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Will Billy Bush's settlement with NBC reach $10M mark?

The Wrap

October 15, 2016 at 3:02PM

In this Sept. 26, 2016 photo released by NBC, co-host Billy Bush appears on the "Today" show in New York. Bush says he's "embarrassed and ashamed" by a 2005 conversation he had with Donald Trump in which Trump made lewd comments about women. Bush, then a host of the entertainment news show "Access Hollywood," was chatting with Trump as the businessman waited to make a cameo appearance on a soap opera. In a statement Friday, Oct. 7, Bush says he was younger and less mature when the incident occurred, adding that he "acted foolishly in playing along." (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Billy Bush may be out of a job, but is there a $10 million pot of gold at the end of the long, dark tunnel, as reports have claimed?

Bush's attorney, Marshall Grossman, tells TheWrap on Saturday that a settlement has not yet been agreed upon:

"There are news reports that a $10M settlement has been reached between Billy Bush and NBC. That report is false. There is no $10M agreement and that amount has not been discussed. Negotiations are ongoing between the parties."

Also Read: Billy Bush Hires Steven Spielberg's Lawyer in Battle Over NBC Ouster

Grossman told Page Six in a Friday interview, "Negotiations between Billy and NBC are progressing, and will continue to progress, and hopefully we will reach a conclusion in the near future. We were preparing for battle, but today we are preparing for settlement."

Page Six went on to say that the settlement "will involve a large lump payment said to be the full value of his three-year contract, valued at around $10 million."

Bush, who was officially on suspension from NBC's "Today" after a lewd 2005 videotape leaked of him interviewing Donald Trump, hired Grossman, a famed Los Angeles litigator known for handling celebrity problems as well as complex cases involving Apple Computer and other big corporate clients, according to a person close to the situation.

Grossman has advised J.K. Rowling, Larry King and Clint Eastwood, among others, according to published reports.

Although NBC bosses knew about the tape for days before it was leaked on "Access Hollywood" on Oct. 7, they did not discipline Bush until headlines stirred outrage over his dialog with Trump.

Earlier this week, the longtime TV host and "Access Hollywood" alum hired Davidson Goldin, a crisis-communication expert, to help tell his story in the media.