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For decades, Al Roker has enjoyed a reputation as one of the friendliest personalities on morning television.
But to hear his former colleague Billy Bush tell it, Al is a very different guy when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Bush was Roker’s co-host for two months in 2016 — and it seems that their working relationship was not a healthy one.
In a new interview, Bush unleashed a stunning attack on his former colleague, describing Roker as “territorial, vindictive and chronically unprepared” during their brief time working together on NBC’s Today show.
Bush made the allegations while appearing on journalist Maureen Callahan’s podcast, “The Nerve,” where the conversation quickly turned to his experience behind the scenes at the morning show.
“I’ve always sensed rage just underneath that very overly friendly surface,” Callahan said about Roker.
She then played a throwback clip of Roker going off on Bush during a remote, yelling, “You don’t know where I’m going to be. I am going to be your worst nightmare. I’m going to live on you like a tick.”
“The way I describe Al is three words. Territorial, vindictive, and chronically unprepared,” Bush said about his former colleague.
The former Access Hollywood host claimed Roker viewed him as a threat from the moment he arrived at Today.
According to Bush, he came into the third hour of the program intending to become a central part of the show’s future. He alleged that network executives were unhappy with Roker’s performance and planned to eventually remove him from the show altogether.
Bush claimed a producer told him to simply survive his first few months on the job because management intended to move on from Roker once contractual issues were resolved.
That plan, of course, never materialized.
Just months after Bush joined Today, the infamous Access Hollywood tape featuring Donald Trump surfaced, resulting in Bush’s firing and effectively ending his NBC tenure. Roker remained with the network and continues to be one of the most recognizable faces on morning television.
But Bush says his problems with Roker extended far beyond workplace competition.
The television personality alleged that Roker became jealous whenever he gained momentum during interviews and resented sharing airtime with colleagues.
“I prepared for every guest,” Bush recalled, claiming he would thoroughly research interview subjects before appearing on air. According to Bush, Roker would become frustrated whenever Bush dominated a segment or appeared particularly prepared.
Bush went on to describe Roker as someone who does not enjoy seeing coworkers succeed.
“He’s a mean person,” Bush said during the podcast appearance. “There’s jealousy.”
He also alleged that Roker once liked a social media post that referred to Bush as a “whitesplaining racist,” a move Bush interpreted as evidence that his co-host was actively working against him behind the scenes.
Bush also claimed that both Roker and former Today anchor Matt Lauer made it clear they were not thrilled about his arrival at the network.
“You could feel it,” Bush said of the atmosphere during his short-lived run on the show.
Roker has not publicly responded to Bush’s allegations, and it’s safe to say these claims will come as a surprise to many fans.
Whether the veteran broadcaster chooses to address the accusations remains to be seen — but we’re guessing All will choose not to call amy further attention to the situation.
