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In the early 2000s, the entertainment world was still playing by old, invasive rules, and Ricky Martin paid the price. A resurfaced Billy Bush story now reveals just how intense, personal, and painful one of those moments really was.
In a new episode of "Literally! With Rob Lowe," Bush opens up about a tense and emotional exchange with Ricky Martin while he was a rising host at Access Hollywood. The moment was a blunt question about Martin's sexuality, one Bush now says he deeply regrets.
The Question That Lit the Fuse
According to Bush, he'd flown to Miami to interview the Latin pop icon, who was promoting a new album at the time. The night before, Bush chatted with people at the hotel bar, and eight of them allegedly brought up the same question: "Is Ricky Martin gay?"
Instead of letting the moment pass, Bush brought that question into the interview room. "He stiffens up in the chair and he goes, 'What?' And I go, 'Oh boy,'" Bush recalled. "And he goes, 'You motherf–ker,' rips off his microphone."
Bush said Martin didn't hold back: "You want your headline … You piece of garbage."
The superstar stormed off the set, leaving Bush stunned and his producer scrambling. "This is terrible," the producer said, according to Bush. "Oh s–t," Bush muttered to himself.
An Industry Wake-Up Call
Bush, now 53, says that moment was a turning point. He realized he'd crossed a line after getting an angry call from his Los Angeles bosses. "I'm not in the business of hurting people," Bush told Lowe. "You need to be able to make mistakes in life — but learn from them."
He immediately went back into the room and offered a personal, face-to-face apology to Martin: "Ricky, I am so sorry for asking that question. I don't know what I was thinking. It was a cowboy question. It was inappropriate. I'm so sorry, and I promise you this will never see the light of day."
Ricky's Private Battle
Martin, then in his early 30s and one of the most famous Latin artists in the world, responded with honesty and vulnerability. "I've been struggling with this my whole life," Martin told him. "There will be a time, there will be a place. It will not be here on this program while I'm promoting this album."
He continued, "It is deeply personal to me. I appreciate you coming back in here. I forgive you." Bush says the moment stuck with him. Two years later, when they crossed paths again, Martin gave him a "great big hug," a rare and powerful gesture of closure.
Coming Out on His Terms
Ricky Martin eventually came out publicly in 2010. In a post on his website, he called himself a "fortunate homosexual man," writing: "These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within."
He later spoke about how media pressure, especially moments like his 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters, left him feeling "violated" and with "a little PTSD." Walters, before her death, acknowledged that she regretted pushing him during their sit-down interview.
Reflecting on that painful chapter, Bush said he came out of it with a lasting sense of responsibility. "You have to find nuance in this business — who people are, where you can go, where you can't," he said in the podcast.
For Martin, the pain of that era didn't define him. And for Bush, it became a line in the sand; know when to listen, not just talk.