Billy Bush, the former host of NBC's "Today," will make his first appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" this Monday.
The former "Access Hollywood" correspondent's scheduled visit to the CBS show will mark his first late-night appearance since he was fired from NBC last year, the Hollywood Reporter reported. The network dropped Bush after an old video from 2005 surfaced weeks before the 2016 presidential election, showing him laughing at Donald Trump's controversial remarks about women.
Bush left NBC less than two weeks after the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape went viral. In May, he apologized for his decision not to change the subject during the interview with Trump, who said that he could kiss any woman he wanted because he was famous, and even "grab them by the pussy."
"My participation was awful, too," Bush said. "I remember that guy; he was almost sycophantic. It was my first year as co-host of 'Access Hollywood,' and I was an insecure person, a bit of a pleaser, wanting celebrities to like me and fit in."
Trump apologized for causing offense in the video, which many commentators thought would sink his presidential campaign. He later equated his comments to "locker room talk."
"I felt that, in that moment, he was being typically Donald, which is performing and shocking," Bush said. "Almost like Andrew Dice Clay, the stand-up comedian: Does he really do the things that he's saying or is that his act? And in Donald's case, I equated it that way."
Bush's appearance on Colbert's show comes at a time when the video has resurfaced on multiple media outlets due to reports that Trump wants to investigate whether it is actually his voice on the tape, according to the Reporter.
In addition to chatting about the infamous tape, Colbert will no doubt press Bush on Lauer's headline-making exit. Lauer, who took his seat at "Today" in 1997, was ousted after a sexual misconduct complaint was filed internally by an NBC News employee on Monday. Since his termination one day later on Tuesday, as many as five additional sexual harassment and misconduct claims have come to light.
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The Bush get also comes after a tumultuous few weeks of scheduling for the CBS late-night show, after dropping a pre-recorded interview with Jeremy Piven in light of sexual harassment claims against the former CBS star, and having an appearance with Louis C.K. scrapped amid allegations that the comedian masturbated in front of multiple women.
English actress and model Gwendoline Christie will also appear on "The Late Show" this Monday. She will likely discuss her new movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is currently in theaters. Christie is also known for her role on the popular HBO series "Games of Thrones."