The Acteonation of Billy Bush

The news has been awash this week with commentary on the Access Hollywood tape from 2005 where Donald Trump and show host Billy Bush talk trash about a female cohost, and about how Trump (dis)regards women in general.

Trump’s boorishness is not news, and has been evident since the beginning of his campaign. The outrage that has resulted from this latest media release is a continuation of what has rightfully underscored his entire candidacy — though perhaps this time the volume has grown a little louder.

What’s happened to Billy Bush may be the more captivating story.

Being a playwright and filmmaker, I have an interest in the industry and occasionally watch the entertainment shows that air after the news between 7 and 8 PM. Access Hollywood is one of those, and prior to this latest scandal, I actually thought of Mr. Bush as a pretty congenial and insightful presence on the show. Of course, the audio capture from the video reveals a more craven side to his personality — even if he is participating in the kind of lowbrow banter that a couple of guys might engage in while on the road. I’m not excusing it in any way — what Trump says should not have been countenanced in any way, by anybody.

But Mr. Bush — who is a member of the American political dynasty that gave us Georges F. and W., and Jeb — had recently left Access Hollywood to take a time slot on NBC’s Today show. As a result of the salacious video and the furor that followed, Billy Bush has pretty much been removed from his new post, and is being hounded by the press. The irony here strikes deep. A member of the media — who used to provide his own commentary on the scandals of the day, is now at the center of one.

Last night — on Access Hollywood, a segment showed him leaving an airport, surrounded by press and photographers, all needling him for a comment on the incident — even though he had released a prepared apology sometime earlier.

But it was the look on his face that got me. I’m no mind reader, but his expression of pained shock seemed to say — “this used to be me — I was once the one pouncing on the celebrity story the way I’m being pounced on now. And these used to be my people.”

Thinking of it later in the evening, I was reminded of the mythical story of Acteon, an ancient Greek huntsman who had accidentally come upon the virgin goddess, Diana, while she bathed. Diana, being outraged, turned him into a stag, and he was soon pursued and killed by his own hounds, who no longer recognized him as their master.

I’m not sure there’s a moral to the trajectory of Billy Bush, except that maybe our seemingly small and private sins can turn against us at the most unexpected times, even when it appears that we have reached a level above them. And that the dogs that are unleashed on us may once have been our own.

Nicholas Korn is a playwright, filmmaker, poet and occasional groove composer. He has a website: http://www.nicholaskorn.com.