Billy Bush Unloads Brutal Takedown Of Al Roker As Vindictive And Mean [WATCH]

Television personality Billy Bush delivered a sharp critique of former “Today” show colleague Al Roker during a recent podcast appearance, accusing the longtime NBC personality of being difficult to work with during Bush’s brief tenure on the morning program in 2016, as reported by Page Six.

Bush made the comments during the June 12 episode of “The Nerve With Maureen Callahan,” where he reflected on his time at NBC and his experience working alongside Roker.

“The way I describe Al is three words: territorial, vindictive, and chronically unprepared.”

The former “Today” co-host also criticized Roker’s interviewing skills, arguing that the program’s third hour struggled because of his performance.

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According to Bush, the third hour of the NBC morning show “will never be a successful hour” because Roker is “maybe the worst interviewer on television.”

Bush joined “Today” in 2016 but remained with the program for only two months before being dismissed following the release of the “Access Hollywood” recording featuring President Donald Trump.

In the leaked tape, Trump made remarks to Bush that became a major issue during the 2016 presidential campaign.

During the podcast interview, Bush said he approached his role on “Today” with preparation and research but claimed Roker viewed him as competition.

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The television host alleged that Roker was “jealous” of him and further claimed that both Roker and former “Today” anchor Matt Lauer did not support his presence on the show’s third hour.

Lauer was dismissed from NBC in 2017 following allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior.

Bush also recounted an incident involving social media, alleging that Roker once liked a post on X that referred to him as a “white-splaining racist.”

Bush claimed the incident resulted in no consequences for Roker because of his longstanding position at NBC.

“Al had been there forever, so he kind of, you know, he gets free run of the place for his many credentials and one of them being longevity,” Bush said.

The criticism intensified as Bush discussed what he described as Roker’s behavior behind the scenes.

“People don’t know how mean he was. He’s mean. He’s a mean person. When you say rageful and all that, it’s mean. There is rage in there. There’s jealousy. And I talk about vindictiveness, but he’s mean,” Bush said.

Bush also claimed that Roker was reluctant to share airtime with him during their time together on the program.

According to Bush, tensions stemmed in part from the reception he received from staff members.

“When I got there, they said, you know, a younger guy with a full head of hair who the women on the staff genuinely liked a lot. And that was infuriating to him,” Bush stated.

Toward the end of the interview, Bush criticized Roker’s work as a weather forecaster.

“You’re never going to hear anything that’s truly insightful,” he said. “That’s not what he’s there for.”

Representatives for Roker and NBC’s “Today” program were contacted by Page Six for comment, according to the report.

Bush has previously discussed the personal struggles that followed his departure from “Today.” He has said that after losing the position, he spent time coping through heavy drinking, spending long periods at home, and crying.

His television career resumed in 2019 when entertainment news program “Extra” hired him to replace Mario Lopez. Bush later departed “Extra” and launched his podcast, “Hot Mics with Billy Bush,” in 2025.

The comments mark one of Bush’s most direct public criticisms of his former NBC colleague and provide a new look at the tensions he says existed behind the scenes during his short time on the network’s flagship morning show.

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