Billy Bush | Club Random with Bill Maher

Summary

Club Random with Bill Maher: Billy Bush Episode (Oct 20, 2025) — Podcast Summary

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Episode Theme Overview

Bill Maher welcomes TV personality Billy Bush to Club Random for a freewheeling, unfiltered, and comedic conversation. The episode explores the ups and downs of fame, Bush's infamous family ties, cancel culture, relationships, the evolution of entertainment media, and the nuances of both public and personal identity. As always, Maher keeps things candid, funny, and unpredictable, steering clear of overt political discourse but diving into deeper societal and personal issues with his signature mix of wit and skepticism.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bush Family Ties & Perceptions

[03:09–09:07]

• Clarifying Family Connections: Billy Bush traces his relationship to the Bush political dynasty; George H.W. is his uncle; George W. his first cousin.
  • "Out of 16 first cousins, George W. is the oldest at 78, and I'm the youngest at 53." (Billy Bush, 03:38)
• Dealing With Political Stereotyping: Billy shares anecdotes (including a run-in with Julia Roberts) about being assumed Republican due to his last name and the negative/positive fallout.
  • Notable Quote: "How do you know I'm a Republican just because my last name is Bush?" (Billy Bush, 08:39)
• Polarization & Cancel Culture: Both discuss today's lack of political nuance and snap judgments.
  • Notable Quote: "Each side is like an audience that's been insulted by the comic and they're just not going to give it up." (Bill Maher, 07:26)

2. Fame, Scandal, and Reinvention

[15:01–18:39]

• Leaving TV for Podcasting: Billy reflects on stepping away from Extra due to the stifling HR/cancellation climate in traditional media and embracing the freedom of podcasting.
• ‘Hot Mics’ & The Trump Tape: Maher empathizes with Bush’s fallout from the Access Hollywood “hot mic” incident, critiquing social media outrage cycles.
  • Notable Quote: "America, wow—the way they just jump to something and then like a few years later... do we have to judge everybody by their least perfect moment on a bad day?" (Bill Maher, 16:05)
• The Culture of Outrage: Both joke about media waiting to clip and amplify "gotcha" moments — "Is this something? Master bedroom. Is this any...?" (Maher, 17:02)

3. Showbiz, Nepotism, and Comedy

[21:12–26:43]

• Old-School NYC Comedy & Social Scene: Reminiscing about Upper East Side clubs and 2AM dinners; the comic struggle and camaraderie.
• Behind the Scenes: Comics' process, organizational skills, and the difference between “riffing” and prepared material.
  • "Sometimes you forget it... if you know where you're going... you can drift off into the waters and explore. Sometimes you find great stuff out there." (Bill Maher, 22:43)
• Amy Poehler Story: Admiration for comedians who commit to their bits, even through awkward silences.

4. Sexual Politics & Social Shifts

[39:03–48:28]

• Hollywood’s 'Couch' Culture: Discussion of transactional sexual favors in showbiz, the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and blurry lines between agency and exploitation.
• Personal Anecdotes: Both recount being propositioned/groomed during their early careers (including Billy’s hotel story), approaching them with candid humor and reflection.
  • "I would have hoped I was more attractive than to only get hit on by a gay man twice." (Bill Maher, 41:16)
• Consent, Power, and Vulnerability: Maher questions social overcorrection and asserts empathy for awkward encounters, while Bush draws a firmer line on predatory behavior.
  • "I would have just... not narked the guy... I would feel bad for him." (Bill Maher, 47:45)

5. Relationships, Aging, and Legacy

[81:21–86:29]

• On Celebrity Relationships: The pair poke fun at public fascination with celebrity breakups (e.g., Kidman-Urban), the challenges of long-term partnerships, and how "humans weren’t meant to spend every day together."
• Esther Perel’s Advice: Billy shares the insight that most people experience "two to three great loves" over a lifetime—some with the same person.
• Dying Alone & Family: Discussion spirals into deep questions of legacy, the inevitability of dying alone, and whether having children really insulates against loneliness.
  • "You're gonna die alone, I promise you." (Bill Maher, 86:16)
• Experiencing Death: Billy describes his father's passing and the profound sense of energy leaving the room, touching on spiritual themes despite Maher's agnosticism.

6. Psychedelics & Therapy

[92:09–103:54]

• Mushroom Journeys: Billy details his recent guided psilocybin experience and firing his therapist afterward, believing the plant medicine brought deeper emotional resolution about family, guilt, and the past.
  • "Everything is two feet in the future... let them all go and keep two feet in the future." (Billy Bush, 99:26)
• Mushrooms vs. Therapy: Maher expresses preference for laughter and skepticism about the introspective/therapeutic claims but is intrigued by Bush's transformative experience.

7. Evolution of Media & the State of TV

[74:56–77:45]

• Is TV Dead?: They discuss the dominance of streaming and podcasting, dwindling late-night audiences, and why Maher’s brand of content has “longevity.”
  • "You don't get to be that by being a fuckup... there’s a reason why the cream rises to the top and usually stays there.” (Bill Maher, 37:05)
• Boutique Portfolio Value: Bush argues that unique legacy shows (like Maher’s) still have cachet within corporate media, highlighting the continued importance of strong, independent voices.

8. Philosophy, Stoicism, & ‘Centering’

[108:03–109:16]

• Stoic Mindset: Both embrace elements of stoic philosophy—controlling reactions, avoiding highs/lows—in their approach to personal and professional challenges.
  • "You want to be able to just, like you are. You are a natural stoic... you don't ride the highs too high and... the lows too low." (Billy Bush, 109:03)
• On Even-Keeled Existence: Maher credits comedy for keeping him "centered," eschewing both rock star delusions and the temptation to wallow in defeats.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Judging People by a Single Mistake:

  • "Do we have to judge everybody by their least perfect moment on a bad day?"
    – Bill Maher, [16:05]

• On Family Name Stereotypes:

  • "How do you know I'm a Republican just because my last name is Bush?"
    – Billy Bush, [08:39]

• On the Comedy of Stand-Up:

  • "If you know where you're going... you can drift off into the waters and explore."
    – Bill Maher, [22:43]

• On Long-Term Monogamy:

  • "They're fucking tired of each other. Humans weren't meant to spend every fucking day together."
    – Bill Maher, [80:34]

• On Perspective and Luck:

  • "I'm very aware that I'm basically lucky. Good parents, stable upbringing, never enjoyed being a child, but it wasn’t a nightmare."
    – Bill Maher, [65:06]

• On Stoicism:

  • "You can't control what happens to you, you can only control how you react."
    – Billy Bush, [108:39]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:09–09:07] – Clearing up Bush family tree & political assumptions
• [15:01–18:39] – Transition from TV to podcasting & cancel culture reflections
• [21:12–26:43] – NYC comedy reminiscing, showbiz grind, Amy Poehler anecdote
• [39:03–48:28] – Sex, power, awkward encounters, and changing social mores
• [81:21–86:29] – Relationships, dying alone, and the meaning of family at the end of life
• [92:09–103:54] – Deep dive into psychedelics, therapy, and processing the past
• [74:56–77:45] – Is TV dead? Rise of podcasts/YouTube
• [108:03–109:16] – Stoicism, centering, and the philosophy of resilience

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Final Thoughts

Throughout this episode, Billy Bush comes across as candid and reflective, wrestling with the baggage of both fame and family legacy, while Bill Maher injects every subject with dry wit, skepticism, and philosophical musings. Their rapport is light, teasing, occasionally philosophical, never mean-spirited, and always leaning into the absurdity of both show business and human nature.

Whether riffing on personal scandal, cancel culture, or the search for meaning in both love and career, the conversation is inviting, funny, and surprisingly deep—a classic Club Random experience.

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Transcript

[Bill Maher]

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[Billy Bush]

You never did that to get to the top. You. You did you?

[Bill Maher]

No, I never even.

[Billy Bush]

You paused.

[Bill Maher]

I. What do you. What's your status? Are you married now? Are you?

[Billy Bush]

Why.

[Bill Maher]

Asking for.

[Billy Bush]

Andrew and I are quite happy. Billy.

[Bill Maher]

Billy.

[Billy Bush]

Billy.

[Bill Maher]

You know they used to call me Billy.

[Billy Bush]

I bet they did. Billy Mar.

[Bill Maher]

10 years old. It's ridiculous when you're an adult.

[Billy Bush]

Good to see.

[Bill Maher]

I'd stand for you, but you know.

[Billy Bush]

When I told me to sit down.

[Bill Maher]

No, please. Yeah. When I was 10. You know, I even had an uncle1 call me Willie. I may call you Willie?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I had a. My father called me Willie. Willie, I want to talk to you.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, that's a. I don't like Willie. I don't. I didn't. Many reasons I don't like. I mean the name itself is like the most generic name in the world.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I like William though. I thought, you know when I started doing like, you know, the today show and things, I thought, you know, Billy is too. Maybe I should be. Bill now is a. Is he? Bill is a.

[Bill Maher]

If I had ever gotten confirmed like I was supposed to, right before my father quit the Catholic church, I would have been William I would have been what my father's name was. And his father, which was William Aloysius. Mar.

[Billy Bush]

Aloysius.

[Bill Maher]

Aloysius is a very Irish. Very. You're a fucking WASP. So you wouldn't know this. There's nothing WASPier than a bush. And just. I know. I know this, but just. And I know you're not.

[Billy Bush]

Walk me through.

[Bill Maher]

I know you're not in the muscle end of the family, Tom, but tell me again. Your George Bush. The president was your. Is your uncle.

[Billy Bush]

Which one? The first one is my uncle. The first one's your uncle, believe it or not.

[Bill Maher]

The second one's your cousin.

[Billy Bush]

Sec. 43. George W. Is my first cousin.

[Bill Maher]

First cousin. So. Meaning you share a. So who's. Who's.

[Billy Bush]

Well, the reason everyone thinks he's my uncle because he's 25 years older than me. So out of 16 first cousins, George W. Is the oldest at 78, and I'm the youngest at 53. So my father is the younger brother of George H.W. bush. 41.

[Bill Maher]

I'm so sorry I asked. I still don't get.

[Billy Bush]

You get it. The old guy's my uncle, but he's like. Would be 104 or something if he was alive today.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

I thought you didn't drink.

[Bill Maher]

Who fucking told you that?

[Billy Bush]

I thought you were just a weed guy.

[Bill Maher]

Both. I barely. Do you eat.

[Billy Bush]

You look so skinny.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I barely drink. I mean, it's so sad. One reason I love Wednesdays, not just because I could get to talk to some interesting person. Freeform for as long as I want, but it's the one day I kind of allow myself a drink or two.

[Billy Bush]

Really? So you drink one day a week?

[Bill Maher]

That's basically. Yeah. I don't think I. Yeah. That very often that is the case. I mean, you can't. When you're. I'm 70. You can't fucking drink when you're this old. 70.

[Billy Bush]

You know, you are. You're ageless, Bill. I was thinking about that today. I said, I wonder how old Bill Maher is.

[Bill Maher]

I think.

[Billy Bush]

I think he just looks the same for the last 30 years. You're just Bill Maher.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

What's going on with the tincture now? Wait a minute. What are you doing? So many things.

[Bill Maher]

I can't do this every week.

[Billy Bush]

What is happening?

[Bill Maher]

No, I don't blame you. Everyone is wondering what jing. I drink it. It's this thing.

[Billy Bush]

It's the yang.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. That's what it is. It's the jing.

[Billy Bush]

It's tiger blood.

[Bill Maher]

There's the Answer to it. The jing. It's the jing. That's what. I'm actually aging in reverse. I have tiger blood. I'm Benjamin Button. I don't know what the fuck. Where's my. Oh, this? Yeah, okay, but. So, okay, but, you know, as a Bush, did they ever give you shit about it? Like, because, I mean, we're such a politicized country. I never seem to think anybody really held that. You know, the super liberals are like, oh, we can't listen to Bush give them celebrity news.

[Billy Bush]

No, you know, I. You've got your power libs right in. In town. I'll never forget when I first did the Oscars. You know, I was doing the red carpet and I was living in New York at the time and I was having fun on Access Hollywood as the correspondent. And so I did the Oscars for the official red carpet show. And I'm there and it's long, drawn out show, as everyone knows. And so I find myself in the hotel in the lobby bar. And I'd never met Julia Roberts before, but, you know, I knew of her, of course. And she was sitting right there at the bar and it looked like she was alone. And I pulled up and I said, you know, can I order a drink or whatever? And she turns and she says, billy Bush, you're the new guy on Access Hollywood. I said, and you're obviously Julia Roberts.

[Bill Maher]

Hello.

[Billy Bush]

And we got talking for a little bit and she said, so are you going to buy me a drink? Can you believe they don't give them free in the lobby of the Oscars? Holy shit. And I said, sure, of course I'd be honored. What would you like? And she turns to five friends and she goes, hey, guys, Billy Bush is buying. What do we want? Boom. I got hit for a huge bill right there. And we talked politics for a minute. She's like, how could you be a Republican?

[Bill Maher]

Really?

[Billy Bush]

And then you got like, people like there was like, you know, Rosie, you know, you'll get some shit from Rosie. But so what? But other than that, I think people, you know, hw, everybody loved people had, you know, thoughts about W. But now they love him. Now he's America's grandfather. If you see him in Gen Z thinks he's at everything he does.

[Bill Maher]

I would never be a Republican either, but I'm sorry. And I love Julia Roberts, but I find that obnoxious. I just do. To say to somebody, how could you be, you know, you could say that to a lot of people about a lot of things. It's just, it's just not. And of course, that attitude has only gotten worse in this country. I mean, we're in a terrible place, don't you think? I mean, the political violence and just the hatred and the, you know, no one listens to the argument. If they hate you so much to begin with, your argument. I know this from stand up. Because when you're a standup comic and you start out and you suck, some people handle. I handled it among the worst, which is you then insult the audience. You blame them for not laughing. Now they hate you. Now if you. You could say the funniest joke in the world. If they hate you, they're just gonna stand. They're not going to give it up to you. And I feel like that's exactly where we are in politics. Each side is like an audience that has been insulted by the comic and they're just not going to give it up. Even if they. Even if it hurts them in some way, they will. What's the saying? Cut off your nose to spite your face? Yeah, they will fucking do it. And that's where we are. I don't know how we get.

[Billy Bush]

But see, what Julia didn't understand is, how do you know I'm a Republican just because my last name is Bush? You feel like that's the. You get the. You inherit the card and that's it. And, you know, I mean, I've certainly voted that way, you know, plenty of times. But I would call him. I'm a registered independent now. I don't have a party. I can't. I mean, they're so polarized that I just don't. I wouldn't be able to identify with either one. So I'll look at the person and take the person.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, right. And you know what? You don't have to apologize if you are. I mean, half the country is. And, you know, again, not my cup of tea. I could give you the list of reasons why I wouldn't be, you know, starting with they're too religious and they're fiscal hypocrites and. Right. And now they don't believe in democracy anymore and blah, blah, blah. But I also would like to think I have things more in perspective, including, you know, Trump has put your cousin George W. In perspective for me. I mean, nobody.

[Billy Bush]

You miss him.

[Bill Maher]

I don't miss him.

[Billy Bush]

You miss him terribly. I can see it.

[Bill Maher]

I don't miss him.

[Billy Bush]

But you would love him. I should have him sit right here. You should bust your ass to get.

[Bill Maher]

You make that happen.

[Billy Bush]

He is so fucking funny. And and just easy hang. You would love it.

[Bill Maher]

I would. I would.

[Billy Bush]

And he would paint you and he would put a little portrait on the wall.

[Bill Maher]

Dude, I'm the guy who went to the White House and had the three hour dinner with.

[Billy Bush]

I remember.

[Bill Maher]

And got him to sign all the insults he said about me. It's right there.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, my God, that is so great.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, it's the greatest, Bill.

[Billy Bush]

You caught so much shit for that. And I thought it was one of the great.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, thank you.

[Billy Bush]

Great moves. And I was sitting. I was actually rolling the picture on my podcast. And Chuck LaBella, your booker and producer.

[Bill Maher]

Great friend of the Apprentice, he booked.

[Billy Bush]

A Celebrity Apprentice Forever. So he books Club Random. He does. He's a terrific guy. I look at the picture. A terrific guy. I sound like.

[Bill Maher]

You sound like Regis.

[Billy Bush]

Larry David said that to me. I went out like Regis. He says, you were. He goes, you know what you are? I said what? Larry David said, you're a cross between Jason Costanza because. And a little Regis.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, there is a little. But when I get excited and you've got that, I get up. Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

And I say, bill, I can't believe it. Joy, where are we going? We're going out to dinner tonight. I was there last night. Bill Maher was in there.

[Bill Maher]

That's perfect. And you got the hair.

[Billy Bush]

He's got a little bit of the nasal. I'm misreading. He's terribly. Goddamn.

[Bill Maher]

And you got the hair.

[Billy Bush]

He had great hair till the end.

[Bill Maher]

Great hair. So do you just like Reed? No, not like you're not as full as.

[Billy Bush]

No, not like me. But you can't. Not true.

[Bill Maher]

Not like me.

[Billy Bush]

God's fair.

[Bill Maher]

But can. Can I.

[Billy Bush]

You don't believe in God, but I do. And God's fair. He doesn't give you everything. He gave me hair.

[Bill Maher]

Can I pass a message from you to George W. Please? Okay, first of all, I was very hard on him.

[Billy Bush]

Did I text him right now?

[Bill Maher]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Billy Bush]

Wait. I could do a voice.

[Bill Maher]

I'll do it right now.

[Billy Bush]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

But, you know, I was hard. I'm not taking it back. I wasn't for the invasion of Iraq or, you know, I mean, just the basic Republican policies that he championed were not exactly my cup of tea. But I also have things much more in perspective. He should know that. Yes. I probably, looking back, could have been more reasonable. It shouldn't have always been just everything. Like, for example, and I have defended him on this. He had an idea to privatize Social Security. Well, you know, if you look at where money goes over a century now, you don't live quite a century, but you live half a century when you're, at least, if you're above a normal lifespan, where you put money. If you look the stock market, even with its dips and recessions, the chart is like this. It goes quite a bit up. You know, it just makes more money. Whereas if you leave it in the bank, which is what we do now, it crawls along the bottom. Okay, it is safer. But it wasn't like the worst idea, the idea that everybody has to like jump on something because it came from the other team.

[Billy Bush]

That's exactly. I'm worse now.

[Bill Maher]

I've also mentioned many times that, you know, to contrast him with where we are now, when Obama won, he was in office. He had him in there. He stood with the other president's experts and he said, we want you to succeed. Which is something you can't imagine Donald Trump saying, let alone, he doesn't even.

[Billy Bush]

Let alone attending the inauguration.

[Bill Maher]

Well, he doesn't concede the election. He's not going to say. Amy Klobuchar, good luck with the office. It's just not.

[Billy Bush]

We're standing behind you. We really support you.

[Bill Maher]

I gave him credit for, I mean, he, Dick Cheney's boy was Scooter Libby, and he did not do the wrong thing. When Scooter Libby got in trouble, he was like, Dick Cheney almost broke up with him over that. And he was like, no, it's not the right thing. You can't outspise. And whatever he did. So, like, I. And he just was, it was just a different era where we were Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives. But it wasn't at this horrible place we are now. And he was in line with the traditional Republican way of doing things, which, you know, it's not hundred to zero. You're terrible. And the others, it was more like 60, 40 maybe in my view, 70, 30, something like that. Whereas now it's just off the rails.

[Billy Bush]

So we're missing nuance.

[Bill Maher]

Maybe he will hear that. And I'll tell you this. My friend Michael Kivis went to his house once. He, I think he knew Jenna.

[Billy Bush]

I know Michael.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, great guy. And, and he, they got my name.

[Billy Bush]

Came up and he, Michael Kivis went to George.

[Bill Maher]

Yes. I think he was friends with.

[Billy Bush]

He's in every house.

[Bill Maher]

He may have been dating Jenna or one of the Bush girls. I, I think he was, or at least he was friends with. That's why he was there. He was in, At George's house.

[Billy Bush]

Maybe Barbara. She's a little.

[Bill Maher]

No, no. And young. My name came up. But he said Bill Maher was over. And. And your George Bush said, you let that man in your house. Laura, get the cat off of me. You let that man in your house. So that's where he is. With me, maybe.

[Billy Bush]

No, I don't think so. I think I.

[Bill Maher]

Well, he was then.

[Billy Bush]

Then he's such an easygoing cat. He does not, you know, participate in anything. He's. He's of his father's belief that you step out when you step out.

[Bill Maher]

I would love to talk to him. I really would.

[Billy Bush]

You'd have to give him one of those, see if he'd enjoy.

[Bill Maher]

He would not do that.

[Billy Bush]

No, I don't think so. No.

[Bill Maher]

But. All right, so we've cleared up your family history. What about your future? Well, I don't see you anymore. I used to see you, and then tmz. There was a perfect.

[Billy Bush]

I'm done with Access Hollywood. I mean, I'm done with Extra, which was the last one.

[Bill Maher]

Why?

[Billy Bush]

Because it's just.

[Bill Maher]

I'm shrinking.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, it's just like you can't say anything.

[Bill Maher]

It's.

[Billy Bush]

It's. It's.

[Bill Maher]

It's not a show for saying. No.

[Billy Bush]

I want to say things, Bill. I like what you do. I like. I want to say things. That's why I did. I'm going podcast.

[Bill Maher]

What do you want to say?

[Billy Bush]

You know who I got a problem with?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

Look, I love watching you. I love watching. You know, I. I. The. The podcast universe, to me, is fantastic. I should have done it years ago, but, you know, I started this hot mics podcast, which is a nice wink to the. To the history. And, like, the mics are hot. And now we know they're on. Oh, now we know they're on. And. And it's fantastic. I get all kinds of people coming in. I talk about whatever I want to talk about, and I'm. I don't worry. The head of HR is me.

[Bill Maher]

Man, it's great. You are, I mean, among a fairly now long list of people who. America, wow. The way they just jump to something and then like a few years later, sometimes even one year later. What happened to that? It was like, okay, you know, do we have to judge everybody by their least perfect moment on a bad day or just, you know, it's just. I hope we're over that time because it's so obnoxious.

[Billy Bush]

I think we are, but I also think, like, we. It's right now. I think it's about the algorithm. Right. So someone hears something. Like someone will watch what I say with you and they'll wait. Wait for maybe either one of us to say something that could be missed. And then they'll take that, they'll clip it, they'll put it out and.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

Isn't this terrible? And if there are any bites. No bites. Shit. Okay. We tried to try to get it going.

[Bill Maher]

I always said somebody should do a show if they were realistic about who they really are. Called is this something. Yeah, is this something? Master bedroom. Is this any. Could. I would. No, I'm not catching on. Okay. You know, and that's exactly right. And that's all they fucking care about.

[Billy Bush]

That's exactly right.

[Bill Maher]

There's scalps on the wall. Scalps. Can I say scalps?

[Billy Bush]

It's beyond true. And if nobody bites, they move on. And then it's amazing what actually does stick. I've seen people give groveling apologies over absolutely nothing. I love to rate apologies, but I.

[Bill Maher]

Mean, to be just the guy who was, you know, at worst just trying not to offend somebody who is in the pecking order of show business. Someone you don't want to offend. Like who Is it hurting that like, you were going to change Donald Trump? If you had said, sir, I will not stand for hearing a language like that. It's just not what people do. You hear things that you don't exactly approve of. And you don't have to at every moment take that moment and an opportunity to say, no, sir, that will not suffice. You know, it's just. Just thing. Life is full of like moment after moment. Some of them just let flow by.

[Billy Bush]

Not me. I've now changed entirely. Drunk Uncle Larry says something I don't like at Thanksgiving table. I'm all over Larry. That is beyond inappropriate. I will not sit here at this stage.

[Bill Maher]

I don't remember a Larry Bush on the political.

[Billy Bush]

We had one.

[Bill Maher]

And who's Jeb? That. That's also. Your honor.

[Billy Bush]

So. Jeb's my cousin. He's George's brother, so he's also my cousin.

[Bill Maher]

Okay. And do you. How often do you see them?

[Billy Bush]

Just saw them recently. They. My brother is running for governor of Maine.

[Bill Maher]

Maine. Does he live in Maine?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. I gotta do that. Yeah, he lives in Maine.

[Bill Maher]

Well, you don't gotta do that. People. Are you kidding?

[Billy Bush]

You can't see. You have to live there at least five years in Maine.

[Bill Maher]

They've got it around it.

[Billy Bush]

Ronald, he's lived there five in a day. I'm kidding. We're A main family forever.

[Bill Maher]

Hillary Clinton.

[Billy Bush]

Well, that was a great.

[Bill Maher]

Did not live in New York.

[Billy Bush]

Can you say carpet bag?

[Bill Maher]

Is this any. Is this something? Robert Kennedy. Not the current one. Not the guy who eats bears. His father was the senator from New York.

[Billy Bush]

Yes.

[Bill Maher]

Okay. They're the most famous Massachusetts family in the world. It's like they don't fucking care. Mitt Romney was the governor of Massachusetts. He's a Mormon from God. Yeah, yeah. They don't care.

[Billy Bush]

He went back to the motherland and became a senator. That's exactly right. So where should I go? I want to. Maybe I should be a politician. Give me a nice. I think I could win Rhode Island. What do you think? So small. And I could just campaign very quickly.

[Bill Maher]

You don't have a connection to Texas like the other Bushes, do you?

[Billy Bush]

No, everybody thinks that, you know, because the George Bushes are Texas. But they're the only ones.

[Bill Maher]

Where did you grow up?

[Billy Bush]

Manhattan.

[Bill Maher]

Manhattan.

[Billy Bush]

Manhattan.

[Bill Maher]

Wow.

[Billy Bush]

Bella. Upper east side, right by the mayor's mansion. Carl Schurz Park. Do you know it? Carl Schurz Park, 86 between York and East End. Carl Schurz park is where the mayor's mansion is on the East River.

[Bill Maher]

I used to. After the clubs, you know, closed at 2am we would eat at the V end was on 86 on the upper east side. That was. Yeah. Because the comic strip was on 82nd and second. Catch a Rising Star was on 78th and first. The V end was open 24 hours. Oh, those were the days.

[Billy Bush]

Sit with the comics.

[Bill Maher]

The fuck. Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

The smoke cigarettes, have coffee, smoke cigarettes.

[Bill Maher]

Probably in the diner.

[Billy Bush]

Then you could. Oh, and on airplanes.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. So when they say Trump wants to take America back, I just want to go back to the diner. Like, I don't want. I don't want to go back with all the other bad. Just. Just the diner where I could have any food at any hour and smoke cigarettes. But yeah, it's probably better that we don't.

[Billy Bush]

It's. It's. Well, I love the fact that you're a comic, though. I think that takes a lot of the fact that you got through getting your ass kicked. A few times you said when you suck. And I mean, that's when I would have quit because I just don't know if I could handle it. You just took it until you broke through, man.

[Bill Maher]

I. I have.

[Billy Bush]

That's that. I. I respect that.

[Bill Maher]

It's funny. I've been.

[Billy Bush]

And nothing else.

[Bill Maher]

Going to. To the Comedy Store every once in a while. Or the improv. Although the Improv has been, like, closed, like, at midnight on Saturday again, how the mighty have fallen. But the comics. The Comedy Store on Sunset, where I never really ever worked. I was not her cup of tea. But it's open, it's bigger, and it's like they do a midnight show. So sometimes, like after, you know, a dinner or something, I don't want to go home. Hey, let's go to the Comedy Store. I love it and. But, boy, I watch these comics up there, and it really takes me back to, wow, if only I could have had an angel on my shoulder, or I guess I could have been a nice guy and tell these comics after the show. If you just didn't do this, my God, your life would be so much easier. But I guess it's just something you have to learn.

[Billy Bush]

Will you drive down and go, do you know that comic thing?

[Bill Maher]

No, I'm not doing stand up. I stopped doing stand up at the end of last year.

[Billy Bush]

Did you ever do stand up? Not prepared?

[Bill Maher]

Never. Oh, well, that's not true.

[Billy Bush]

Just riff on a stage or did you know what you were doing?

[Bill Maher]

I mean, you know, when you. It's always a combination of having a structure. Yes, I was always that organized. I would have a structure. But sometimes you forget it. And then, yes, if you know where you're going, if you know you can get back to the island, then you can drift off into the waters and explore. Sometimes you find great stuff out there. As long as you can always get back to where you know you have safe harbor and you can always get the joke. I mean, I'm sure there are comics who do it. They just. Let's just go out on the limb and see where it goes. A lot of them who you think did that really did know where they were going. They had a lot of stuff. You know, I mean, we started with a lot of guys who would talk to the audience. And of course, if it's the first time you're seeing it, you think, this guy's a genius. But actually, the same answers come up from the audience all the time. So he's got this, sir, what do you do for a living?

[Billy Bush]

Nothing.

[Bill Maher]

How do you know when you're done and he's. This guy's a genius. He came up with that. He came up with that five years ago. He says it every fucking night. Because somebody says that every night.

[Billy Bush]

You know, I bet you you've had every situation, but the worst has gotta be you get lost or you forget, like, you're at an impasse. And I bet you've had the situation where from there you went down and tanked and. Or the situation where from there you actually recovered cuz you saw something or someone did something and you got the wheels going again and it turned out to be a home run night. That too much chance in there.

[Bill Maher]

I did, you know, it's called, called putting in your 10,000 hours. I mean I did so many zillion sets, everything happened. But the worst, the kind of thing I think you're talking about that's the worst for me anyway is sometimes you had to do two shows. Often had to do two shows on, on the weekend and if you forgot a joke that you thought you hadn't done in the second show but you had done, you thought you only did it in the first show, but you actually did it in the second show and now you do the same joke and the audience just usually expecting a laugh and the audience just looks at you like, what a fucking fraud. And that. It only happened to me once because I was so paranoid about what a fraud. And then there was.

[Billy Bush]

And that strikes to me.

[Bill Maher]

Sometimes you do three shows in a night and there was this cognitive dissonance when you're on stage because you memorize your set in order because you don't want this to happen. So you'd be in the religious section of the third show and you're like, wow, part of my brain is telling me I did this joke because you just did it in the second and first show. But the other part of your brain is saying, no, no, no, no, you didn't just do it. And it's so hard to commit to it with your full.

[Billy Bush]

Because if you don't go all in.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, and you gotta. So it's just, it was. As soon as I could, I told my agent, I will never do a second show with Amy Poehler.

[Billy Bush]

I mean, she's to me one of the funniest people because she commits and if there is silence or she. At the Golden Globe, she did some act where she pretended to be Michael J. Fox's son or something. And she was in this bit as a little boy. I can't remember the exact. But it started to get like, this is not working. She didn't give a shit. She went right through, right through to the other side. People started laughing. They started laughing when anyone else would have dropped out. And it was a home run that I love.

[Bill Maher]

I've always been a huge fan. I think she's brilliant. She lives across the street and I can't get her to do this podcast. Could you talk to her after you talk to George Bush, please?

[Billy Bush]

I will talk. Let me first talk to George. Okay, let's get the order cleared.

[Bill Maher]

Literally across the street, you know who.

[Billy Bush]

I driving here to your house. I passed her ex husband on a walk. Who's a great friend.

[Bill Maher]

Will Arnett.

[Billy Bush]

Will Arnett on a walk with his new girlfriend. I pulled over the window, had a nice. He looks very thin and fit and tan.

[Bill Maher]

Well, he's got a new girlfriend.

[Billy Bush]

He's got a hot girlfriend.

[Bill Maher]

That's what. Who's the girlfriend? She.

[Billy Bush]

Model? I think it's Carolyn Murphy. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Really? Yeah. Is she a current model?

[Billy Bush]

Age appropriate, the whole thing.

[Bill Maher]

Age appropriate?

[Billy Bush]

Like not a 27 year old girl. Will's my age, okay?

[Bill Maher]

I'm.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, I'm not going to judge. I know you. Yeah, Bill, I know you dated some younger ladies before.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not going to judge either.

[Billy Bush]

That's too young for me. My daughter, 15 years older than your oldest child. That's it. What? My girls have rules for me on that.

[Bill Maher]

What? Say that again.

[Billy Bush]

She said my oldest daughter said you had. You can't date anyone younger than 15 years older than. Than your oldest child. So if she's 27, that puts me at.

[Bill Maher]

That's why I don't have kids. Because they make fucking rules that I. Kids shouldn't be making the rules.

[Billy Bush]

You'd be a great father, Bill. I always thought that I would not. You really is the one that got away. Should have been.

[Bill Maher]

I said this many times. I'd be the first. People say to me all the time, bill, if you had one of your own, it would be different. No, I'd be the first guy to look in the crib and go, still nothing. That's true.

[Billy Bush]

That's enough tincture for you.

[Bill Maher]

I never. I never liked kids when I was a kid.

[Billy Bush]

You took the tincture thing out and poured the bottle in. You're supposed to use the dropper.

[Bill Maher]

Take it as a compliment, Bill. I just. I'm enjoying myself. Numbing yourself so much. I'm doing. I'm taking it right from the head. It's the. It's the jing that keeps me young. I keep coming up with slogans for these people. It's the jing that keeps me young. Hey, the liquor doesn't hurt. You know what most guys call style? Whatever shirt was closest to the bed. Wrinkled, baggy, shaped like a parachute. Real sexy stuff. Well, that's where a true classic comes in. These guys had one simple idea. Make premium comfortable shirts that fit without that designer price tag so you can treat yourself without racking up the bills. With over 25 million shirts sold, 5 million customers and more than 200,000 five star reviews, true Classic is obviously doing something right. Some of the producers here at Club Random have been wearing True Classic for a while and you can tell the difference immediately. They actually look kind of good. The shirts are tailored where you want, relaxed where you need. No bunching, no stiff fabric, no bs. Just a clean effortless fit that actually works for real life in every style. Forget the overpriced designer stuff, skip the bargain bin T shirts that turn to ruin after two washes. True Classic is built for comfort, built to last and built to give back. Find them at Amazon, Target, Costco, Sam's Club or go to truclassic.com random to try them yourself. Well, you've probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thought sure, like that actually works. But Nutrafol is not like the rest. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. You can feel great about what you're putting into your body since Nutrafol hair growth supplements are backed by peer reviewed studies and NS F Contents certified the gold standard in third party certification for supplements. The best part? It's easy to add to your daily routine. Order online, no prescription, free shipping, automated deliveries and with a subscription you Save up to 20%. Get access to a naturopathic doctor and even a Headspace membership. If you want to see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months, check out Nutrafol. For a limited time. Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to nutrafol.com and enter the promo code Random Find out why Nutrafol is the best selling hair growth supplement [e-mail] spelled n u t r a f o l.com promo code random that's nutrafol.com promo code random Try a glass of Jing. Try a glass of this.

[Billy Bush]

What do we got there? Tequila or something?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, tequila. I switched. I used to drink Jack Daniels but you know, it's a little healthier this stuff and no it's not.

[Billy Bush]

That's what we tell each other. We all say, no, it is.

[Bill Maher]

It is the agave. Sure, everything is.

[Billy Bush]

Everybody has a way of reasoning. I know.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not saying it's health food.

[Billy Bush]

That's you stick to one day a week, you're good.

[Bill Maher]

That is True. That is true. But it depends on what you make it out of. I mean, you can make booze out of almost anything. I mean, vodka is potatoes, right?

[Billy Bush]

And many other things. You can make vodka out of potatoes out of grapes. Ciroc vodka, the one that Diddy used to have, that's out of grapes.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, really?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, rice. I mean, anything, right?

[Bill Maher]

You can make it out of anything. The agave plant apparently is a little more healthy to begin with, but you're right, it's. Look, it's poison is poison. And you are always making trade offs.

[Billy Bush]

Sometimes we need a little poison, Bill.

[Bill Maher]

Exactly.

[Billy Bush]

Especially these days.

[Bill Maher]

You're always. Except for Brian Johnson, we are always making trade offs with our future self. You're saying, you know, if I smoke this, will it cost me five minutes at the end of my life? I'm good to go with that bargain.

[Billy Bush]

You've lived a great life. You've accomplished a lot.

[Bill Maher]

Well, let's not.

[Billy Bush]

But you're also, you're frozen in time. You look the same age. It's incredible. I'm sitting up here very close to you and I'm saying, I don't know if you have a great dermatologist or something, but you look young. The lines aren't really extreme.

[Bill Maher]

I think it's not having children. And I don't mean that as a put down for children. I just mean that there is something psychological and of course also something physical. It takes a lot out of you. Not to mention the old bank account. But there's something about the psychology of I am not passing this along, I am it. I'm still it. Until I have another mini me, I'm still sort of the last one. And I have to keep this going and I have to be the young one. And then when you have the younger one, I can understand that the psychology is different. It's like you're passing through this other person and you're more or less likely to have the eye of the tiger.

[Billy Bush]

In Hollywood. There's two stages of fathers, right? I mean, the little. You know, the school I went to with my kids, you know, James Caan was a father in the class with me. So I would have great times talking to Jimmy Khan. But he was on his second lap, you know, I mean, yes, if you imagine you, Bill maher, at almost 70 years old at carpool, I mean, that's, it's embarrassing. That's Bill Maher. Look.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, my God. First of all, I'd have to do it from a stretch limousine. And like Trump, which, which is Very out of style. Nobody uses a stretch limousine anymore. They're like the un. Unhippest thing in the world. Have you ever seen a celebrity in the last 10 years get out of a stretch limousine?

[Billy Bush]

It's all SUV.

[Bill Maher]

It's all SUVs.

[Billy Bush]

And yes, we got to bring back the stretch.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, I would. I don't. You don't have to ask me. I'm there. I love. I do. Did I do tid? I do. Did. I did, too. I don't know. Either the plot or your personality is getting to me, but no, I did, too. I used to love the old stretch limousine, and that's how I would deliver my kids to school. I don't want to be seen. It's embarrassing. It's like being seen on the subway. Wow. Bill Maher, I thought you were doing well. What are you doing on the. You know, sometimes they get celebrities on the subway because they think it gives them cool cred. Wow, Mark Ruffalo. You're on the subway. You must be like a regular person. And he is. And a nice guy, and I love his work. Blah, blah, great work, whoever. I could have picked anybody, buddy. I just happen.

[Billy Bush]

But no, that you picked a good one. You really know you did. Ruffalo's a perfect one. He looks like a homeless guy walking around New York. He wants it that way.

[Bill Maher]

Show his solidarity with the. You know, I get it. It's fine. I hope he's still my friend. He did the show once. I liked him. I still like him.

[Billy Bush]

What do you mean? I hope he's still my friend. Did you say something?

[Bill Maher]

Well, I just said something. We just used.

[Billy Bush]

Mark is very forgiving. I know all the celebrities, Bill. I dealt with them. I've. I've kissed every one of their asses. I know everything. I know what they taste like, smell.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, you really have talked well, you certainly have talked to every a lister. Whereas, like, sometimes people say to me, it's so funny, you know, do you know? And then it's like, somebody who I do, you know Tom Cruise? I'm like, no, of course I don't fucking know Tom Cruise. You know, do you know we have.

[Billy Bush]

The same trainer, you know?

[Bill Maher]

No, I don't know these people. But you do.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I don't know them. I mean, some I know they become friends, but I have interactions.

[Bill Maher]

You've had interactions with all of them? I've had no interactions.

[Billy Bush]

Interaction except for the ones that come on the show.

[Bill Maher]

That's very. Well, certainly Real Time has very, very, very few celebrities and people Pundits, governors, senators, congressmen, people who. Yes, exactly.

[Billy Bush]

Me, I've been on there.

[Bill Maher]

Yes, but most people are, you know, the show people. This is not the show for them, you know, not. I'm putting them down. But you have to like, know shit. And celebrities mostly do not feel the need to know shit. And then there's many who like, don't know shit. But it doesn't stop them from speaking.

[Billy Bush]

Because you can't just be known for memorizing words that someone else wrote and spitting them back into a camera. It's gotta be something more. And I think a lot of them get into trouble that way.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean, I say this a lot on this show and they probably hate me for it in Hollywood, but they hate me anyway, so who cares? But celebrities are just. Some of them do. Yeah, they do. The smart ones. But like celebrities, they're just a different breed. It's just like they're loaded with talent. Talent is different than, you know, knowing things and, you know, thinking ain't their best thing often. Now that's many, many exceptions to that. There are many very smart people. And I always say in this business, any asshole can get five good years doing something, but the cream rises to the top and usually stays there. There's a reason why if you take the 20 greatest, most successful directors or the ones who are, they're all great directors. I mean, you don't get to be that by being a fuck up and not having a vision and not knowing what you're doing and not being able to deliver on time and on budget. You're managing this $200 million enterprise of hundreds of people. And you know, this is a job. The mediocre people just are not going to make whatever Dune or whatever fucking movies. They're.

[Billy Bush]

Avatar, James Cain.

[Bill Maher]

Sure, yeah, all of it. All of them. The one that's on. I'm anxious to see the DiCaprio movie out. Now that's.

[Billy Bush]

People are raving over it. I watched the trailer called what?

[Bill Maher]

Another Another Day. Oh, shit. Another way, Another terrible bad day, Another.

[Billy Bush]

Bearded Leo, and he looks very distraught. It looks good, though.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, it looks great and it seems to be about something, you know, which is. That's a lot to say for a movie, but really, I mean, most movies are spandex and shooting rays out of the end of your fingers. And, you know, I mean, that's fine, but like, it's great to see a movie that's an original story and he's an original director. And I'm saying this guy he did. What do you do? You know, what's the porn one with Mark Wahlberg?

[Billy Bush]

Dirk Diggler.

[Bill Maher]

Dirk Diggler.

[Billy Bush]

Why Can't Boogie Nights?

[Bill Maher]

Boogie Nights, baby. And There Will Be Blood. I mean, he's a major director. And again, that cream rises to the top. People like that don't get to their job just by, you know, who you know and who you blow. Now, that's a little different in the.

[Billy Bush]

I would be right at the top if there were no problems who you know and who you blow. Well, you never did that to get to the top. You. You did you.

[Bill Maher]

No, I never even.

[Billy Bush]

You paused.

[Bill Maher]

I.

[Billy Bush]

You paused.

[Bill Maher]

I did not know. What I was going to say is I never even accepted blowjob when I was the emcee at the comedy club because, you know, there were singers and once in a while it was, you didn't know, put out there that stage time, you know, maybe I could help myself with stage time. And I had enough integrity to like, not go for that.

[Billy Bush]

Now that's a terrible thing.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, no, it is a terrible thing. Unless. Well, here's a good philosophical question. Is it a terrible thing if the woman wants to do it?

[Billy Bush]

Well, I asked a very, very high profile agent in town, a guy with whom I play some golf here and there. And I said, when the Weinstein thing was happening, I said, how many? And he represents big stars. And I said, how many people do you think you know did it? And they're like right now going, oh, I mean, you know, and got a nice bump out of it. He said, a lot. Tons. Well, you know, eh, I'm gonna bang Harvey Weinstein. It's gonna be a horrible experience. But you know what? I'm gonna get something out of this. And from there I'm gonna parlay and boom onto the next thing.

[Bill Maher]

I happen to know.

[Billy Bush]

Is it the worst?

[Bill Maher]

No, I happen to know from reliable, very reliable sources as much as Harvey Weinstein is also absolutely, in my view, maybe I have to say, because I don't know where the legal thing is now.

[Billy Bush]

No, in the right light, a definitive.

[Bill Maher]

Rapist who belongs in jail. There also were instances of where it was a transactional. Of course I think I can get an Oscar out of this man. And is that worth a blowjob? That's their decision.

[Billy Bush]

I had early in my day, a female executive, when I was a very young man, ask me to give a little spin. It was all part of a joke. It was all, give me a little spin. Look at you. You're so cute and young. I love all that bushy hair. Look at you. Give me a spin. The whole thing.

[Bill Maher]

I could totally see that happening to you.

[Billy Bush]

And I was a pig in shit. I thought it was funny. I enjoyed it. But you know, at the end, I could have, man, I could have made.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean, I could think of two instances when I was young and dumb, when I first lived in New York and I was hit on by a gay man in two different instances that I could think of. And. And sadly, that. That's it in my life. Like, I. I would hope. I. I would have hoped I was more attractive than to own. But like twice.

[Billy Bush]

You're an acquired tasty. You're very attractive.

[Bill Maher]

No, and it was great because not traditionally. I remember the second time I did a set at the Comic Strip, and I got off stage and there was this guy and he was like sitting at the bar and he was like. He's just telling me he thought I did a great set. And of course, you know, you're young and you're hungry for any sort of adject. You know, finally a fan, you know, somebody like. And it's like, great. And I'm just like, completely oblivious that this guy is gay and wants to fuck me and picking me up. And he's like talking, and we're talking. It's like, nothing. And then he's like, you know, you want to grab a bite? And I was like, again, still stupid. No, I got to go and do another set at the other club, which I did. And come with. Sure, comes with. And then like, we were eating at the club after the show, and like, the second time the set subject of homosexuality came up. Not I. It went bing. Oh, my God, this guy is bringing up the subject of homosexual just out of the blue. Like, we could talk about any of these. Art history.

[Billy Bush]

Sex with me, sex with men.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, anything, whatever. Furniture, literature, you know, ancient wisdom, any whatever, just whatever subject. And that's when I was like, oh, I'm on a date. I see. I'm on a date and I don't know it.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, you're being groomed.

[Bill Maher]

And then I knew it, and I was nice about it.

[Billy Bush]

I had the craziest thing happen to me in New York. You remember the Four Seasons on 57th Street? I don't know if they reopened it, but 57th and park or whatever.

[Bill Maher]

I remember staying there.

[Billy Bush]

Ah, you always stayed there. And I was staying there for work, and I was out, you know, shopping or whatever, and I walk into the lobby and I go, they didn't check cards Back then, they didn't check your room key. I just went right to the elevator. I get in, this guy gets in.

[Bill Maher]

That's your white privilege asshole.

[Billy Bush]

Okay. Well, this other white man gets in behind me and he's, you know, in the elevator with me and he's talking. Aren't you Billy Bush? I said, oh, yes. Yeah. He goes, oh, I see you on TV sometimes. That's. Well, thank you. I push 12. He doesn't push a number. We get to 12, the doors open. I get out. He gets out. And I'm like, oh, you're on. You're on 12. You know, we're on the same floor. Have a great time. I take a left, I go there down the hall to the right. I go to my room. He goes to the left, goes down the hallway the other way. And he's like, okay, good to see you. And I'm like, okay, bye. And I get into my room about three minutes later. Two minutes later, yeah. And I had the latch on. I don't know why, I never would put the latch on, but I had the latch on. And I said, hello, because I had a weird feeling. And he says, hey, Billy, it's me. It's Andrew from the elevator. And you change names, whatever his name.

[Bill Maher]

Was, but you already knew that from the.

[Billy Bush]

To me from the elevator, from the.

[Bill Maher]

Group, from the small walk.

[Billy Bush]

Small detail, Bill.

[Bill Maher]

What he said is, no, no, it's not a small detail. Okay, if you change names.

[Billy Bush]

Well, he knew mine because he saw from.

[Bill Maher]

That's different. You're a celebrity.

[Billy Bush]

And he said to me, you said, Andrew, whatever his name was, could be Phil. Phil from the elevator. I'm the guy from the elevator.

[Bill Maher]

Oh. I said, you're changing your story.

[Billy Bush]

This is a legit story, Bill.

[Bill Maher]

I know it is, but it's.

[Billy Bush]

Bill, you don't want to relive it if it's not real.

[Bill Maher]

It's important whether you knew his name before you came to the door.

[Billy Bush]

I'm not saying Andrew. I'm throwing out his Larry. I go to Larry.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, but that means. Had a conversation, that I'm not interested.

[Billy Bush]

In the story anymore, but I'm not telling you, and there's a big finish. I'm not telling.

[Bill Maher]

I'm very interested. But. But you have to admit that's an important detail because it. It implies a level of intimacy that would give him a little more purchase to knock on your door.

[Billy Bush]

Okay. Did I say to him in the elevator, oh, what's your name? No, I wasn't engaging in conversation. What he Might have thrown it out. I'm using a standard. All right, default name.

[Bill Maher]

I'm done, Counselor.

[Billy Bush]

I usually use Larry, but anyway, he knocks and I. I open the thing a little bit ago. Yeah, can I help you? And he goes, hey, I was just wondering, do you want to maybe have a drink or something in. In the bar downstairs? I said, you know what? I got to go meet my mom for dinner. Thank you so much. No, I can't. I'm really in a.

[Bill Maher]

This was not at the end of the night.

[Billy Bush]

No, this is right there in the middle of the day, 4 o'. Clock. This guy, he liked to get it done early. And. And I said, no, that's good. He goes, well, would you like to just maybe have a quick. Quick drink?

[Bill Maher]

Oh, wow.

[Billy Bush]

And I went, a quick drink? Like we're just gonna do shots or something and it's gonna. I said, no, really. I'm so sorry. I really don't want to keep my mom waiting. Thank you. All good. And he goes, then, do you want one of these? And he looks down at my crotch and he goes, do you want one of these?

[Bill Maher]

Oh. So you had opened the door.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, I had a. Like this. And I'm in my little robe. I'm gonna take a shower. And he goes, do you want one of those? And I was like, that means a blowjob. And I went, that definitely. I said, no, thank you, though. And I closed the door. I actually thanked him for the offer. Close the door. And I go right to the phone and I call down the desk and I said, hey, there is a guy on my floor. He lives at the end, at the. One of the 12 down at the end, and he just propositioned me. And you need to get him out of here. And I don't. And they looked at him, they said, Mr. Bush, I don't think the guy's on your floor. He's not staying in this hotel. And I went, oh, my God. The guy followed me in from the street the whole way, tracked me to the elevator, all the way up.

[Bill Maher]

Kind of a flex. It's kind of a flex for you?

[Billy Bush]

Well, I mean, I'm an attractive guy.

[Bill Maher]

You are?

[Billy Bush]

I was in good shape then.

[Bill Maher]

I was young. You know, gay men follow you.

[Billy Bush]

Thank you.

[Bill Maher]

And they don't even know you're gay. I guess they.

[Billy Bush]

But I wonder what his hit ratio is like. How many times does that work? 10% of the time.

[Bill Maher]

I got to say, if that was me, I wouldn't have narcked the guy, though, Bill. I would. I wouldn't have. I would have just.

[Billy Bush]

Bill, he's on my floor and he's propositioning me. I'm absolutely calling and at least moving myself to another floor. Okay, you cannot do that to someone staying in a room.

[Bill Maher]

Yes, you can.

[Billy Bush]

No, you can't.

[Bill Maher]

And what, what was he going to do? Get a battering ram and knock your door down? Maybe. I mean, he, he. Look, the poor guy is lonely.

[Billy Bush]

Are you defending this guy? What the hell?

[Bill Maher]

What is in this?

[Billy Bush]

Let me have one.

[Bill Maher]

Seriously?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, no, I am not defending him. I'm just saying I would have handled it differently. I just would not have Narcissist agree to disagree. Yeah, absolutely.

[Billy Bush]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

Absolutely.

[Billy Bush]

Cuz everything I did, I stand firmly by it. And I'd do it again.

[Bill Maher]

Hey, this is not nuclear disarmament. It's just, it's a small. Barely. Just. I'm just saying I wouldn't have knocked the guy because I would feel bad for him. I would feel like you would feel.

[Billy Bush]

Bad for the guy that followed me in from the street.

[Bill Maher]

You know what? I remember when I couldn't get laid and I remember how.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, here we go. There it is.

[Bill Maher]

I remember when taking the, you know, the measure of myself and screwing up my courage to ask a girl out was like the hardest thing in the world. So I'm not saying this is like exactly like that, but it must took a lot of courage to knock on a stranger's door. Well, not a stranger, apparently. You had a conversation where you exchanged names and then.

[Billy Bush]

This is unbelievable. Relitigating him.

[Bill Maher]

It's just from his point of view. I mean, and again, were you really worried you were going to get raped?

[Billy Bush]

You don't have to go to rape. I was. That I was being stalked in my room in a hotel Bill. It was very uncomfortable.

[Bill Maher]

Take it as a compliment.

[Billy Bush]

I like to be comfortable when I'm in my hotel room on the road.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I do too. That's why they put the lock on the door. At no moment were you really uncomfortable, Physically uncomfortable?

[Billy Bush]

I was uncomfortable as can be. My skin crawled and I realized I was followed down the street into my hotel. And I believe they put in the key card. They had a security guy checking actual cards to see if, you know, they match people's room.

[Bill Maher]

So I guess this is a bad time to ask if you want to have a drink in my living room after the show.

[Billy Bush]

He said terrible. Too soon. Although I can handle you. He was a big guy. You, I can handle. I'm sure of that.

[Bill Maher]

He was a big guy.

[Billy Bush]

He was a bigger guy.

[Bill Maher]

So he was a bear.

[Billy Bush]

He was a bear.

[Bill Maher]

Was he a bear?

[Billy Bush]

I know what that is.

[Bill Maher]

I know. I'm sure you do. You're a sophisticated gentleman.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I know a bear when I.

[Bill Maher]

I know, I know. But was he a bear?

[Billy Bush]

He was a bigger man than me.

[Bill Maher]

A bigger man.

[Billy Bush]

I wouldn't call him a bear. A bear is really a great big guy. Well, if you hadn't, if, you know.

[Bill Maher]

If you hadn't narked on him, I would say you were a bigger man than him.

[Billy Bush]

You know what, Andrew? I'm so sorry.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, could have been something Andrew. Again, we seem to be sorry.

[Billy Bush]

I think it was Andrew. I don't know why that feels right.

[Bill Maher]

I feel like it totally was.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I've tried to wipe my memory from him.

[Bill Maher]

Well, apparently you didn't do it.

[Billy Bush]

You are now cementing it in my memory forever.

[Bill Maher]

Do a good job because Andrew lives on in your mind. I mean, you remember his name after all these years. Are you sure there wasn't something more going on?

[Billy Bush]

I don't believe that I deserve this here. This is very random. Random.

[Bill Maher]

Hey, you know, I've told this story before, but I think it's worth repeating. When I used to do Hawaii every year and we would stay at the Four Seasons in with I think the most beautiful hotel in the world there in Maui. And the promoter was a gay man. And you know, Tinder is, was a thing and as a thing and you know where there was a lot of active.

[Billy Bush]

You mean Grindr?

[Bill Maher]

Grindr.

[Billy Bush]

Grinder.

[Bill Maher]

You know, where there was a lot of activity. So I hear active Tinder activity. The men's room of the lobby at the hotel. Because it's married men who are going down and having gay sex in the lobby bathroom of a five star hotel while their wife is sleeping or getting a massage or something.

[Billy Bush]

Is that, what is that? That says I want to go down there. I need.

[Bill Maher]

It's gay sex. It's, it's guys who are married who are really gay or, or gay when drunk or I don't, you know, gay in Europe. I, I, I was never tempted like that. You know, like I never understood that.

[Billy Bush]

You know, in the middle a single man for a long time. Have you ever used the apps in the.

[Bill Maher]

No.

[Billy Bush]

The Tinder?

[Bill Maher]

Oh, God, no.

[Billy Bush]

Because those are like, you know, there's the nice app and the Tinder.

[Bill Maher]

I wouldn't know how to get on yards away. I wouldn't know how to get on one if I wanted to. And I don't want to You've never.

[Billy Bush]

Done the Raya, which is the celebrity app. Fancy people.

[Bill Maher]

Absolutely not. No, absolutely not. First of all, I don't think you can ever understand who you're meeting if it's on a screen. Also, who could possibly trust the pictures? I mean, I. People put.

[Billy Bush]

He'd be like, this guy thinks he's Bill Maher.

[Bill Maher]

That's so funny. But people put their pictures on lots of things now. It's like, right on your phone, like, if it's the contact or whatever. And, like, I know these people. And I look at the picture, I'm like, okay, but I know you. This is not you. And so, like, why would I do that in a dating situation? And then, of course, being famous, it's not a good look. I mean, I've seen celebrities who got embarrassed being on Raya because people take a screenshot, and then you just. You don't want to look like some schmuck who's. And you'd see how he's. You're fucking hitting on someone. You know, it just. It just. Everything about it is a red flag to me. And again, I just don't think you can get the measure of a human being through a screen. You have to sit close to them. You have to be able to look in their eye. You have to see their facial movements. All of this is communication to the part of your brain that may not be. It may be unconscious, but it's all going in there, and it matters, and it's everything. And you have to literally smell them. Not. You're not aware of it, but pheromones.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, a smell is great. The right smell is. You know it when you hug.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I.

[Billy Bush]

You can tell in the laundry.

[Bill Maher]

I don't like any smell.

[Billy Bush]

How's your laundry? Does your laundry smell good? You have good laundry smell in bed. You've been with someone's clothes, they don't smell. So someone's clothes smell great again.

[Bill Maher]

I feel like there's no need for smell anywhere in laundry or humans. I don't remember any, like, perfume. I don't wear cologne or anything. And I don't like it when a woman does. Really? Yeah. I mean, if you. If you.

[Billy Bush]

I don't like an overwhelming. But a warm. A whisper of the right thing is great.

[Bill Maher]

No, it's saying. I mean, it feels like you have to cover up something not good. Right? I mean, isn't that a lot of why people perfume themselves?

[Billy Bush]

I have a fantastic cologne. I'm not wearing it now, but it's a nice little light Spritz. It's a spray and a pullback. It's so faint.

[Bill Maher]

I hear it really worked on Andrew. I feel like a man.

[Billy Bush]

He caught the backdraft and he followed me right in.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I feel like he was almost entrapped considering your.

[Billy Bush]

Now Andrew's the victim. Bill has turned this into Andrew is the victim.

[Bill Maher]

This is incredible considering you're cologne.

[Billy Bush]

What is this, meet the Press?

[Bill Maher]

This is a case of entrapment. But no, I mean there are. Hollywood is just full of people who are married and then, you know, at a certain point, midlife, shall we say, became gay men. I mean very. Some very prominent agents, managers, you know, stars less because they don't like it out there sometimes. We all know there are certain stars who are.

[Billy Bush]

We all know. We all know. We all have a list, a short list of the ones we can't say.

[Bill Maher]

Of the ones we can't say. And then there are others.

[Billy Bush]

You go first. You name one. I'm not doing it, Bill. I'm not doing it.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not going to do it.

[Billy Bush]

That's a terrible suggestion. I would never.

[Bill Maher]

But I will say this. There are stars who they say it about who are not gay. Tom Cruise, they say. I don't think Tom Cruise is gay. No, he's a Scientologist. It's different. It's even weirder. Not that being gay is weird. I'm just saying it's less than the majority. But Scientology, that's his. I don't think he needs Scientology and gay. All right, I have to tell you about this game changing drink that the club Random Team uses before a night out. It's called Pre Alcohol from Zbo because let's be honest, we don't bounce back the way we used to. It used to be work hard, play hard. Now it's more like work just enough and go take a nap. Here's the deal. When you drink, alcohol turns into an unwanted byproduct in your gut. It's that buildup, not dehydration, that makes the next morning rough. Rough. Really rough. To say the least. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to help break that byproduct down. Just make it your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll thank yourself tomorrow. Halloween is coming up, so why don't you put ZBiotics to the test? Take it before all those Halloween parties start. And trust me, the next day you can take your kids trick or treating around the neighborhood without feeling like Dracula just drained you. Head to zbiotics,.com random and use the code random at checkout for 15 off your first order. It's backed by a 100% money back guarantee, no questions asked. Again, that's zbiotics.com random code random for 15% off. If you're a smoker or vaper ready.

[Billy Bush]

To make a change, you really only.

[Bill Maher]

Need one good reason.

[Billy Bush]

But with Zyn nicotine pouches, you'll discover many good reasons. Zynn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand.

[Bill Maher]

Plus Zynn offers a robust rewards program.

[Billy Bush]

There are lots of options when it comes to nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zyn. Check out zynn.com find to find Zynn at a store near you.

[Bill Maher]

Warning.

[Billy Bush]

This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Bill Maher]

The detective said missing kids usually come home. What happens when they don't? Based on a true story.

[Billy Bush]

Police looking for John Gacy.

[Bill Maher]

We discovered bodies. By the looks of it, they're younger men. The things he did to those kids. He's sick. The system failed. These families.

[Billy Bush]

Devil in disguise.

[Bill Maher]

John Wayne Gacy. Streaming now only on Peacock. Do you know how many there are? Up to you to find out.

[Billy Bush]

You know, I did a big interview with Tom Cruise. We never, ever, back in the day, 2005, we never wiped the format of Access Hollywood. It's always story, story, story, news, news. But for Tom Cruise, I wrote him a letter and I said, tom, you know, whenever we interview you, we ask, you know, who you're dating, whatever. It never goes anywhere. You always talk about Scientology. So I thought, let's talk about it.

[Bill Maher]

It.

[Billy Bush]

And I said, I'd love to sit down with you.

[Bill Maher]

I thought he didn't want to talk about it.

[Billy Bush]

No, this was back when he did, and then it didn't go well. And so he stopped. But it all began with my interview with him. And then it went to Oprah's couch and to Matt Lauer. You're being glib, Matt. You're glib, Matt. That started. The first one was with me, and I did a half an hour interview Tom. His people got back and said, if you want to interview Tom, you have to go to each of the four Scientology centers in and you have to see them all and understand you can't just.

[Bill Maher]

There's four right in Hollywood.

[Billy Bush]

Well, there's the celebrity center, and then there's the Narconon or the whatever, the narcotics center, and then there's the human rights Museum. And there's one other.

[Bill Maher]

They have a good cleanse.

[Billy Bush]

Maybe the other one's a sauna. I don't know. Did you know that they have a good cleanse?

[Bill Maher]

Scientology? I mean, the rest of it is so batshit. I mean, I can't even explain it.

[Billy Bush]

What's the cleanse? Like a drink or like a steam?

[Bill Maher]

Like. No, like a full cleanse. Like, if you really want to, like, get rid of the toxins in your body. I mean, more than just a day. Like a real. It's like a month long cleanse. But, like, you know, if you want to. I haven't done it, but I know people who have who are not Scientologists. But the cleanse is good.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

After that, the whole thing goes off.

[Billy Bush]

The rails, goes off the rail. I'll try the cleanse.

[Bill Maher]

But the cleanse is good. So it's just saying there's. There's goodness in everything. That's all I'm saying.

[Billy Bush]

The point is, I sit down with Tom for a half an hour, we talk about everything under the sun. And that's where, you know, everybody picks up on stuff. We talk about psychotropic drugs, which he doesn't believe in. And I said, well, you know, you worked with Brooke Shields, and, you know, I mean, she took this Paxil, you know, the drug for postpartum depression.

[Bill Maher]

It was her. He's not completely wrong about the big idea.

[Billy Bush]

Well, it was not the time to say it because he said, oh, yeah, where's Brooks career now? And then that went off, and then Matt Lauer followed up on that, and then they had their falling out, and it was. But Tom thought the interview with me went great. He wrote me a beautiful handwritten note and sent me an $800 bottle of wine. Billy Bush, you are an upstanding man. That was an incredible interview. You're way too good for these entertainment. You're terrific. You're the. And I was like floating on a cloud with Tom, and then two days later, the couch and then Matt, and he never talked about it again. But I will say this. You can judge Scientology, and to try it works for him. Like, different things work for different people. The guy was dyslexic. He couldn't read a script. He couldn't memorize anything that somehow connected to him and made him the most prolific actor there is.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, that's like saying.

[Billy Bush]

That's a good point. Yeah, you'll give me that.

[Bill Maher]

But. Well, I can't really, because it's like saying the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia works for the king of Saudi Arabia. Yeah, it does.

[Billy Bush]

Well, you can say that. It does.

[Bill Maher]

It Does. And Scientology. There's a lot of evil shit that goes on inside. I mean, people seem to disappear.

[Billy Bush]

You might disappear.

[Bill Maher]

I know. They seem to be imprisoned. They seem to be subject to, like, horrible things, like, you know, scrubbing floors for years. And I mean, they. It's just there is. I mean, and they're very litigious. And also they go after people who leave. I mean, look at Leah Remini and all the stuff she's exposed. So the fact that he's, you know, at the apex of this organization. Yes, it works for him. And I say that all adding I'm a huge fan of his. Of his work. Of his work and also.

[Billy Bush]

But he wouldn't be able to do his work without it, according to him.

[Bill Maher]

I would love someone to be able to ask him about this, like Tom. You are. Everyone loves you. You're such a nice guy. Everything you do is right and perfect and blah, blah, blah. You must be aware that this is going on in this organization that you're a part of. I mean, don't you? Don't you.

[Billy Bush]

No one's getting close enough to do that.

[Bill Maher]

Right. But he could stop that. He has the power. I mean, it's not David Miscavige, it's Tom Cruise, who's really the head of the.

[Billy Bush]

But Tom doesn't appear with Miscavige anymore. He doesn't go to the. I think he's a passive member. I mean, at this point, I don't think. I mean, you know, anyone who's a high profile member.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, but if you're aware of this shit that's going on and you. I mean, you know, look at those shows that Leah did. I mean, you know, people having to escape from it like it's a concentration camp in North Korea. I mean, it's just crazy.

[Billy Bush]

But it holds him together. What holds you together? It's not religion. So what's like the. Is it the universe? What is the constant that centers Bill Maher?

[Bill Maher]

It's a great question, Regis, and the answer.

[Billy Bush]

Because you know what? Now you look like you might need some centering, Bill. Centering. We're gonna center you.

[Bill Maher]

You are. That is dead on. But no, I am centered. I mean, I think that's a lot. What holds me together is I never, like, really go too far either way.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, you seem even killed.

[Bill Maher]

Even killed. You know, it's being a comedian, I think helps with that because first of all, it gives you perspective. You laugh at everything. Second of all, you never have that kind of. Like, you're not like A musician who gets on this level, that's like people are just treat you like a God. They don't treat comedians like a God. They like them. Comedy's king. But you're not like, you don't live in this. I mean, some of the musicians you've interviewed, musicians, I mean, they live in a bubble world of God know, I mean, because there is just such adulation that they don't have to live in reality. So I never had that, which is great. And I also try not to get too low about the bad times.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, that's the key.

[Bill Maher]

And you know, I also am very aware that I'm basically lucky. Good parents, stable upbringing, never enjoyed being a child, but it wasn't a nightmare.

[Billy Bush]

And were you an only child?

[Bill Maher]

No. Why does everyone ask me that?

[Billy Bush]

I know you feel like you. I don't know.

[Bill Maher]

I know. No, I have a lovely older sister who's gonna come out and visit me soon. And you know, she still lives back east and where we grew up in New Jersey and where in Jersey? Bergen County, New Jersey. Sure, she lives in the city. The Republicans will be interested in that. Richard Nixon retired too, after he was president. Park Ridge, New Jersey.

[Billy Bush]

Wow. Yeah, I lived in Jersey a little bit. You did three years in the Jersey.

[Bill Maher]

Oh yeah. Cause you grew up in the area.

[Billy Bush]

But I was out in Chatham, New Jersey by Morristown.

[Bill Maher]

That's so Waspy Bush.

[Billy Bush]

Oh no, it's Chatham. No, these are. No, it's not Westchester.

[Bill Maher]

Oh please.

[Billy Bush]

It's not Westchester, which is what this is. Chatham is really good. Like simple normal people. It's not. Tony, you're thinking of Summit Short Hills. Now you're thinking of Chatham is really good people. Yeah, Salt of the earth.

[Bill Maher]

And yet you had a two polo pony garage. I understand three. Did you ever play polo?

[Billy Bush]

No, no, no. I was a real athlete though Polo, that's not a riding on it would be too frustrating. I was a lacrosse player, a hockey player.

[Bill Maher]

Where do you live now?

[Billy Bush]

I live in LA for some reason still. I'm not gonna die here in la. That's when I get home at some point. I'm gonna. I'm gonna get out of la. I'm an east coast guy. I.

[Bill Maher]

It's really.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

See, I don't think most people think that about you.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I've been here 21 years.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I know from my friends who now a lot of them, the millennials are moving back to New York and they tell me, they say la, it's lovely with the weather and all that stuff. But compared to New York right now, it's so dead. And I think that's probably true.

[Billy Bush]

I think it is.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, it's your. It's a what now? For my age, where I'm dug in here. I love it. I do. The weather is the most important thing. I ain't going anywhere. But they do say, you know, any night, if it's 11 o' clock at night and I want to do something and go out, I can call people and they're out and I can go places and they're out. And that is just not LA. But that's also not my age. If I was 40, that would appeal to me.

[Billy Bush]

But you can walk out on the corner and get a cab and go. Or Nawuemo and go wherever you want to go. Yeah, yeah, in a second.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

La. It's like we're going out to dinner and I'm not going over there.

[Bill Maher]

But then you have to live in New York with its shitty weather and you have to live in a building to live in.

[Billy Bush]

A duck into a little pub. You can go to a little diner like you.

[Bill Maher]

Like, this is a little pub. I mean that I don't care.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I can't just duck into here. I mean, this is scheduled. I'm cleared with the security, the whole thing, but it doesn't work tomorrow.

[Bill Maher]

There's no place you can just duck into.

[Billy Bush]

I'm come by tomorrow, Bill. I'm going to come by tomorrow. We're going to have a little fun, a little hang.

[Bill Maher]

Do you. I mean, I had drinks a week ago after the show at the.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, I love that.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

A lot of professionals in there, Bill.

[Bill Maher]

So funny.

[Billy Bush]

A lot of hookers.

[Bill Maher]

I was with two young ladies who were good friends of mine.

[Billy Bush]

How young.

[Bill Maher]

They were like, I just wanna have a dress. The show, the week had been a real bear and not the kind Kennedy eats, just a real bear.

[Billy Bush]

Or the kind that shows up in my dinner.

[Bill Maher]

I need a fucking drink, you know? Where are we going to dinner? I was like, we're not going to dinner, we're gonna drink first. And then they were telling me yes. And I had known this. That that is like. And I was like, oh, I want to see the whores. It was like. It was like a theme park. Or like, I want to see the whores.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Because I had heard of that and I've never. I don't normally go there to drink.

[Billy Bush]

The little lobby bar off to the left, that's professional.

[Bill Maher]

We were there too early and it was like there were no horrors, Terrible horror. It was like when you go to the zoo and the polar bear won't come out because he's sleeping inside of his igloo. It's like, come on, I came all the way to the zoo, can I not see the fucking polar bear? And but, but we, we had to go to dinner before.

[Billy Bush]

Who we're watching is the best. Bill. I grew up in New York City. I'd call my. When I was a little boy, was probably 12 years old, 14, 13, I'd call my friend in the building and I'd say, let's sneak out. When the, the parents would go to sleep, 12:30, we'd go down the elevator right out on 86th street and go up and watch the hookers work. It was fascinating.

[Bill Maher]

What did you see?

[Billy Bush]

We would just see them with the shorts and the, the very tight little, you know, short dresses picking up guys on the street. And we'd just watch Ladies of the Night knowing that they were going to go have sex in a car or something.

[Bill Maher]

Right. Or behind the dumpster.

[Billy Bush]

That's true, yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Were you, were you able to hear what they were saying to the prospective customer?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, occasionally, you know, as you got used to it, you could go up and listen to some of the lingo. Buy a dime bag.

[Bill Maher]

I remember when I used to walk from my, when I used to walk from my shitbox apartment on 8th Avenue and 55th street down to the Improv, which was the third club in New York when I started on 44th and 9th. That was the original, like Showcase Comedy Club. That's Bud Friedman started that in 1962 and that was the Theater district. All the other comedy clubs, the Comedy Store, Catch A Rising Star, the Comic Strip, all, they all came.

[Billy Bush]

Bottoms up, belly up. What was it called? The Belly Room, which is the one down the belly? The bottom, the.

[Bill Maher]

No, the Belly Room is in the Comedy Store. That's for the. That's like just women in the Belly Room. I'm sure there's something wrong with that, but don't blame me. I didn't invent it. Interesting. But I would walk from 55th down to 44th along 8th Avenue. And that was prime hooker territory. And it was always again, the rare sightings, the naivete of the 22 year old. Like the first time the hooker was like, you want a date? And I was like, a date?

[Billy Bush]

Where are we going? Frankie and Johnny's, you know, a date.

[Bill Maher]

Should we go into a duet of some sort?

[Billy Bush]

It's like when Andrew said to me in the hotel, you Want a drink? And it wasn't a drink, it was a date.

[Bill Maher]

Well, you know, I've got to do a set, but. Oh, I see. Oh, you know.

[Billy Bush]

One of those clubs. I interviewed Jerry Seinfeld down there when I was young. It was my most humiliating. Like I was probably a year into the job and being a New Yorker, I wanted Jerry Seinfeld to like me. I'd say, I mean, I just wanted to be liked by Jerry. And I prepared like crazy. And I just. And I went down to interview Jerry and it was downstairs in a comedy club. The comedy started with a B.

[Bill Maher]

The comedy seller Cellar.

[Billy Bush]

He was promoting his in Greenwich Village, maybe.

[Bill Maher]

The Comedy Cellar. Yes, Comedy Cellar still there and very famous. And it was not there when I first started, but soon after I did sets at the Comedy Cellar. It was there in the early 80s. So yes, it's been there forever. It's where Chris Rock and Louis CK and lots of guys go when they want to try out materials still. And maybe Jerry still. I don't know. But yeah, it's a great club.

[Billy Bush]

He was very. It was his place. He knew everybody. Jerry was wearing a white T shirt with a sweater over. And I'm wearing a button down shirt, like very thin button down shirt. And so Jerry's clearly warmer than I am, but I am so nervous. And the lights are on and it's two cameras and it's me and Jerry and I. And I am so prepared and things are going great and the interview's rolling. And then I start thinking about how it's going great. And this. Another voice comes in and I'm so young at the. And then I talk myself out of the fact that it might be going great. And broadcast news occurs. I'm sitting with Jerry and I start to sweat. And a little. It's like the map of Rhode island appears on my chest and I'm like. And then I'm thinking about it like, no, this can't happen to me. It's going so great. Jerry fucking likes me. Me. This is working. Rhode island becomes Massachusetts. All of a sudden we've got New England and Africa just shows up. And Jerry finally goes, are you going to be okay? And I just. And I mean, he loved it. And for the rest of time, he brings it up. Are you going to be okay?

[Bill Maher]

Well, I could have saved you all that. I've known Jerry for a very long time. He's one of the greatest humans, you know, obviously, other than comedy. But like, I started with a lot of people. I know a lot of Comics. But Leno and Seinfeld are the two best humans in the. That I know from the business. But the idea that Jerry Seinfeld would give a. About whether he liked you or not.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, exactly.

[Bill Maher]

Way off the. No, he might, but it. But whatever you were trying to do to make that happen, couldn't make it happen. It would either come for what it was or it wouldn't. And he would not apologize if he didn't like you.

[Billy Bush]

Well, because I sweat so much, he ended up really liking me.

[Bill Maher]

That's great.

[Billy Bush]

And so we became great, you know, and then I forever time and great.

[Bill Maher]

So do you still want to be in the interview game?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I mean, I'm doing my podcast is which you're promoting right now. Hot mics. And you know, we have all kinds of people in. Including you, I hope.

[Bill Maher]

Absolutely.

[Billy Bush]

That would be wonderful. And by the way, Chuck, you're, you know, works in the same building over at Howie Mandel's place.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

Become great friends with Howie and. And he built a whole new studio for us because it's going great and I love that and I love. You know, so we have lots of people in. And you think tv. I'm doing it for myself. We got, you know, sponsors and stuff. And it's about the same money as tv.

[Bill Maher]

Do you think tv, My money, not yours, is essentially dead. I mean, like, I mean, obviously it's still thriving because they. I still read every year in May. They have the upfronts, which is. Christ, they did that when I was doing sitcoms in the 80s where they sell the ad dollars to the people who are advertising on TV. And somehow it's still like $9 billion. Yeah, because there's a lot of. A lot of people who are still watching CSI and whatever the fuck they got on.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, they're still. They're milking every last bit of it right now. They're putting out new CSIS and NCIS.

[Bill Maher]

Watch my show on YouTube and lots of other places. But people still have HBO and you know, so it's not quite dead yet. But obviously we saw recently with Colbert and Kimmel. Now obviously there was political politics involved in that, but there were also shows that were losing money. There's no doubt about that. There's no doubt that, that, that form. I thought it was anachronistic for years. I mean, the idea that people in this age would like sit there at 11:30 at night and wade through the commercials and they don't. They watch the clips, you know, of course.

[Billy Bush]

But I would think that the YouTube money that you make on real time is probably significant. I mean, people watch new rules, they want to see your monologue and so they put it out in 15 minute form. They put it out the whole episode. They put out the shorts. I bet you monetize more than you probably know.

[Bill Maher]

I'm sure they do. I'm just saying, obviously this business is changing. That and streaming, you know, are the two biggest things. And tv, it's almost like, well, why would you want your job back in tv? Because TV is sort of the past. I mean, I'm going to hang on to mine as long as I can, but again, it's on different forms. I never worry about the way the industry changes because I'm content. They will, they will always need content. They could beam it from the moon off my ass. They will still need content. They have. You know, they just, they're going to change how they show people shit. But people still just basically want to watch shit because they don't.

[Billy Bush]

You'll go longer than anyone else and most people, and I'll tell you why. Right. But you are the. You're also like a boutique. It's nice to have in the portfolio. David Zaslav of Warner Brothers loves having Bill Maher in real time in his portfolio. Just like he loved Curb youb Enthusiasm and Larry. And he begged Larry to do another season because those are like, they give him great pride to have those in there. So you're, you're good for another 10. I see 80 year old bill again.

[Bill Maher]

What I'm selling, you can do for a long time because I'm selling comedy and wisdom and. Yeah, you can do that at 80. Yeah, I'm. If I was, you know, Benson Boone, I can't at 80. You know, I don't know him, but I know he flips on stage and that's not an 80 year old thing. But what I'm doing could be. I mean my, my thing was built for longevity. It's true. Like I said, you don't have that musician thing where you're like, you know, the flavor of the year and you're just. Everyone's just like sucking your jog. But you have longevity that. I mean, very few musicians are relevant past 40. Some past, not past. And athletes, models, they're all done by mid-30s.

[Billy Bush]

You've been doing this forever.

[Bill Maher]

Yes. I mean, I only got started in mid-30s, but that's the nature of it. You know, I had a talk show that was gonna go on when I was 29 and they never put it on the air. And they were probably right. It's like, don't send a boy to do a man's job. It's just not the kind of thing you can do without some gravitas. It's not a job for a 29 year old.

[Billy Bush]

That's so true. You know, build it politically incorrect. I mean, you have it on the wall there. I mean, I was on that show way back in the day. I don't know if you remember I was on that show. How could you remember?

[Bill Maher]

Everybody was on that show.

[Billy Bush]

I was on that show and I was on real time time. So I've been on your now here the trifecta. I mean, I've got the trifecta that makes us friends. If you have three hangs, you're friends. That's it.

[Bill Maher]

I've always my friend Bill Mar. Loved the way the show business part of it, if done organically, can lead into friendship. But it has to be organic. It can't be. You can't be the talk show host who's, you know, meet somebody once and right after the show, can I get your number? You know, you can't be that. It has to happen so that 20 years down the road when someone sees you in a bar together and they say, how do you guys know each other? You just go, I don't know. I don't know. You know, I just feel like I always knew him. But yeah, I know I didn't. But somewhere along the way we just became. And that.

[Billy Bush]

That I'd like to be in your mentor program.

[Bill Maher]

I'd like to meet Andrew. What's your status? Are you married now? Are you?

[Billy Bush]

Why.

[Bill Maher]

Asking?

[Billy Bush]

Andrew and I are quite happy, Bill. We don't have room for you asking for a friend. And I'm a single man. I'm a single man.

[Bill Maher]

You are?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. But you weren't married for 20 years. Yeah. Great woman. We're still very close. Three great daughters.

[Bill Maher]

I just heard Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. 20 years.

[Billy Bush]

I know.

[Bill Maher]

What? Say it like you really care. I love the look on your face. I know. I mean, come on.

[Billy Bush]

We, the celebrity community really suffered a loss.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, boy, people think there's problems around the world. I know, Middle east and so forth. But what about this? No, I mean, it's sad but like, it is amusing to me the way when a couple breaks up and everywhere in the media sphere they are all speculating, what could it be? What could it be? You know, was it the she's on the set with kissing other men or is it it's like it's always the same thing. They're fucking tired of each other. Humans weren't meant to spend every fucking day together. And they do. And after a while, it's just like, I can't do it anymore. It's not like I don't love you anymore. I do. But I've just seen you too much and I'm tired of you.

[Billy Bush]

Have you ever heard of the French sex therapist, relationship therapist, Esther Perel? She's a.

[Bill Maher]

Sounds vaguely familiar.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, big, you know, ted talk on YouTube. Millions and millions and millions.

[Bill Maher]

I.

[Billy Bush]

When I was separated and wondering, can we put this back together? I booked a $1,200 an hour session. She's probably 15,000 now. This was a while back, but she said to me something interesting. She said, everyone will have two to three great loves in their life. Some people will choose to have that with the same person, which I thought was interesting. Meaning, you know, 20 year installments would be like a really good run. And I would have loved to have gone on, but I think it just. You change, you become different people. You gotta re up. So it's like a resigning.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, that's a very interesting statement to me having reached this age, because.

[Billy Bush]

It 2 to 3.

[Bill Maher]

It's almost exactly right in my life as far as like someone who was perfect for me. Yeah, I feel like that did come around twice. Roughly 30, 60, and I ain't waiting till 90.

[Billy Bush]

Okay. Are you dating now?

[Bill Maher]

Let's not talk about that.

[Billy Bush]

I want to know.

[Bill Maher]

No, I. I didn't talk about that. I'm very happy. Very happy. I mean, that's his. I kept.

[Billy Bush]

I'm happy.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, good. I'm happy.

[Billy Bush]

I'll say that.

[Bill Maher]

But you're single.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. Oh, but I think I'm ready for this.

[Bill Maher]

Let's go to the.

[Billy Bush]

Hey. I'm gonna say, you know, I've got plans, but I'm available.

[Bill Maher]

Gonna sue me for this? I mean, it's like I'm kind of saying that they're the hotel where you get whores. They may give me a bonus. I don't know exactly. Maybe I'll get free drinks.

[Billy Bush]

There are professionals work escorts working in Los Angeles at all the nice hotels.

[Bill Maher]

And there should be.

[Billy Bush]

Yes.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, it's.

[Billy Bush]

It's your prerogative. You're traveling. You're a businessman. You're on the road. If that's what you want to do, that's your right. Bill's a libertarian.

[Bill Maher]

You don't even have to be Trav or a businessman. You Just have to be a human being who.

[Billy Bush]

You don't have to be a.

[Bill Maher]

You don't. There's a wide range of where we are as far as. And that's my symbol for a wide range of where we are. On the scale of companionship. I mean, there is like ultimate true love. Great. That's what we're all maybe aiming for. But we fall short sometimes and there's every. I mean, friends with benefits. I mean, what's that? Should we judge that? I don't. I don't think we should, but. Okay. But it's somewhere on the scale between absolute true Abelard and Eloise love. And over here, the whore. That's over here. Where you don't even, like, go to a room.

[Billy Bush]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

That's over here. Let's call that completely transactional.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, okay.

[Bill Maher]

And then there's like maybe the escort, you know, thing. I was just watching this wonderful movie. I think it's called Madame X with Jacqueline Bessette and Linda Hamilton. It's terrific. I'd never heard of it. And it's about this magazine writer who goes over to talk to Jacqueline Bessette in Paris and she runs this sort of agency for escorts. And, you know, Linda Hamilton thinks, oh, this is just a nice way of saying they're a bunch of whores. But no, it's more like courtesans. She's training these women to be sophisticated and they meet the well to do gentlemen. Look, there's an element to that in it, but there's an element to that in life. And they. It's just very sophisticated, sort of Parisian flavored movie. I thought it was terrific. And it, you know, gets at something real, which is there is a certain amount of horse trading before we get to absolute true love. And, you know, I don't really think we should judge anybody wherever they are on that journey. Journey to it.

[Billy Bush]

But I'll tell you what. I mean, I know some friend. The courtesans. It's an active thing. Los Angeles has a very thriving escort business.

[Bill Maher]

It does have stars. Ever confided that in you?

[Billy Bush]

No. No, I wouldn't tell me that.

[Bill Maher]

No. Right.

[Billy Bush]

Why would you tell me?

[Bill Maher]

No, that's true. Dumb question.

[Billy Bush]

Dumb question.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

Never.

[Bill Maher]

So you're single and you don't. You would rather be a married person. That suits your personality.

[Billy Bush]

I will tell you this. I. You know, I've been single for a while. The whole. Had a nice. I would say now, I think a nice. Yeah, so. I don't want to die alone, Bill. I want a nice Partner. And it will be the. I won't. But I won't do the one night stand thing. I'm too old for that. By the way. You can't be 53 hooking up, like, with people.

[Bill Maher]

Well, but, but can I just comment on one thing again? This lovely agree to disagree relationship we have. You are gonna die alone, I promise you.

[Billy Bush]

When you're dying, would someone be holding my hand?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, but they're not coming with you. No, you're gonna die alone.

[Billy Bush]

That's true.

[Bill Maher]

You're gonna die alone. I mean, it would be nice to have a hand. To me, I feel like I'd almost be more upset. And I hopefully will be holding a hand. I mean, I know what hand I'll be holding, I think. But, but I think it would make me even sadder because it's like, oh, wow, I do have to let go of you now. And, yeah, this is it. I'm not gonna see you in three weeks or ever. But you know, maybe our pets are up in heaven together. You know, I mean, it's, that's so I, I, to me, that argument, which I've heard a lot. I've also heard the argument of when you get old, who's going to feed you the soup when you can't? Like, I don't want someone to feed me the soup. If I'm at that stage, I'm not feeling sexy, you know, it's hard to go from feed me the soup to let's get freaky tonight. So I don't, I just think if I'm that far gone, I. No, I don't.

[Billy Bush]

It's like when I don't want you alone in a room, though. See, I've got three daughters. They're going to be there.

[Bill Maher]

They're going to be there.

[Billy Bush]

My daughters are going to be there. Sons, if I had them. Probably not. But the daughters will be there, Bill. That's going to be a beautiful thing. All that money I spent on them through the, And I'm going to, they're going to usher me out. I was with, with my dad when he died and it, and you may not believe in God, but I'll tell you what, you believe in something. You believe in energy in the universe or something.

[Bill Maher]

Because I believe there's a universe.

[Billy Bush]

When he left the room, Bill, I was on, I was on Instagram or something because he hadn't talked in three hours and he was in the Twilight and.

[Bill Maher]

Wait, wait, wait, go back. You're, you're talking about. This is your father's Day.

[Billy Bush]

My father in 2021.

[Bill Maher]

His. His. You're at his deathbed.

[Billy Bush]

I am in his. Yeah, it's in Florida, in his bedroom. And. And you knew. My mom's in the kitchen.

[Bill Maher]

You knew he was dying?

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah, yeah. No, we were in the hospital two days before. He had a heart condition where they.

[Bill Maher]

So they sent him home because we're.

[Billy Bush]

Going to pump his heart full of this fluid. It's probably 48 hours max, right? And dad said, or we can keep him going in the icu.

[Bill Maher]

No.

[Billy Bush]

You want to die?

[Bill Maher]

You want a diet?

[Billy Bush]

Take me home.

[Bill Maher]

There's a moment. Yes, Bill.

[Billy Bush]

Talk about a beautiful death. He. He. The nurses, you know, got him in his golf shirt. They combed his hair. Mom, dad, me, the three of us. My brother, his wife is giving birth to a child in Boston. So the cycle of life. He can't be there, by the way, same name. And they went in and out the same day, Bill. It's getting more religious. And we're sitting in the room, and we have a martini toast. Dad has a very small martini, Mom, a middle one. And I have a feature.

[Bill Maher]

He was able to even sip a martini.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, we have a martini toast. And he said to me, I want to do. You know, I really would like to do one thing with mom that doesn't involve her taking care of me, like some kind of, like a hand of cards or something that I could just. And so mom tried to sit there and play cards with him. We had a martini toast. And the next day, he starts to go. And I'm sitting in the room. Mom's in the kitchen, and I'm on my phone because he hasn't spoken in, you know, three hours. But I'm with him, and he's still breathing. And all of a sudden, I feel this tremendous energy lift. And I went, whoo. Whoa. It was profound. And I look over, and just then, he had died. His spirit left the room, and I felt it all over me. And I went, oh, my God, Mom. He just left. And she comes in, and she goes over and holds his hand.

[Bill Maher]

She.

[Billy Bush]

Yep, he did. And that was an energy shift I will never forget. So whatever it is, it was powerful. Think about when you leave the room. What a personality. Earthquake.

[Bill Maher]

You know, the problem is sometimes when you do that, you also fart. And then it's like you're.

[Billy Bush]

Dad would have laughed if he was. He would have laughed at me.

[Bill Maher]

The goodness of, you know, being raptured up there. But then the fart. But, no, but look, I'm not Gonna pooh, pooh that. Because I've known too many people, smart people, intelligent people, not drunk people, not religious people who have had some experience. Not at that moment of death. This is the first I've heard of that. But it's the same kind of thing with what can only be called ghosts.

[Billy Bush]

He went somewhere because the shell looked different as soon as that happened. He looked like a hardened shell.

[Bill Maher]

I don't know what the answer is on that, but I, you know, I'm always in the school of I don't know, I don't know.

[Billy Bush]

You're always alone.

[Bill Maher]

I have no dogmatism about it. I don't think it's Jesus dying on the cross 2000 years ago has a lot to do with it. But there, Is there some sort of energy transference or something or. I don't know. Again, I.

[Billy Bush]

All this that's in there, it goes somewhere. The shell that you're in is just a shell. But the thing, the Bill Maher is in there, it's an energy and it's going somewhere.

[Bill Maher]

Or possibly not. That's also possible. Not. But it's. But again, I can't.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I know because I witnessed it. So I know it for a fact. I mean, I know that, you know, something happened, something majorly happened, and I went. And you sat up.

[Bill Maher]

Like physically. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I, I, I'm. Good testimony, you know, I don't know. Nobody knows. But I don't discount the idea that something does go on beyond. I don't know what it would be and where I fit in and if there's a bar.

[Billy Bush]

Have you ever done a psilocybin journey?

[Bill Maher]

Of course.

[Billy Bush]

I just did.

[Bill Maher]

You're talking about mushrooms.

[Billy Bush]

I just did. No, like a real five hour journey with a guide and the whole thing where you see things.

[Bill Maher]

Who was a fucking guide? I was in college. Who has a guide?

[Billy Bush]

You were at the Sphere. You were at the Sphere.

[Bill Maher]

We put them in a blender and ate it.

[Billy Bush]

Okay, that's different. I did that too.

[Bill Maher]

Tripped our brains out.

[Billy Bush]

I'm talking about a real.

[Bill Maher]

It's the same thing. Five hours.

[Billy Bush]

No, I'm talking about a journey.

[Bill Maher]

A journey? Yeah, it was a journey. It was a laugh journey.

[Billy Bush]

I'm talking about on the ground blanket. Eye. Eye mask. Were you laughing with the music? No.

[Bill Maher]

Then you weren't on mushrooms.

[Billy Bush]

Yes, I was on psilocybin, sassafras and whatever. This is from Peru.

[Bill Maher]

Mistletoe.

[Billy Bush]

What? Mistletoe is a real thing.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, I'm not, I'm not Saying that.

[Billy Bush]

These are real plants. Four capsules. And deep down a slide and like off into a five hour journey of the most emotional experience I've ever had. I'm crying, I'm seeing my dad and everyone. I saw you for a minute. I mean, it was powerful, wasn't, you know, true in this fear.

[Bill Maher]

That's a little different. But can I offer.

[Billy Bush]

But it's healing.

[Bill Maher]

Can I offer one suggestion? I think if Andrew, instead of playing it the way he played, had knocked.

[Billy Bush]

On your door like a man.

[Bill Maher]

Like a man. You opened it and it's got the crack. Not all that dialogue about drinks and this, which is that you can smell if he just said nothing but unzipped his fly, took his dick out and. And held the mistletoe.

[Billy Bush]

Missile, it might have worked out differently.

[Bill Maher]

Whatever you're doing, I mean, to me that's elegant.

[Billy Bush]

Well, at least it's funny.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, clever.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. He's clever.

[Bill Maher]

It's clever, yeah. You're saying, you know what?

[Billy Bush]

It was December.

[Bill Maher]

I think I'm a straight man. I don't really want to suck this dick, but that's good. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm missing something. Well, I hope you find happiness in the romantic realm.

[Billy Bush]

I believe so.

[Bill Maher]

Because as Freud says, you know, there's really only your work and your love life. Those are the two things that determine whether you're happy or not. And, you know, some people are unlucky and they don't have either. Some people get lucky and you have both. I've certainly had times in my life when I've had neither. I've had times in my life when I've had one, times when I've had both. And if you only have one, you're kind of like walking around on one leg.

[Billy Bush]

Right.

[Bill Maher]

You know?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Whichever one it is, I know what it feels like to be like, in love, but my career is in the shitter or my career's going on.

[Billy Bush]

Has your career ever been in the shitter? Of course. Really?

[Bill Maher]

No, I.

[Billy Bush]

You were out of business for a minute, but then you went right to the new show.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, well, I started as a comic in the early 80s.

[Billy Bush]

I'm talking about, like, real. Once you're on TV, well, that's my life.

[Bill Maher]

So that was very important to me.

[Billy Bush]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

Okay. This is the most important part. So, like, when I started, we all wanted to get on a sitcom, come out to California, do the Tonight show, get on a sitcom. I did all that exactly as you're supposed to. Got on a sitcom, got on Another sitcom, got on another sitcom. But after three sitcoms that kind of like played itself out. And yes, then I was like wandering in the wilderness for about five or six years before I got Politically Incorrect. So that's very common in show business. You have that era where you are just sort of. Oh, I thought I was well on my way, but then I wasn't. Even Frank Sinatra had that.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Remember From Here to Eternity was his comeback movie because he was like the biggest thing in the world. And then he couldn't get arrested. He was opening supermarkets. I mean that, you know, show business is not a steady climb usually. No, I've been very fortunate. Yes. Since.

[Billy Bush]

Was it your idea? Politically Incorrect?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

You brought it, pitched it, of course. Right. That's the move.

[Bill Maher]

But you know, I've been again, like I say, comedy. You don't get the skyrocket to the moon. But it's steady. It's steady and you can work till 80. Or with AI, who knows? I mean, I could be out doing my show on the moon. Hello, I'm AI.

[Billy Bush]

Bill Moore beamed off your ass.

[Bill Maher]

I'm in H for a new rule. Computers are the greatest. Imagine if I was pimping for AI and the like. It was really just the AI me. And I was trying to sell the audience on how great AI was.

[Billy Bush]

Ugh, I hate AI. I don't want it. I want ei.

[Bill Maher]

And I saw you have one drink.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

That's your limit.

[Billy Bush]

No, no.

[Bill Maher]

So you drink. Yeah. Okay. But just cause you were mentioning mushrooms.

[Billy Bush]

I like a little of everything. No, the mushrooms was a. Was a soul searching sort of a real, you know, in place of the therapist.

[Bill Maher]

Like, I remember I fired the therapist in Ayahuasca. Yes. Okay, so you had like an.

[Billy Bush]

But I don't like the throwing up part. The ayahuasca. This stuff is. I'm not there to purge.

[Bill Maher]

So what did the mushrooms teach you?

[Billy Bush]

They incredible things. I had a nice connection with my father that I needed because my father was old school. You know, you get married and you work through it and that's it. And you don't ever get divorced. And he was really. And I never. The guilt and the shame that I carried from. From the divorce was very much. What do you have guilt from my beloved dad, who I love, a wonderful man of morals and integrity.

[Bill Maher]

What are you guilty about? What are your shameful.

[Billy Bush]

Just feel like, ah, you know, I should. Should dad, you don't. It's hard to explain, but the old man was such a great guy and I just felt Like, I wish I.

[Bill Maher]

Could have explained why you felt bad about getting divorced. I mean, things happen in life.

[Billy Bush]

That's true.

[Bill Maher]

People change. Love dies. It's unfortunate. It doesn't have to, but.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, but for him, he was so disappointed. And when you see your old man who loves you so much, disappointed, it's hard. He was sad about it.

[Bill Maher]

Let's see it. But I always want to ask people, but what's so. What? Okay, so I'm a bad guy because I was married for 20 years.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I'm not a bad guy.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, I'm just hypothetically, I'm saying. I'm not saying me either. I was never married. But, like, this is how people think. Like, because society makes you think this way. I'm a bad guy because I was married for 20 years and then, okay, I dumped my wife. Oh my God. And I even got with a younger woman. Maybe this is. You're just the worst person in the world. Okay, granted, worst person in the world. My question. As opposed to what? I'm not happy we're in a dead relationship, but I should just suck it up for the rest of my life? That's your alternative? Just suck it up? Because that's bad. So I don't.

[Billy Bush]

I agree with that. I agree with that. But for me, it was. You know what it was? It was letting go of everything in the past. What the journey did for me, what this psilocybin journey did, was everything is two feet in the future. There's just. Don't spend a minute on the old stories or the old things that you tell yourself.

[Bill Maher]

Right?

[Billy Bush]

Let them all go and keep two feet in the future. And that is what I came out of it with. And that's it. Fired that therapist right away, cuz. What? I give him 400 bucks a week and we have the same conversation.

[Bill Maher]

He fired who?

[Billy Bush]

My therapist. The psychiatrist. I would go and sit on the couch like this, sir, and I fired him. And I said, you know what? We're having the same conversation every week and I pay you the same and well, I don't want to see you next week and have the same conversation.

[Bill Maher]

So, yeah, I could have told you that.

[Billy Bush]

I had the answers. Oh, I had them. Just needed to get over the wall bill, the scarred tissue.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I'm not trying this. Therapy doesn't help some people and it's valid sometimes. But I mean, for somebody like you, to me, this was always just bullshit. I mean, you don't need a fucking therapist. And also the idea that mushrooms did a better Job in therapy. I kind of love. Yeah, I kind of love that, Bill.

[Billy Bush]

I'm going back. I'm doing it again.

[Bill Maher]

Doing what?

[Billy Bush]

This is another journey. Oh, I love it. It's the most. You access emotion you have in you, but you can't get them. Just.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, but. But this is very interesting to me because I've done mushrooms many, many times, but this was not the experience. The experience of mushrooms. And not just me, everybody, when I did them was. You just laugh your ass off. So they must be doing something different with the mushrooms, adding something to it that makes it much more. This introspective experience. Yes, because for me, the mushroom experience, it wasn't introspective in that way. What was different than every other drug was every other drug makes me horny. And mushrooms made me think about sex and go, yeah. Why would I put a part of my body inside a part of your body that was like the funniest, most ridiculous thing in the world? I'm going to put this thing and going to get. Get bigger. First of all, that was 10 minutes of laughing and. And then I'm going to put it in you. In you. Like you're another person. I'm going to put something.

[Billy Bush]

This date is over.

[Bill Maher]

This is a crazy idea that a part of me goes in. A part of you. What are we, Legos? You know, and. And that's what mushrooms did to my mind.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, but you didn't do the journey. You ate. You ate a little. You ate some caps and stems, and you did that. These are capsules of, you know, plant medicine from Peru.

[Bill Maher]

This is just a harder version.

[Billy Bush]

Two capsules. A walk in the garden with these people at their home. They're both in their 70s. They've been doing this for 20 years. They're incredible people. All stemming from a conversation I had on an airplane with a guy who was a big private equity guy. And he's like, I don't drink, I don't smoke. But I'll tell you what, psilocybin saves the world. I it. We talk for two hours straight. I go to these people that he sets me up with. We two capsules, walk in the garden, come back and say, I'm feeling something. And she said, okay, two more capsules, and I'm going to lay you down right here. Blanket, eye mask, music. And I'm sitting there going, I'm going to tell her I need more. It's not working. We've all done this with edibles, right?

[Bill Maher]

And then exactly.

[Billy Bush]

Down a slide off the end of the slide. And I'm floating in this journey, Bill. I see everybody. I see my mom and dad's relationship. I see my daughters. I see my ex wife. I see my brother, and I see, you know, what he wanted as a little boy and he didn't get the attention and all the little traumas get addressed. And I see everybody I want to see, and I. I feel and I understand, and everything goes in its place. It's over. The music is playing, and the journey follows the music. And I take the mask off when it's over and I say, how long was I down thinking it was an hour. He said five hours. And I went, wow. I think you might have really set me on the right path. I did not want to leave. It was incredible.

[Bill Maher]

You saw all these people from your family, like, in the past.

[Billy Bush]

In present and past. My dad, my mom, I saw their relationship. I understood their marriage better.

[Bill Maher]

Can you tell W Not to go to Iraq?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

No, I'm kidding. Okay.

[Billy Bush]

So he's not gonna do your show? Oh, he just texted me, Bill.

[Bill Maher]

You know what? I've also.

[Billy Bush]

He said Bill was doing great until then.

[Bill Maher]

I've also said in the spirit of, like, keeping a completely open mind, there is every chance, I would even bet on it, that in 20 years or 10 or 5, I don't know, somebody will put out an article talking about how smart it was to go into Iraq. Because one thing you can always count on is revisionism.

[Billy Bush]

Totally.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not there yet, but, you know, the Middle east is a very fraught, weird, dangerous place where the world could end for a number of different reasons. And it's fucked up in a lot of ways. And, you know, again, I wasn't for it. But we don't know what the future will hold and how it will make things in the past.

[Billy Bush]

We don't know what the balance will be.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, it was a very Texas reaction. You know, it was like, they kicked us, kicked our ass. We're gonna kick their ass.

[Billy Bush]

Somebody's ass is getting.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. War. Where? I don't know. I'm not a detail guy.

[Billy Bush]

You figure out where now, you know, he would.

[Bill Maher]

It was the wrong country. It was a country that did not attack us. But let's not get into that.

[Billy Bush]

No, let's get into that. That would be really fun.

[Bill Maher]

Iraq did not attack us. That's why it was crazy. It was like. It was like, did you see the.

[Billy Bush]

Pitch at Yankee Stadium? Did you see that pitch? Did you see country comes together on a pitch.

[Bill Maher]

One pitch, and he can Pitch.

[Billy Bush]

He could pitch.

[Bill Maher]

I could do that, too. I saw.

[Billy Bush]

What a moment.

[Bill Maher]

I saw 50 Cent pitching again.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, my God, he's the worst.

[Bill Maher]

Terrible, terrible.

[Billy Bush]

The Cubs game.

[Bill Maher]

Well, there was one he did like five years ago that was just, Just way beyond embarrassing. And then he did one that was just better, but still awful. I could pitch. I could throw a ball to the home plate. I'm not saying I can get batters out, but it would look like a major league pitch.

[Billy Bush]

Can you throw like a. Oh, yes.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

You can throw like a. Like a man.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I was. Aaron Rodgers was here. We went out here.

[Billy Bush]

You and Aaron? Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Out the door after the show. And I picked. There's this fruit tree out here, and they, they're not. I don't know even what that fruit is, but it's hard as a rock. You couldn't eat it even if you wanted to. To. And there was a tree, it's like, like 50 yards down. And like I'm always. Whenever we walk up there, I always say to my girl, I. I can hit. I can hit that tree from. And it's a. It's a long way and a. A hard piece of fruit, and I dead center it every time.

[Billy Bush]

And you did it before Aaron Rogers?

[Bill Maher]

Yes.

[Billy Bush]

Earned his respect. Probably had it before. Are you a Giants fan? Because of Jersey?

[Bill Maher]

Totally.

[Billy Bush]

Me too. Never Stop Jackson Dart now. No, me neither.

[Bill Maher]

Well, let's wait. It's one game.

[Billy Bush]

Malik Neighbors is gone. We're in trouble there. That's a terrible thing. As Dart gets going, Neighbors goes in.

[Bill Maher]

Don't. I mean, I. You know, I was a mets owner for 10 years, right?

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I was a minority owner of the Mets.

[Billy Bush]

I mean, you know, my great uncle owned the Mets.

[Bill Maher]

Who was that? Willpon?

[Billy Bush]

No. Sold it to Will Pon.

[Bill Maher]

And Double Day Doubleday is your uncle?

[Billy Bush]

No. GH Walker owned them and sold the Mets to Double Day Day.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, is that right?

[Billy Bush]

I mean, he was great, great uncle, so I didn't know him, but.

[Bill Maher]

Do you have any money from the Bush family?

[Billy Bush]

You know. No, but the. Can you give me some? You have a very. I'd like you to cut me a check. Just a little bridge. Little bridge.

[Bill Maher]

Bill, you're doing fine.

[Billy Bush]

I'm okay.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. No, I, I.

[Billy Bush]

You know, that's funny. People think the Bushes are rich. You know, it's the, it's the speech givers, you know, that were president that have a lot of dough.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, they're not.

[Billy Bush]

They're really rich.

[Bill Maher]

They're not like the Kennedys.

[Billy Bush]

No, right.

[Bill Maher]

Right. No, they never were.

[Billy Bush]

I made more money than my father for years when I was on a roll. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

There's no industry you can think of that's associated with the. With the Bushes. Right. I mean, it's like the Kennedy Joe. Joe was famously a bootlegger. And then they own Marshall Fields in Chicago.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. There's no Bush family. There's no like railroad or. It's not that kind of like, you know, I mean, HW did a little oil and George W. Did a little oil and then the they. But not big time Hunt family oil or boon, you know, do you have any sort of.

[Bill Maher]

Sort of sympatico relationship with any other like Nepo political babies like rfk?

[Billy Bush]

Chris Cuomo I like a lot. He and I talk. We talk Daily Stoic. We really both Stoics. We. I text with him all the time. He'll text me. Where have you been?

[Bill Maher]

Stoics.

[Billy Bush]

Sto. Well, we read the Daily Stoic.

[Bill Maher]

We read. Oh, I see.

[Billy Bush]

Stoic philosophy.

[Bill Maher]

We really.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, yeah. You wanted to start a group. I really like Cuomo because he had a lot of fighting.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, I love him. What? What Stoic philosophy. Meaning? I mean, a stoic. When people think of Stoic.

[Billy Bush]

Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, right. I'm sure everyone's real familiar with their. But.

[Billy Bush]

Well, they're familiar with the tenet. The basic tenet.

[Bill Maher]

Yes.

[Billy Bush]

So you cannot control what happens to you. You can only control how you react. React to that.

[Bill Maher]

And stoicism would say by not reacting at all. I mean, stoicism is like. No, when you say someone is stoic, it's like you're getting nothing from them.

[Billy Bush]

You know, Also is non reactionary. That's Scientology. Just letting you know.

[Bill Maher]

But I mean, that's what you want to be a stoic.

[Billy Bush]

You want. Yeah. You want to be able to just like you are. You are a natural stoic. You said it earlier. You don't ride the highs too high and you don't ride the lows too low. You kind of try and stay in the middle. That's basically stoic.

[Bill Maher]

It really?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Oh.

[Billy Bush]

I don't react to things that are going to. You're not going to give a about in two days.

[Bill Maher]

That's so true. Yeah, right. Like this show.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. Like, who cares? Okay. Thank you.

[Bill Maher]

I got to go back to. I got to get back to my day.

[Billy Bush]

You got to take a leak.

[Bill Maher]

That would help too.

[Billy Bush]

So do I. We're old guys. Take a leak.

[Bill Maher]

Good time.

[Billy Bush]

Me too. Thank you.

[Bill Maher]

All right, so Our friendship will progress.

[Billy Bush]

It's only one step. The next step is you know where.

[Bill Maher]

Organically.

[Billy Bush]

Organically not. Don't.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

Don't force yourself from me.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not saying where I'm going Friday night. I'm just saying if I see you there, act like you don't know me.

[Billy Bush]

We'll assimilate. Okay.

[Bill Maher]

Limu Emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds of with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Billy Bush]

Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera.

[Bill Maher]

They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty.

[Billy Bush]

Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates.

[Bill Maher]

Excludes Massachusetts.

[Billy Bush]

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