Nancy O’Dell released a statement on Saturday, October 8, in response to the lewd comments Donald Trump made about her, and women in general, in a newly surfaced video from 2005.
“Politics aside, I’m saddened that these comments still exist in our society at all,” the Entertainment Tonight coanchor said. “When I heard the comments yesterday, it was disappointing to hear such objectification of women. The conversation needs to change because no female, no person, should be the subject of such crass comments, whether or not cameras are rolling. Everyone deserves respect no matter the setting or gender. As a woman who has worked very hard to establish her career, and as a mom, I feel I must speak out with the hope that as a society we will always strive to be better.”
As Us Weekly previously reported, the Republican presidential candidate was heavily criticized on Friday, October 7, when a leaked video showed him making controversial remarks about women while chatting with O’Dell’s former Access Hollywood cohost Billy Bush. In the footage, Trump describes how he failed to seduce O’Dell, now 50, admitting, “I did try and f‑‑k her. She was married.… I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there.… Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”
Trump, 70, apologized for the comments in a Twitter video on Friday, saying that “anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am.” Bush, 44, later apologized in a statement to Us, saying, “Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry.”
In 2007, the real estate mogul reportedly wanted to fire O’Dell (who married Keith Zubchevich in June 2005) from hosting the Miss USA pageant because he didn’t like how she looked at five months pregnant.
After Trump’s misogynistic comments made headlines, several leading Republican figures and celebrities slammed him for the remarks he made in the 2005 video. His wife, Melania, however, came to his defense in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
“The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me,” said Melania, who was pregnant with their son, Barron, at the time the comments were made by the real estate mogul. “This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.”
