Latest news with #Busby
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Heartland' and Hallmark movie, TV star Cindy Busby highlights the beauty of 'Canadians telling a Canadian story'
Montreal-born actor Cindy Busby became a household name for many when she landed the role of Ashley Stanton on the beloved Canadian show Heartland. The love for Busby only grew when she began starring in Hallmark movies, including Hallmark's very first series Cedar Cove with Andie MacDowell, and she even worked with a young Sydney Sweeney in a thriller. For Busby, performing was something she always felt like she was "born to do." But things really became clear for the actor in high school. "[In] my graduating yearbook I said I was going to be a professional actor and people were like, 'What's your backup plan?' ... There's no backup plan, this is it," Busby told Yahoo Canada. "And I think a lot of that was a little bit naive, to be honest." From high school plays Busby transitioned to the theatre program at Dawson College in Montreal, a different path from some actors who might go straight into finding an agent, and auditioning for roles in TV shows and movies. "Although I probably could have propelled myself into just auditioning and getting an agent, and doing that right out of the gate, I just didn't really know any better, because I didn't grow up in a family that was in the movie industry," Busby said. The actor is quick to admit it wasn't all "sunshine and rainbows" pursuing a professional acting career, from trying to get enough work to make a living, to navigating so many auditions, but she had the "perseverance" to keep going. As Busby described, she graduated from college in 2003, and 2004 was really the year she dove deep into her career, but stressed that there were a lot of ups and down as she started auditioning regularly. "It took me a couple years to really navigate and figure out what the heck I was doing and how to audition, because in theatre school, we learned a little bit about auditioning for movies and television, but it wasn't as in dept," she said. "I feel like it's one of the greater lessons, is never having attachment to that moment you think is going to be the moment, because you just never know." While Busby can now be seen in When Hope Calls, and maintains an active YouTube channel, looking forward in her career, one thing Busby wants to do is a "full blown comedy," something like Bridesmaids. "I love making people laugh. I love laughing. I love being silly. I love sacrificing my own pride to just make someone laugh. I just love being ridiculous," she said. "I always like to bring comedy to everything I do, to some capacity, because I think it's kind of what grounds us in a lot of ways." "And I wouldn't mind doing a really kind of gritty indie movie, like something that just evokes thought and emotion, and just offers a bit of reflection on life." Busby worked with Back to the Future and Some Kind of Wonderful star Lea Thompson in the 2007 TV movie A Life Interrupted, a film about Debbie Smith's sexual assault case. With Back to the Future being Busby's "favourite movie of all time," the actor was particularly excited about working with Thompson. "I'll never forget it, I walked into my costume fitting and usually in a production office there's the photos of the actors who are playing what part, and I just remember looking at the photos and seeing mine, and then looking at the woman playing my mom and my jaw dropping," Busby recalled. "And looking at the costume designer and being like, what's happening here? She's like, 'Oh, Lea Thompson, she's playing your mom, Debbie.' ... And I was just like, playing it cool. I just remember going home and calling my mom and being like, 'Mom, you're never going to believe this!'" "[Lea Thompson] did not disappoint. First of all, she's the sweetest human. So talented, cares so much. And I think it was like on day three when I told her that I was a massive Back to the Future fan and she was so welcoming of that, and she was like, oh my gosh, those were the days, that movie changed my life, my trajectory. And she would give me anecdotes of her time on set. I just loved it and held on to it. And actually later on, when I ended up getting my visa and my green card, she actually wrote a letter of recommendation for me. ... In a lot of ways, she was a very important person for me in my career. But also, just someone I looked up to and it was really a full circle moment." The CBC hit Heartland is Canada's longest running one-hour drama, entertaining fans since 2007. Busby plays Ashley Stanton on the show, starting as a high school mean girl, moving on to exploring her relationship with her mother, to the journey of Ashley and Caleb (Kerry James). While starring in the show for Season 1 to Season 4, Busby returned in Season 7, and again in Season 18. "Heartland was a show that just truly changed my life in so many ways," Busby said. "It was the first role ... where I got to work consistently, and for months on end, and it wasn't like a full-time gig, but it was enough." "It ended after four seasons and I was just kind of ready to do other things, or try other opportunities, and because it was such a commitment it was difficult for me to do other jobs while I was doing that. But it's always been like my baby, in a lot of ways. It's like my achilles heel. ... The fan base is just so loyal and so massive all over the world, on Netflix, worldwide." Speaking about her return to the show, Busby was incredibly excited to come back, but she did have to think hard about playing Ashley Stanton again. "I'm going to be honest, I really had to think about it, because part of me was like, have I outgrown this role? ... Can I still show up and do the character justice? Which is the most important thing to me, and not just do something because it comes my way, but do it for the the right reasons," Busby said. "I sat with it and I watched some of my episodes from the past, and that was kind of nice to go back in time, and then I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this for the fans." "Anyone who goes on my Instagram will see the number one question I ever get asked is, 'Are you ever coming back on Heartland?' And it's like an ongoing joke with my friends and my family, because the fans are so passionate about it, which is the most incredible feeling, because it just shows that I did the character justice, and people loved her. She was the character that everyone loved to hate, and hated to love, and all that stuff. So it was really special to get to go back and just to get to work with my friends. And because that show was such a monumental moment for everyone involved, it's kind of bonded us for life, where I felt so welcome, so loved. When I was on set, everyone was so excited to see me, and I was so excited to see them. It was really special. I definitely came back home after that experience on cloud nine, because it was just fun. It was like getting to go to a high school reunion." When Busby reflects on what has really resonated with people about Heartland, she stressed that, first and foremost, it was "Canadians telling a Canadian story." "So many American productions come to Canada, which we're all so grateful for, because it gives incredible jobs, but to be able to tell Canadian stories and show the most beautiful parts of Canada is truly magnificent. ... It's a beautiful show that really shows off Canada, which I'm super proud of. We actually use Canadian money in the show, that's really cool!" Busby said. "And to be able to have family-friendly content is something that I think, at the time when it came out, there wasn't necessarily a lot of." "And then, ... what I've come to realize is there is a massive love and appreciation for any story that has to do with horses. ... People love those stories, they can't get enough of them. ... A lot of times the stories are done in a period piece, ... but this one takes place in present time. So I think that makes it even more special. And there is a huge horse culture out there that, whether it's in Alberta, whether it's in Texas, whether it's in Montana, there's some everywhere, and it's a really beautiful thing that brings people together, and they bond over that." While Busby now has an impressive list of Hallmark projects under her belt, the first one was Cedar Cove, the first series from Hallmark. Coming in midway through the second season, she played assistant district attorney Rebecca Jennings. But before Busby landed the show, she had auditioned for Hallmark projects when she was living in Vancouver, but for some reason none of those auditions resulted in a job. "I remember thinking, why have I not booked one of these projects?" Busby said. "Like, look at my face. I feel like I'm 'Girl Next Door,' ... and for some reason it just wasn't working. And then I ended up booking Cedar Cove." But while Cedar Cove was history-making for Hallmark, Unleashing Mr. Darcy is what Busby identified as the project that "completely changed the trajectory" of her career. "It put me in a lead perspective and it, to this day, I think is one of the most popular movies they've ever created on the network," she said. "A lot of that maybe has to do with the fact that we have so many cute dogs in the movie, and a lot of us were all fresh faces on the network. There was myself, I'd never been a lead on a movie. There was Ryan Paevey, who'd never been a lead on a movie, but was a beloved soap actor. ... It was just a fresh movie with a fresh twist on a beloved book, 'Pride and Prejudice.'" "And then after that, movies just kept coming my way, and leads. And I'm forever grateful for those opportunities, because ... it levelled me up in my career and in my craft." Before we saw Sydney Sweeney in The Handmaid's Tale, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and Anyone But You, she worked with Busby in the TV movie The Wrong Daughter. Busby plays Kate, who wants to connect with the daughter she placed for adoption years ago, but things take a dark turn. "When I worked with [Sydney Sweeney], she had just finished a couple really big projects that were undoubtedly going to propel her to some sort of stardom," Busby said. "But you just never know in this industry, and there's so many talented, beautiful people that just don't make it, ... and it's been truly incredible to see her [career]." "I'll be driving down Sunset Boulevard here in L.A. and I'll just see her on a massive building. ... And the girl that I knew in that movie, who I'm sure she still is to this day, is just a down to earth sweetheart, so smart. When I worked with her ... she was working her butt off and was going to school full-time, and we got along really well. ... We had like every scene together, so we had a lot of conversations about life and boys and school and troubles and the industry, and all that. ... I'm just so excited for her and happy that things worked out the way they did. I hope that she's happy with it." Then Busby was part of another interesting Hallmark evolution, the Unwrapping Christmas movies, where each leading woman had her own film, but with each character showing up in all four stories. Busby led Unwrapping Christmas: Olivia's Reunion. "I feel like it highlighted each person's journey and how everyone fit into each other's journey," Busby said. "We each individually shot our movies and then we did crossover scenes. So any of the scenes that we had together in our movies, we shot over a period of six days." "I didn't know any of the ladies going into it, so I had to use a lot of my imagination, and as I usually do, I immediately messaged all three of them and was like, 'Hey, welcome aboard! So excited to get to know you!' And just trying to create a bond with them before we actually met, so that I had something to work off of as an actor. And then when we met on set ... we immediately were like, 'Whoa, we would actually be really good friends in real life,' and we were all so different." But it was the differences in each story that really appealed to Busby. "You want to be able to show different women who have different personalities and different things, but they come together," she said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Heartland' and Hallmark movie, TV star Cindy Busby highlights the beauty of 'Canadians telling a Canadian story'
Montreal-born actor Cindy Busby became a household name for many when she landed the role of Ashley Stanton on the beloved Canadian show Heartland. The love for Busby only grew when she began starring in Hallmark movies, including Hallmark's very first series Cedar Cove, working alongside Andie MacDowell, and she even worked with a young Sydney Sweeney in a thriller. For Busby, performing was something she always felt like she was "born to do." But things really became clear for the actor in high school. "[In] my graduating yearbook I said I was going to be a professional actor and people were like, 'What's your backup plan?' ... There's no backup plan, this is it," Busby told Yahoo Canada. "And I think a lot of that was a little bit naive, to be honest." From high school plays Busby transitioned to the theatre program at Dawson College in Montreal, a different path from some actors who might go straight into finding an agent, and auditioning for roles in TV shows and movies. "Although I probably could have propelled myself into just auditioning and getting an agent, and doing that right out of the gate, I just didn't really know any better, because I didn't grow up in a family that was in the movie industry," Busby said. The actor is quick to admit it wasn't all "sunshine and rainbows" pursuing a professional acting career, from trying to get enough work to make a living, to navigating so many auditions, but she had the "perseverance" to keep going. As Busby described, she graduated from college in 2003, and 2004 was really the year she dove deep into her career, but stressed that there were a lot of ups and down as she started auditioning regularly. "It took me a couple years to really navigate and figure out what the heck I was doing and how to audition, because in theatre school, we learned a little bit about auditioning for movies and television, but it wasn't as in dept," she said. "I feel like it's one of the greater lessons, is never having attachment to that moment you think is going to be the moment, because you just never know." While Busby can now be seen in When Hope Calls, and maintains an active YouTube channel, looking forward in her career, one thing Busby wants to do is a "full blown comedy," something like Bridesmaids. "I love making people laugh. I love laughing. I love being silly. I love sacrificing my own pride to just make someone laugh. I just love being ridiculous," she said. "I always like to bring comedy to everything I do, to some capacity, because I think it's kind of what grounds us in a lot of ways." "And I wouldn't mind doing a really kind of gritty indie movie, like something just that evokes thought and emotion, and just offers a bit of reflection on life." Busby worked with Back to the Future and Some Kind of Wonderful star Lea Thompson in the 2007 TV movie A Life Interrupted, a film about Debbie Smith's sexual assault case. With Back to the Future being Busby's "favourite movie of all time," the actor was particularly excited about working with Thompson. "I'll never forget it, I walked into my costume fitting and usually in a production office there's the photos of the actors who are playing what part, and I just remember looking at the photos and seeing mine, and then looking at the woman playing my mom and my jaw dropping," Busby recalled. "And looking at the costume designer and being like, what's happening here? She's like, 'Oh, Leah Thompson, she's playing your mom, Debbie.' ... And I was just like, playing it cool. I just remember going home and calling my mom and being like, 'Mom, you're never going to believe this!'" "[Lea Thompson] did not disappoint. First of all, she's the sweetest human. So talented, cares so much. And I think it was like on day three when I told her that I was a massive Back to the Future fan and she was so welcoming of that, and she was like, oh my gosh, those were the days, that movie changed my life, my trajectory. And she would give me anecdotes of her time on set. I just loved it and held on to it. And actually later on, when I ended up getting my visa and my green card, she actually wrote a letter of recommendation for me. ... In a lot of ways, she was a very important person for me in my career. But also, just someone I looked up to and it was really a full circle moment." The CBC hit Heartland is Canada's longest running one-hour drama, entertaining fans since 2007. Busby plays Ashley Stanton on the show, starting as a high school mean girl, moving on to exploring her relationship with her mother, to the journey of Ashley and Caleb (Kerry James). While starring in the show for Season 1 to Season 4, Busby returned in Season 7, and again in Season 18. "Heartland was a show that just truly changed my life in so many ways," Busby said. "It was the first role ... where I got to work consistently, and for months on end, and it wasn't like a full-time gig, but it was enough." "It ended after four seasons and I was just kind of ready to do other things, or try other opportunities, and because it was such a commitment it was difficult for me to do other jobs while I was doing that. But it's always been like my baby, in a lot of ways. It's like my achilles heel. ... The fan base is just so loyal and so massive all over the world, on Netflix, worldwide." Speaking about her return to the show, Busby was incredibly excited to come back, but she did have to think hard about playing Ashley Stanton again. "I'm going to be honest, I really had to think about it, because part of me was like, have I outgrown this role? ... Can I still show up and do the character justice? Which is the most important thing to me, and not just do something because it comes my way, but do it for the the right reasons," Busby said. "I sat with it and I watched some of my episodes from the past, and that was kind of nice to go back in time, and then I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this for the fans." "Anyone who goes on my Instagram will see the number one question I ever get asked is, 'Are you ever coming back on Heartland?' And it's like an ongoing joke with my friends and my family, because the fans are so passionate about it, which is the most incredible feeling, because it just shows that I did the character justice, and people loved her. She was the character that everyone loved to hate, and hated to love, and all that stuff. So it was really special to get to go back and just to get to work with my friends. And because that show was such a monumental moment for everyone involved, it's kind of bonded us for life, where I felt so welcome, so loved. When I was on set, everyone was so excited to see me, and I was so excited to see them. It was really special. I definitely came back home after that experience on cloud nine, because it was just fun. It was like getting to go to a high school reunion." When Busby reflects on what has really resonated with people about Heartland, she stressed that, first and foremost, it was "Canadians telling a Canadian story." "So many American productions come to Canada, which we're all so grateful for, because it gives incredible jobs, but to be able to tell Canadian stories and show the most beautiful parts of Canada is truly magnificent. ... It's a beautiful show that really shows off Canada, which I'm super proud of. We actually use Canadian money in the show, that's really cool!" Busby said. "And to be able to have family-friendly content is something that I think, at the time when it came out, there wasn't necessarily a lot of." "And then, ... what I've come to realize is there is a massive love and appreciation for any story that has to do with horses. ... People love those stories, they can't get enough of them. ... A lot of times the stories are done in a period piece, ... but this one takes place in present time. So I think that makes it even more special. And there is a huge horse culture out there that, whether it's in Alberta, whether it's in Texas, whether it's in Montana, there's some everywhere, and it's a really beautiful thing that brings people together, and they bond over that." While Busby now has an impressive list of Hallmark projects under her belt, the first one was Cedar Cove, the first series from Hallmark. Coming in midway through the second season, she played assistant district attorney Rebecca Jennings. But before Busby landed the show, she had auditioned for Hallmark projects when she was living in Vancouver, but for some reason none of those auditions resulted in a job. "I remember thinking, why have I not booked one of these projects?" Busby said. "Like, look at my face. I feel like I'm 'Girl Next Door,' ... and for some reason it just wasn't working. And then I ended up booking Cedar Cove." But while Cedar Cove was history-making for Hallmark, Unleashing Mr. Darcy is what Busby identified as the project that "completely changed the trajectory" of her career. "It put me in a lead perspective and it, to this day, I think is one of the most popular movies they've ever created on the network," she said. "A lot of that maybe has to do with the fact that we have so many cute dogs in the movie, and a lot of us were all fresh faces on the network. There was myself, I'd never been a lead on a movie. There was Ryan Paevey, who'd never been a lead on a movie, but was a beloved soap actor. ... It was just a fresh movie with a fresh twist on a beloved book, 'Pride and Prejudice.'" "And then after that, movies just kept coming my way, and leads. And I'm forever grateful for those opportunities, because ... it levelled me up in my career and in my craft." Before we saw Sydney Sweeney in The Handmaid's Tale, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and Anyone But You, she worked with Busby in the TV movie The Wrong Daughter. Busby plays Kate, who wants to connect with the daughter she placed for adoption years ago, but things take a dark turn. "When I worked with [Sydney Sweeney], she had just finished a couple really big projects that were undoubtedly going to propel her to some sort of stardom," Busby said. "But you just never know in this industry, and there's so many talented, beautiful people that just don't make it, ... and it's been truly incredible to see her [career]." "I'll be driving down Sunset Boulevard here in L.A. and I'll just see her on a massive building. ... And the girl that I knew in that movie, who I'm sure she still is to this day, is just a down to earth sweetheart, so smart. When I worked with her ... she was working her butt off and was going to school full-time, and we got along really well. ... We had like every scene together, so we had a lot of conversations about life and boys and school and troubles and the industry, and all that. ... I'm just so excited for her and happy that things worked out the way they did. I hope that she's happy with it." Then Busby was part of another interesting Hallmark evolution, the Unwrapping Christmas movies, where each leading woman had her own film, but with each character showing up in all four stories. Busby led Unwrapping Christmas: Olivia's Reunion. "I feel like it highlighted each person's journey and how everyone fit into each other's journey," Busby said. "We each individually shot our movies and then we did crossover scenes. So any of the scenes that we had together in our movies, we shot over a period of six days." "I didn't know any of the ladies going into it, so I had to use a lot of my imagination, and as I usually do, I immediately messaged all three of them and was like, 'Hey, welcome aboard! So excited to get to know you!' And just trying to create a bond with them before we actually met, so that I had something to work off of as an actor. And then when we met on set ... we immediately were like, 'Whoa, we would actually be really good friends in real life,' and we were all so different." But it was the differences in each story that really appealed to Busby. "You want to be able to show different women who have different personalities and different things, but they come together," she said.
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
How Trump's 'Big Beautiful' Budget Bill Helps China Win the Clean Tech Race
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Clean energy industry analysts and trade groups said Thursday that the budget reconciliation bill narrowly approved Thursday by the Republican-led House of Representatives would raise emissions and energy prices while giving China an edge in the growing clean technology market. Business leaders in solar, wind, battery and EV manufacturing had hoped that the boom in clean energy investments in Republican districts would translate into political support for tax credits that benefit renewable energy and clean tech. But in the final hours of negotiations, the bill's text grew even worse for clean energy interests, phasing out most of the tax credits even earlier than proposed in the bill's earlier draft. "It's a significant shock," Chirag Lala, director of energy at the Center for Public Enterprise, told Newsweek. CPE is a nonprofit that works with state and local governments on energy development and investment. The tax credits played an important role in reducing risk for investors, he explained, and have triggered hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in new projects. "If we were hoping to be a big player in the manufacturing or development of key industries—nuclear, geothermal, batteries, electric vehicles—this is a huge set back," he said. China has invested heavily in its capacity to manufacture solar panels, EVs and batteries and dominates the global market for most of those products. The U.S. has argued that China has also used unfair trade practices. Many U.S. businesses viewed the clean energy support in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as the country's best chance to catch up with China. The Kayenta Solar Plant in Arizona, one of the many clean energy projects made possible with federal financing. The Kayenta Solar Plant in Arizona, one of the many clean energy projects made possible with federal financing."Gutting the incentives of the IRA will likely mean a number of projects are abandoned and many new ones won't start," University of Texas at Austin public affairs professor Joshua Busby told Newsweek via email. "While the rest of the world moves on to clean energy and looks to China for inputs, the U.S. will be left behind." Busby, who formerly served as a senior climate adviser to the U.S. Department of Defense, argues that removing incentives for clean energy would undermine U.S. national security. Not only are clean tech products like batteries becoming important for military applications, but the revenue from the clean energy industry is also an important source of economic power. "Clean energy is one of a handful of sectors that will be large sources of growth and revenue this century," Busby said. "Countries that have large healthy economies have the tax base to fund their militaries." Shortly after the House vote Thursday morning, trade groups representing renewable energy and clean tech manufacturers responded with statements that echoed Busby's concerns about the U.S. ability to compete with China. "A vote for this bill was a vote to close U.S. factories and concede manufacturing jobs of the most important energy resource of the 21st century to China," Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America, said in a statement. Ray Long, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy, said "recklessly disrupting" tax incentives will undermine projects that are ready to come online in the U.S. "It would be a boon to Chinese manufacturers and a tremendous step backward for American jobs, competitiveness in manufacturing and AI, economic security, and energy security," Long said. Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, emphasized solar's growing importance in meeting growing energy demand. Energy analysts project a coming surge in demand for electricity driven by the boom in data centers for AI, and the combination of solar and battery energy storage made up the bulk of new electricity capacity added to the grid last year. "If this bill becomes law, America will effectively surrender the AI race to China and communities nationwide will face blackouts," Hopper said in a statement. Energy policy analysts raced to assess the impact the House bill would have. The Rapid Energy Policy Evaluation and Analysis Toolkit (REPEAT) is a joint effort including researchers from Princeton University, Dartmouth College and Binghamton University. The REPEAT researchers noted that the House bill would not only scrap the clean energy tax credits, it would also rescind all unobligated funding for clean energy and climate programs under the IRA and the Infrastructure Law. They estimate that would: Increase U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 0.5 billion metric tons per year in 2030 and more than 1 billion metric tons per year in 2035. Raise U.S. household and business energy expenditures by $25 billion annually in 2030 and over $50 billion in 2035. Increase average U.S. household energy costs by roughly $100 to $160 dollars per year in 2030. Additionally, REPEAT found, the bill would put at risk $522 billion in announced but pending investments in U.S. clean energy reduce annual sales of electric vehicles by roughly 40 percent by 2030. The net effect, the researchers found, would "end America's battery manufacturing boom."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swiss-born liberal megadonor slapped with lawsuit for allegedly groping, sexually harassing winery employee
Swiss billionaire and liberal megadonor Hansjörg Wyss is facing a sexual harassment lawsuit from a now-former female employee in California who claims Wyss groped her, shared unwanted information about his sexual past and then ultimately retaliated against her when she denied his advances. Former Wyss employee Madison Busby, in a suit filed in San Luis Obispo County last month, claims that the 89-year-old Wyss "deliberately placed his hand on Ms. Busby's butt and groped her" the first time she was introduced to him in 2019 by her future husband, Bryce Mullins. "Mr. Wyss proceeded to tell Mr. Mullins in Ms. Busby's presence about how 'good' Ms. Busby's butt looked in the dress she was wearing," the lawsuit states. Mullins was working for the Wyss-owned Halter Ranch winery in Paso Robles, and Busby ultimately began working there in 2021. The lawsuit states that Busby did not speak up at first due to concerns that Mullins would lose his employment or standing. Gop Bill Cracks Down On 'Loophole' Allowing Foreign Donors To Pump Dark Money Into Us Elections Over the next few years, the lawsuit alleges other harassment from Wyss, including "making several sexual propositions" including telling her "how much he enjoyed having a threesome" and suggesting they engage in a "foursome." Read On The Fox News App "Throughout 2021 and 2022, Mr. Wyss frequently shared unwelcome stories about his sexual exploits and various affairs with other women," the lawsuit states. "In 2021, Mr. Wyss told Ms. Busby and Mr. Mullins about his many sexual affairs outside of his marriage and stated there was nothing wrong with affairs. He further said that Americans were 'too uptight' around those having affairs." Other allegations include Wyss telling Busby about going to a movie theater with a woman named "Lori" and meeting a man he did not know and "initiated oral sex with him" before going back to her apartment and having a threesome. Swiss Billionaire Hansjörg Wyss Recently Poured Over $60M Into Propping Up Left-wing Groups And Causes Wyss is also alleged to have "subjected Ms. Busby to a live video of Lori while Mr. Wyss was having phone sex with her" and at one point told Busby "he often had phone sex with Lori and that she could orgasm multiple times just from 'dirty talk.'" "He went on to tell Ms. Busby that he usually had phone sex at Halter Ranch with Lori because his wife was not around," the lawsuit said. "Mr. Wyss mentioned to Ms. Busby that he wanted them to 'Facetime' Lori with him." A spokesperson for Halter Winery dismissed the allegations as "not true," telling Fox News Digital that they "intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround Mr. Mullins' and Ms. Busby's time at the winery and their departure." "For almost five years, starting in 2019, Mr. Mullins and his current wife voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Winery community and took advantage of its owner's generosity," the spokesperson continued. "This included deciding to become employees of the winery, choosing to live at the winery rent free for years, frequently traveling with the owner to Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere at the owner's expense, asking the owner and his wife to host their wedding party and inviting the owner to serve as Best Man. Through all these years, they never complained about the owner's conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024." Wyss, according to the lawsuit, knew his actions could be legally problematic for him, telling Busby at one point in 2022, "If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win." When Busby and Mullins began pulling away and decided to move to a smaller house on the property in order to ensure that Wyss would not be able to stay with them when he visited, the lawsuit alleges that Wyss retaliated against them by forcing her to take a pay cut and insisting the couple pay rent. Busby resigned from her position and sent a letter on the day she left to Wyss outlining her concerns about his "ongoing conduct and her own anxiety and distress as the result of that conduct." The complaint filed in April accuses Wyss of sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and sexual battery. Wyss is also facing a lawsuit from Mullins, who says the billionaire "abruptly terminated" his employment after Busby's complaint, despite bringing him out from the East Coast to work at the ranch and once promising Mullins would "have full control of the Halter Companies upon Mr. Wyss's death." Fox News Digital reached out to Busby's legal team for comment. "The Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund have no involvement with this matter. The organizations' charitable activities are totally separate from those of the Halter Ranch," a Wyss foundation spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Wyss, who is referred to by some as the "new George Soros," is well-known in American politics as one of the most prominent liberal megadonors and has given hundreds of millions to Democratic causes through a network of left-wing article source: Swiss-born liberal megadonor slapped with lawsuit for allegedly groping, sexually harassing winery employee
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea co-owner Hansjorg Wyss, 89, accused of sexual harassment after ‘groping young employee & suggesting a foursome'
CHELSEA co-owner Hansjorg Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment after allegedly groping a young employee, a lawsuit claimed. It has also been claimed 3 Chelsea co-owner Hansjorg Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment Credit: Getty 3 The lawsuit claimed the harassment unfolded at the Halter Ranch winery in California The alleged harassment took place at a winery he owns in Paso Robles, California, called Halter Ranch. Wyss is accused of making unwanted advances to Madison Busby, who worked at the site. The winery was managed by her now-husband Bryce Mullins. The lawsuit stated: 'While Ms Busby cooked at the stove, Mr Wyss, then in his mid-eighties and married, deliberately placed his hand on Ms Busby's butt and groped her." Read More Wyss also allegedly asked Mr Mullins if he had any sexual photographs of Ms Busby on his phone. A spokesperson from Halter Ranch strongly denied all allegations. 'We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,' a statement said. The lawsuit stated how Ms Busby moved into the winery with her now-husband in 2020 and became a staff member in 2021. Most read in Football During the stay, it is alleged Wyss made "several sexual propositions" towards the 30-year-old employee. He is also accused of sharing explicit sexual stories with the couple and sharing tales of affairs. Once Ms Busby became an official employee, the lawsuit also claims Wyss pushed for threesomes with herself and Mr Mullins - as well as other people. She did not make any complaints at the time over fears they would lose their jobs, it is claimed. The 30-year-old left the winery in 2024 and has since filed the lawsuit. In a statement denying the allegations, Halter Ranch added: 'For almost five years, starting in 2019, Mr Mullins and his current wife voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Winery community and took advantage of its owner's generosity. 'This included deciding to become employees of the winery, choosing to live at the winery rent free for years, frequently travelling with the owner to Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere at the owner's expense, asking the owner and his wife to host their wedding party and inviting the owner to serve as best man. 'Through all these years, they never complained about the owner's conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024.' Wyss has an estimated He is the founder of Synthes USA, the world's largest medical device manufacturer making internal screws and plates for broken bones. They manufactured the company's devices and exported them to the US which led to the billionaire opening up his first manufacturing plant in Colorado. Under Wyss' guidance, the American division sales team expanded and trained surgeons on how to use its products such as plates and internal screws. This helped him to officially became Synthes' worldwide CEO and chairman until HR decided in 2007 that he would only want to represent as the chairman before Johnson & Johnson acquired Synthes in 2012. Wyss sold Synthes for a staggering amount of £14.7bn in cash and stocks where he would go on to purchase stakes in a publicly-traded biotech companies NovoCure and Molecular. In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that bought Chelsea after 3 In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that bought Chelsea Credit: AP
