Billy Bush was hired to co-host the third hour of NBC’s Today back in May of 2016, serving as a substitute for Willie Geist. He was also the first ever reporter to interview American Olympic swimmer, Ryan Lochte, following his claim that he got mugged by a gunman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Bush’s competence as an interviewer though, was heavily questioned and doubted after critics asserted that he failed to consider the possibility that Lochte was simply making the whole story up.
His blind assumption, however, wasn’t the cause of his demise as a TV personality. Bush received a suspension and eventually a dismissal from Today after a controversial recording exploded with the TV show host offensively fooling around with Donald Trump. The scandalous “grab her by the p***y” quote came from the recording of Trump talking to none other than Billy Bush. His questionable behavior ended up getting him booted out of Today, while Donald Trump went on to become the 45th president of the US. What do you think about those quality control standards?
Columbus Short, Scandal
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is known for choreographing Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel Tour and partnering with Brian Friedman of So You Think You Can Dance. He became famous for his performance in the films Stomp the Yard, Cadillac Records, Armored, and The Losers. The American actor also starred as Harrison Wright in the ABC drama series, Scandal.
In an act of life imitating art, Columbus was fired from Scandal following a scandal of his own. He allegedly threatened his wife with a knife to her throat, prompting her to place a restraining order against him. Will the famed but shamed celebrity make a bounce back to our TV screens? There’s a chance he will, but Columbus will need to fix his domestic affairs and marriage first.
Lisa Bonet, A Different World
As a child, Lisa Bonet was already a star in the making, participating in various beauty pageants and performing in guest spots on television series. Eventually, she secured the job of playing Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, alongside Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad. After a short stint in The Cosby Show, she went on to star the spin-off series, A Different World, which centered on Denise's college life and first aired in 1987.
Before the filming of the second season of A Different World, Lisa Bonet became pregnant to rock star, Lenny Kravitz. Bill Cosby thought long and hard on Lisa’s situation but ultimately made the choice to cut her out of the show. Lisa Bonet has since enjoyed a revival in the Showtime hit, Ray Donovan.
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men
In 2003, Charlie Sheen was chosen to play the character of Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men. His persona on the show was roughly centered on the actor’s own infamous bad boy figure. The role earned Sheen various accolades, including an ALMA Award along with three Emmy award nominations and a couple of Golden Globe award nominations. In his eighth and last season on Two and a Half Men, the iconic actor managed to rake in a whopping $1.8 million pay check for every episode.
On a live radio interview, he threw anti-Semitic remarks at Two and a Half Men creator, Chuck Lorre. Sheen was sacked for his comments and was immediately replaced by American actor, Ashton Kutcher. In 2012, Sheen returned to acting and enjoyed plenty of success with the show, Anger Management, which concluded in 2014. One year later, he admitted in public that he was positive with HIV after a past lover attempted to blackmail him.
Phil Robertson, Duck Dynasty
Phil Robertson had a passion for duck hunting and a strong distaste for the current and widely used state of duck calls. For that reason, he started testing a kind of call that would replicate actual duck sounds and developed his very own first “Duck Commander” call in 1972. His invention would, later on, grow into a multimillion-dollar business. Phil and his family were shown live on the A&E reality television series, Duck Dynasty, which was broadcast for 15 years until 2017.
During a GQ interview, however, Phil Robertson was recorded making anti-gay comments, which forced A&E to suspend his participation in the show. His avid viewers and supporters though, rallied to Phil’s side, so he was ultimately permitted to come back on the series. Naturally, the Duck Dynasty star remained unapologetic regarding his offensive remarks.