Comedian and television presenter Ruby Wax has disclosed that a notoriously hostile encounter with Donald Trump in 2000 was the direct catalyst for her decision to leave the world of showbusiness. The confrontation, which took place aboard the former US President's private jet for her series Ruby Wax Meets, left her so psychologically shaken she vowed never to return.
The 'Most Excruciating' Interview
Speaking candidly on the Stompcast podcast with Dr Alex George, Wax, now 72, labelled Trump, 79, as the "cruelest" and "worst" subject she ever interviewed. She described a man brimming with such intense "rage and hatred" that it provoked a physical reaction, causing her to break into a "flop sweat" that ran down her face. It was during this deeply uncomfortable exchange that Trump delivered what Wax calls the finishing blow.
"He nailed me completely," she recalled. "He said at one point, 'You're angry with a smile.' And I thought, 'This guy has gutter instincts,' because that's exactly what I was." This sharp, perceptive comment struck at the very core of her on-screen persona and contributed to her immediate desire to quit.
Laughter That Led to Ejection
The already tense atmosphere deteriorated rapidly when Trump revealed his political ambitions. As Wax explained on the Disruptors Podcast, when the businessman stated his desire to become President of the United States, she laughed, believing he was making a joke. The moment she realised he was serious, the situation turned dire.
Wax claims Trump immediately branded her "obnoxious" and gave the order to land the plane. At 33,000 feet, the interview was abruptly terminated. He allegedly had the plane land in Arkansas specifically to remove her. The animosity did not end there; Wax revealed that Trump later told her next interviewee, tennis star John McEnroe, "If I ever see Ruby Wax again, I'm going to kill her."
An Unlikely Truce and Lasting Impact
Despite the animosity, Wax believes she eventually won a measure of respect from Trump in an unrecorded moment after they disembarked. In a later interview with ABC, she recounted being in a car with him where he tried to shock her with revelations about women. "But I shocked him back," she said, "so then he started to like me. Because I became as animal as he did."
Nevertheless, the damage was done. The encounter remains one of the "most excruciating moments" of her career. While she admits she would "handle it really differently" today, the experience was powerful enough to push her out of showbusiness for good. Ruby Wax is currently appearing on the latest series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! on ITV One.
