A yet-to-be aired interview between Billy Bush and Jake Paul devolved into chaos, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly, though it appears the pair were simply busting each other’s chops.
Bush, 53, recently spoke with Paul, 28, over Zoom for an Extra segment promoting the boxer’s upcoming fight against Julio César Chávez Jr., his first since defeating Mike Tyson by unanimous decision in November 2024.
“Jake didn’t know who Billy was and initially called him Jason,” one source tells Us.
However, a second insider insists Paul — a notorious prankster who got his start as a YouTuber before pivoting to boxing — was “joking because the Zoom name under Billy’s square said Jason.”
The Q&A took an even more awkward turn when Bush asked Paul about fighting “washed-up” boxers, whom the host insinuated even he could take on, according to the first source.
“Jake’s response was, ‘You’re not a big enough name,'” the source shares. “Billy responded, ‘I’m Billy Bush, the biggest name on TV! I was on the Trump tape!'”
It is unclear when the interview will be released, though the first source speculates, “This stuff won’t make the edit.”
Reps for Bush and Paul had no comment when contacted by Us Weekly.
In 2016, a decade-old clip of Bush and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump having a lewd conversation on the set of Access Hollywood surfaced online. Trump infamously boasted in the shocking 2005 footage that he could grab women “by the p****” because he was “a star,” leading to global outrage.
Bush was heard laughing at Trump in the hot-mic audio but did not make any crude comments himself. However, following countless calls for his resignation, Bush was forced out of his new job at the Today show soon after the tape went viral.
Less than three years later, though, Bush returned to TV when Extra hired him to replace Mario Lopez. He has hosted the entertainment news show ever since but announced last month that he will be leaving soon to focus on his new podcast, “Hot Mics.”
“We have experienced unprecedented growth in a short period of time here on this show, and I find myself hungrier and more stimulated than at any point in my professional career,” he told listeners.
“Extra is culturally iconic. If I had a dollar for every time someone hollered, ‘Extra! Extra!’ to me in the airport or something, I’d buy Warner Bros.,” Bush joked. “It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to front this show. … It’s now time to build something of my own.”
Paul vs. Chávez Jr. will air live from Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on sports streaming service DAZN Pay Per View on Saturday, June 28.
