It’s been hard to avoid seeing the behind the scenes “hot microphone” video from September 2005 of Access Hollywood host Billy Bush arriving on a bus, with Donald Trump, at the NBC lot in Burbank. But while that clip featured Trump’s widely denounced lewd remarks about women, what did the NBC entertainment news program air at the time?
Well, from the Media Research Center’s video archive, here’s the story which aired on the Friday, October 21, 2005 edition of Access Hollywood to plug Trump’s cameo the following Monday on the Days of Our Lives soap opera, part of a cross-network promotional gimmick with Trump’s The Apprentice.
The Access Hollywood story, which the show titled in an on-screen graphic “The Donald Delivers,” included 23 seconds of what was in the three minute leaked video, but none, of course, of what was said off camera on the bus.
The aired report included Bush’s “how about a little hug for the Donald” suggestion to actress Arianne Zucker heard in the leaked video.
In the produced piece that aired, Bush then crowed in voice-over narration: “The deal sealed with a kiss.” More cringeworthy knowing what we now know: Access Hollywood plastered red lipstick kisses on the screen.
After a bit of video of the three walking to the set, the show applied a rewind effect as Bush boasted: “Let’s back up a few minutes to the Access bus, where I was the man helping Donald run his lines.”
Following a clip of Trump doing his soap scene, the story jumped to the contestant who was fired the night before on The Apprentice.
Thanks to Kristine Lawrence for digging the video out of the MRC’s video archive.
