Billy Bush Recalls Almost Outing Ricky Martin in ‘Uncomfortable’ Interview

Billy Bush admits he almost outed Ricky Martin in his “most uncomfortable” celebrity interview to date.

Bush, 53, recalled the incident during the Thursday, July 10, episode of SiriusXM’s “Literally! With Rob Lowe” podcast. The journalist said he was young and working in New York when he got a call to fly down to Miami and interview Martin, 53, around the time of his “Livin’ La Vida Loca” release, which was in 1999.

Bush remembered thinking, “I know Barbara Walters had asked him about his sexuality [in 2000]. I’m young in this job, wouldn’t that be a big newsmaker?”

With Martin’s sexuality on his mind, Bush said he went to the lobby bar and asked a group of women what they wanted to know about the “La Bomba” singer. “Is he gay? Is he gay? Is he gay?” is what they responded.

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Bush knew that it was a personal question, but recalled telling his producer, “I think I’m going to ask him. Like, who cares.”

Podcast host Rob Lowe muttered, “Oh, boy,” hinting that he didn’t like where Bush’s naivety was leading. “Listen, I’m young man. Please don’t scold me now,” Bush replied.

When Bush arrived at the studio to interview Martin, he decided to go for it. “I say, ‘Ricky, I asked eight people in a lobby bar what they wanted to know about you,’” he revealed. “I pinned it on the people.”

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Bush said in that moment, Martin “stiffens up in the chair” and asked what was on everyone’s mind.

“And I go … they wanted to know if you’re gay,” Bush continued, admitting he got a little nervous before uttering the question. “And he goes, ‘You motherf***er. He rips off his microphone.’”

Bush recalled the Grammy winner being outraged. “‘You don’t care at all about me. You want your headline,’” Bush said Martin yelled at him, calling the journalist a “piece of garbage” before ripping off his mic and walking off set.

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The Extra host was stunned and within minutes he got a call from his executive producer in Los Angeles freaking out about what transpired. “I really feel badly. I feel badly because he was legitimately hurt, and I’m not in the business of hurting people,” Bush remembered of that moment.

Despite being gutted, Bush said he went back into the studio and begged to speak to Martin alone without any microphone and the musician agreed.

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“I’m like, ‘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,’” Bush said during his apology. “‘I’m so sorry and I promise you this will never see the light of day. I will smash that tape with a hammer.’”

After asking for forgiveness, Bush said Martin surprised him by speaking his truth — but off the record.

“He basically comes out of the closet to me. He says, ‘I’ve been struggling with this my whole life. There will be a time, there will be a place. It will not be here on this program while I’m promoting this album. It is deeply personal to me. I appreciate you coming back in here. I forgive you. Yes, destroy that tape if you would,’” Bush recalled. “I said, ‘It’s done, completely. I promise.’”

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The twosome hugged, and when they saw each other again a few years later, Bush said, “He gave me a great hug.”

After the massive misstep, Bush noted, “I learned a valuable lesson that day: Don’t be an a**hole. Don’t be an idiot.”

Approximately 10 years after Bush spoke with Martin, the singer publicly came out as gay. “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man,” Martin declared via his website in March 2010. “I am very blessed to be who I am.”

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He explained, “These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.”

Martin, who welcomed his eldest children, twin sons Matteo and Valentino, via surrogate in 2008, added that his boys inspired his public announcement. “To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where [sic] born with,” he added.

Six years after coming out, Martin went public with his and Jwan Yosef’s relationship. The couple tied the knot in 2017.

Martin and Yosef, 40, welcomed their first child together, daughter Lucia, in December 2018. They expanded their family in October 2019 with the arrival of son Renn. Martin and Yosef announced their divorce in January 2023.

New episodes of SiriusXM’s “Literally! With Rob Lowe” podcast are available every Thursday on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available.