yeah, I think
i'm a little young still. I think I gotta be
uh that whole respect your elders thing. I gotta gotta
have a few fs left, but not not a ton,
I think. Also, I get I just want to see.
This is exactly what you're going to see, a perfect
(39:31):
example of what I've been saying. How I'm scared to
say anything because I was going to go on to
say I don't want people to take what I'm saying
the wrong way. Obviously I'm in a huge position of privilege.
Everybody knows that you're a very you can you come
from a privileged family as well, and you're in a
position of privilege. And so I don't want this to
be taken as me like I was canceled and I'm
complaining about it and it's not fair, and it's like,
(39:53):
I just hope people see that there is you know,
you own your I own my mistake and then I
got to move forward at some point to be able
to talk about your experiences right. Well, also, but if
if you know, if nobody has an opinion about you,
and opinions go both ways, maybe it's not working. I mean,
(40:14):
you know, I've never had every as much as you.
You know, you like me. I'm a friend of your parents.
We have a lovely but not everyone does, right, you
know what I mean. That's got plenty of detractors, and
I appreciate them. Fine, that's life for you. I can't
please everyone's life for everybody. I mean I think, I mean,
like Rosie o'donnald you were too young, but she used
(40:37):
to be on the view on ABC, and Rosie was
a lightning run and people hated her or they loved
her but bore. The ratings were great and she made
the show. I wish she would go back on. Well, well,
thank you so much for coming on. I won't take
up any more of your time because I know you're
a busy man and you've got stuff to do. But
I loved having you on and I think you're very
(41:00):
wise man as well. So thank you, thank you, and
you're wiser than you expected to be at this age. Folks,
Olivia Jane genuinely live from her apartment. Thanks so much.
S
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