So Billy Bush has been suspended by NBC from his regular gig as the entertainment anchor on the Today Show. Normally I wouldn’t get too worked up over the fate of the go-to Kardashian expert on a fluffy morning news program, except in this case, Bush is being punished for being complicit in the secretly recorded “locker room talk” conversation from 2005 that has embroiled the Trump campaign.

NBC News Senior Vice President Noah Oppenheim wrote in an email to staffers:

“I know we’ve all been deeply troubled by the revelations of the past 48 hours. Let me be clear — there is simply no excuse for Billy’s language and behavior on that tape. NBC has decided to suspend Billy, pending further review of this matter.”

Really? “There is simply no excuse for Billy’s language and behavior on that tape,” claims an executive at NBC/Universal, the same company celebrating their latest brilliant stroke of genius, hiring Alec Baldwin to play Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live?

The same Alec Baldwin who was recently suspended and then fired by… wait for it… NBC!

And what was he fired for? For getting caught on a hot mic making offensive and derogatory remarks to a paparazzi while he was in a fit of rage. (NY Post)

The rage-aholic’s weekly show, “Up Late With Alec Baldwin,” was canceled Tuesday because of the actor’s foul-mouthed, homophobic rant at a New York Post photographer.

Baldwin’s spokesman Matthew Hiltzik and a rep for the cable channel said, “We are jointly confirming that ‘Up Late’ will not continue on MSNBC.” The MSNBC spokeswoman added, “This is a mutual parting and we wish Alec all the best.”

Baldwin was suspended — supposedly for two weeks — after he screamed at a Post photographer, calling him a “c—s—ing faggot.” The “30 Rock” star was supposed to resume his weekly show Friday.

And, the same Alec Baldwin who was caught on a hot mic in a fitful rage calling his own 11-year-old daughter a “rude, thoughtless little pig.”

I’m tired of playing this game with you. I’m leaving this message for you to tell you that you have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don’t have the brains or the decency as a human being… I don’t give a damn that you’re 12 years old or 11 years old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn’t care about what you do as far as I’m concerned.

You have humiliated me for the last time with this phone and when I come out there next week. I’m going to fly out there for the day just to straighten you out on this issue. I’m going to let you know just how disappointed in you that I am and how angry I am with you that you’ve done this to me again.

You made me feel like s*** and you’ve made me feel like a fool over and over and over again. And this crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother and you do it to me constantly and over and over again. I am going to get on a plane and I am going to straighten your ass out when I see you.

Do you understand me? I am going to really make sure you get it. That I’m going to get on a plane and I’m gonna turn around and come home. So you better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me. So I’m going to let you know how I feel, about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude thoughtless little pig. Okay?

Again, that was to his 11-year-old daughter.

Now, it isn’t right that this private audio was made public, but it’s out there. It isn’t right that Baldwin was caught on a live mic during his tirade against an aggressive photographer, but it’s out there. Just like the Trump/Bush audio.

But Trump is condemned, Bush suspended and Baldwin celebrated.

The irony gets even richer. This past Saturday night, Baldwin – the man whose career has been threatened twice by his inappropriate remarks on a hot mic – was featured on NBC lampooning Trump for his inappropriate remarks caught on a hot mic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sYGjoUcusM

But, Alec Baldwin is NBC material.

Guess who else is NBC material… Howard Stern.

Now, full disclosure, I’m a big Howard Stern fan. And I’m not the type to clutch my pearls and feign outrage when he says something outrageous or provocative on the air. It’s his gig. I won’t copy into this post the most offensive things he has said, but you can read many of them here and here.

The point is, the things Stern has said over the years weren’t secretly recorded on a hot mic, they were broadcast to the world. It’s not like NBC didn’t know his history when they signed him to a four year contract to be a judge on their prime time reality show America’s Got Talent.

Howard Stern, NBC superstar.

Let’s sum up the hypocrisy here:

NBC suspends and threatens the job of their morning show entertainment anchor because he was giggling and complicit with Donald Trump’s “locker room talk” on a secretly recorded audio from 11 years ago because they deem his language and behavior “inexcusable.”

Alec Baldwin, (already once fired by NBC) is re-hired and celebrated by NBC despite his chronic history of rage-induced, profanity laden tirades, even against his own daughter.

Howard Stern, a man whose entire brand was defined by inexcusable, outrageous and offensive language and content is hired for one of NBC’s prime time family shows and he continues his regular content every morning on Sirius/XM while under the employ of NBC.

One other great irony: Those remarks Trump made 11 years ago that have now caused such outrage at NBC… when Trump made those remarks, he was a prime time reality star for none other than, NBC.

Please.  Give us all a break.