Billy Bush suspended from NBC Today show after Trump's lewd comments

[NEW YORK] NBC has suspended television personality Billy Bush from the Today show after fallout over the host's 2005 taped lewd conversation with US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the network reported on Sunday.

The suspension comes as a flood of Republicans have withdrawn their support for Mr Trump over the video that emerged on Friday showing the businessman, then a reality TV star, talking with Mr Bush on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman.

The controversy has pitched Mr Trump, 70, into the biggest crisis of his campaign and deepened fissures between him and establishment Republicans just a month ahead of the Nov 8 presidential election.

Mr Bush has been suspended indefinitely from the Today show, where he hosts the third hour of programming, NBC said.

It quoted Noah Oppenheim, the executive in charge of the morning show, as saying in a memo to staff that "there is simply no excuse for Billy's language and behavior on that tape." Mr Oppenheim said Mr Bush had been suspected "pending further review of the matter."

AFP