Latest news with #SheBangs'
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Billy Bush reveals he tried to out Ricky Martin but destroyed footage after singer stormed off: ‘I really feel badly'
Billy Bush was livin' la vida loca when he asked this question. The entertainment host, 53, recently reflected on his first-ever interview with Ricky Martin. The singer, 53, had just released his self-titled debut album in 1999 when he sat down to talk with Bush. The reporter called their conversation 'the most uncomfortable celebrity situation I ever had.' 12 Billy Bush on Rob Lowe's podcast. Team Coco Podcasts/YouTube 'I was young and working out of New York the first couple years on Access Hollywood, East Coast correspondent,' Bush recalled on Thursday's episode of the 'Literally! with Rob Lowe' podcast. 'I got the call to go down and interview Ricky Martin in Miami for his new album and Mariah Carey the night before,' he continued. 'I know Barbara Walters had asked him about his sexuality. I'm like, 'Wouldn't that be a big newsmaker?'' The late journalist, who died in 2022, put the young artist on the spot during a live 2000 television interview. 12 Billy Bush recalls almost outing Ricky Martin. Team Coco Podcasts/YouTube 'You could stop these rumors,' Walters stated. 'You could say, 'Yes, I am gay or no, I'm not.'' Martin was visibly shocked before responding, 'I just don't feel like it.' Bush shared that the night before his interview, he asked people in his hotel lobby what they wanted to know about Martin. He confessed that the majority wanted to know if he was gay. 12 Ricky Martin celebrating the release of his 2000 single 'She Bangs' at VH1 Studios in New York City. WireImage The next day, the television personality asked Martin point-blank. The Puerto Rico native immediately took off his microphone. 'He gets up and he walks off the set,' Bush explained, 'and I'm sitting there going, 'Oh s–t.'' Along with receiving some angry phone calls from his superiors, the Access Hollywood alum felt awful. 12 Ricky Martin performs live on stage during his concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on October 17, 2000. Getty Images 'I'm like, 'OK, I really feel badly.' I just feel badly because he was legitimately hurt, and I'm not in the business of hurting people,' Bush confessed. 'I am in the business of figuring out who I am and where I'm going. And you need to be able to make mistakes in life. Remember that people.' He went back and apologized to the pop star. 'I'm like, 'Ricky, I am so sorry for asking that question,'' Bush reminisced. ''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. I will smash that tape with a hammer.'' 12 The infamous Barbara Walters interview with Ricky Martin. CTV The Extra correspondent teased to host Rob Lowe, 61, 'I should have smashed another one.' Bush said Martin told him that he would address his sexuality at some point, but not on Access Hollywood at the time. Bush concluded by stating that he learned a 'valuable lesson' from the altercation. 12 Ricky Martin during his sit down with Barbara Walters in 2000. CTV As he put it, 'Don't be an a–hole. Don't be an idiot.' The Post reached out to a rep for Martin. The Grammy winner rose to fame as a child performer in Puerto Rico. Martin then joined the boy band Menudo in 1984. 12 Ricky Martin with his sons Valentino and Matteo. Getty Images Rumors swirled about his sexuality in the '90s and 2000s. However, he dated TV presenter Rebecca de Alba for seven years, from 1995 to 2002. In 2010, Martin came out publicly in a post on his website, two years after welcoming twins Matteo and Valentino, 16, via surrogate in 2008. Martin went on to marry artist Jwan Yosef in 2017, and the pair welcomed daughter Lucia, 6, and son Renn, 5, via surrogate. Martin and Yosef, 40, split in 2023. 12 Ricky Martin and husband Jwan Yosef with their kids. jwanyosef/Instagram 'Sexuality is one complicated thing,' Martin told People in 2021. 'It's not black and white. It's filled with colors. When I was dating women, I was in love with women. It felt right, it felt beautiful. You can't fake chemistry —the chemistry was there with them. I wasn't misleading anyone.' He also reflected on his uncomfortable encounter with Walters. 'When she dropped the question, I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out,' the musician told the outlet. 'I was very afraid. There's a little PTSD with that.' 12 Jwan Yosef, Ricky Martin, Matteo Martin and Valentino Martin attend the 23rd Annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner. Getty Images The 'Palm Royale' star pondered, 'A lot of people say, 'What would you do differently?' Well, maybe I would have come out in that interview. It would've been great because when I came out, it just felt amazing.' Martin added, 'When it comes to my sexuality, when it comes to who I am, I want to talk about what I'm made of, about everything that I am. Because if you hide it, it's a life-or-death situation.' Just last year, Martin opened up about how his father, a psychologist named Enrique Martín Negroni, encouraged him to come out. 12 Ricky Martin with his twins. ricky_martin/Instagram 'He said, 'What are you going to teach your kids, to lie? You got to be open,'' he said while on SiriusXM's 'Andy Cohen Live' in 2024. 'I want to help you. How can we do this?' Martin recalled his dad telling him. 'And I'm like, 'All right, dad, I'm working on it. Give me a second. I don't know how. I don't know if it's through an interview. I don't know if I want to write a letter and tweet it. I don't know. Give me a break. It'll come.'' The artist said that coming out on his website 'felt amazing.' 12 Jwan Yosef and Ricky Martin attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Getty Images 12 Ricky Martin attends the World Premiere of Apple TV+'s 'Palm Royale.' Getty Images 'I wish I could come out 20 times,' Martin gushed. 'Of course, I started crying like a baby. You know, I pressed send and I was like, 'Oh, that's it?' My assistant, who's still my assistant, Paco, he was next to me, and I'm like, 'I think I need a hug.''
Sky News AU
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Ricky Martin ripped off mic, stormed off set after Billy Bush nearly outed him mid-interview
Ricky Martin was fuming when Billy Bush questioned him about his sexuality in the early aughts, the entertainment journalist recalled in a new interview. Bush — who now regrets the intrusive question — revealed on 'Literally! With Rob Lowe' Thursday that he told the Latin music superstar at the time that eight people he spoke to in the lobby bar the night prior wanted to know 'if you're gay.' 'He stiffens up in the chair and he goes, 'What?' And I go, 'Oh boy,'' the reporter, who was working for 'Access Hollywood' at the time, recalled. 'And he goes, 'You m**********,' rips off his microphone.' Bush, now 53, claimed Martin, also now 53, added, 'You want your headline … You piece of garbage.' The 'Livin' La Vida Loca' singer allegedly then walked off the set, leaving the entertainment reporter to say to himself, 'Oh s***,' while his producer also freaked out and said, 'This is terrible.' Bush, who had flown to Miami for the interview, claimed he got a call from his bosses in Los Angeles shortly after, and they reamed him for his line of questioning. 'I'm not in the business of hurting people. I am in the business of figuring out who I am and where I'm going. And you need to be able to make mistakes in life,' the 'Extra' host told podcaster Rob Lowe, further reflecting on the incident. Bush said he immediately walked back into the interview location to apologize to Martin, and said, '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.' The 'Nobody Wants to Be Lonely' singer then transparently told him, '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.' He continued, 'It is deeply personal to me. I appreciate you coming back in here. I forgive you.' Martin eventually came out as gay in 2010, approximately seven years after his interview with Bush. He announced on his website at the time that he was a 'fortunate homosexual man.' The 'She Bangs' singer added, '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.' The revelation came after years of speculation about Martin's sexuality from fans and journalists, like Bush, who pried into the details about his personal life. The now-late Barbara Walters infamously asked the 'She's All I Ever Had' singer about the 'rumors' in a sit-down for '20/20' in 2000, which the renowned news anchor later regretted. Martin has said that interview left him feeling 'violated' and with 'a little PTSD' because he wasn't ready to come out. Originally published as Ricky Martin ripped off mic, stormed off set after Billy Bush nearly outed him mid-interview
South China Morning Post
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Where is American Idol's Hong Kong star William Hung now? After finding fame with an off-key version of Ricky Martin's She Bangs, he beat addiction, married again and is now an LA crime analyst
As American Idol prepares to return for its 23rd season, it's easy to forget just how many careers the show has launched since 2002. Superstars including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert got their start on the programme – all born performers who, looking back, seemed destined to be famous. But the fame of one contestant from those early days wasn't so assured – that of pop lover William Hung. As a 21-year-old, his singing failed to win over the judges so spectacularly that Simon Cowell called his performance 'grotesque'. Yet he's managed to turn his appearance into a singing career and widespread fame and affection regardless. Advertisement Here's what you need to know about Hung's showbiz journey and where he is now. William Hung rose to fame with a Ricky Martin song William Hung was studying civil engineering at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, when he decided to take two days off in 2004 to audition for American Idol. But when he let rip on his favourite song – Ricky Martin's 'She Bangs' – his off-key rendition became an instant classic for all the wrong reasons. 'You can't sing, you can't dance, so what do you want me to say?' Cowell remarked cruelly afterwards. 'I gave my best so I have no regrets at all,' was Hung's endearing response. He had a musical career – albeit an ironic one William Hung made his name singing a karaoke classic. Photo: @williamhungofficial/Instagram As noted by NBC last year, Hung's brief appearance and post-performance poise was enough to rocket him to stardom. Not only was he parodied on Saturday Night Live, he also sang on several talk shows and at sports events. He even signed a recording deal with Fuse Music Network and Koch Records.
