Biography for
Rush Limbaugh More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 January 1951, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA

Birth Name

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III

Nickname

El Rushbo
Rusty
Maha Rushie
America's Anchorman
The Rusher
The Pigman

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Spouse

Kathryn Rogers	(5 June 2010 - present)
Marta Maranda Fitzgerald	(27 May 1994 - 21 December 2004) (divorced)
Michelle Sixta Wennerholm	(19 December 1982 - 1990) (divorced)
Roxy Maxine McNeely	(24 September 1977 - 10 July 1980) (divorced)

Trivia

Rusty Sharpe and Jeff Christy were 2 of Rush Limbaugh's early disc jockey names.

Born at 6:50am-CST.

The anti-union "Rush Act" in the "Babylon 5" (1994) episode "By Any Means Necessary" (1994) is named after him.

Grandfather Rush H. Limbaugh, Sr. died at age 103. Was the oldest practicing attorney in the USA at the time of his death.

Started his post-Royals radio work at KMBZ radio in Kansas City.

His show started in Sacramento, CA.

Worked for the Kansas City Royals.

Once forgot to bring out ball for first ball ceremony prior to a Kansas City Royals game. Asked for a ball and dozens of baseballs went hurling in his general direction.

Has negatively referred to Louis Farrakhan as "Calypso Louie" because Farrakhan once had a career as a musician.

Signed a contract extension with Premiere Radio Networks reportedly worth $365 million, making him the highest-paid radio personality in history. The contract kept him on the air through 2009. [July 2001]

Revealed to his radio listeners and the world that for mysterious reasons, he is now almost completely deaf. [8 October 2001]

Had a cochlear implant put into his left ear and now has regained a fraction normal hearing in that ear. However, that hearing is not normal and without the cochlear implant, Limbaugh remains entirely deaf. He has a transcriber for callers and to do interviews. [January 2002]

Rush Limbaugh was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.

Turned down an offer from Pat Buchanan to be his running mate during the 1992 Presidential campaign.

Was considered for the then-vacant color analyst position on ABC's "NFL Monday Night Football" (1970) that went to Dennis Miller.

Family refers to him as "Rusty."

Revealed to his listeners on October 10, 2003 that he has been addicted to prescription pain medication for many years, following spinal surgery. Entered an intensive in-patient treatment program and was away from his radio show for five weeks. Is now continuing his treatment as a recovering addict, and has returned to his radio program.

After he returned to his radio show after five weeks in rehab he has consistantly had between 35 and 40 million listeners - twice what he normally has

He is the #1 nationally syndicated radio talk show host in America.

Announces that he and his third wife of ten years, the former Marta Fitzgerald, are seeking a divorce for personal reasons. [June 11, 2004]

Older brother of columnist David Limbaugh.

Raised a record $1.7 million-plus for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America in his annual Cure-a-Thon, in addition to his personal donation of a quarter of a million dollars.

Nominated in 2007 for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $33 million.

His mother, Millie (Armstrong) Limbaugh, was considered the "first lady" of their hometown, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Millie passed away March 3, 2000. After her death it was revealed that Rush had temporarily moved back to Cape Girardeau to take care of his mother. He broadcast his radio show from her kitchen and had all callers forwarded to a local phone line without any delay.

Rushed to a Honolulu hospital complaining of severe chest pains on December 31, 2009 but, after tests came up negative, was released the next day.

Second cousin of Stephen Nathanial Limbaugh III.

Is a vocal critic of President Barack Obama.

He is mentioned in Alicyn Packard's song "The Pinky Song.".

Personal Quotes

Half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair.

Talent on loan from GOD.

Sorry to say this, I don't think he [black pro football quarterback Donovan McNabb] has been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well, black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve . . . [Amid the ensuing controversy, Limbaugh resigned his position as the "voice of the fan" commentator and ESPN accepted]

Feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream.

[on "free trade"] If we are going to start rewarding no skills and stupid people, let the unskilled jobs, let the kind of jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do, let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work.

[on the US role in post-war Iraq] Our armed forces shouldn't be over there. They're good at killing people and blowing things up, not peace-keeping.

The difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt comes with less fruit.

One thing I want to do before I die is to conduct the Homeless Olympics. Events would include the ten-meter Shopping Cart Relay, the Dumpster Dig and the Hop, Skip & Trip.

If Thomas Jefferson thought taxation without representation was bad, he should see how it is with representation.

Many people have said I need to be balanced with equal time. Wrong . . . I AM equal time.

Rush Limbaugh, your host, having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.

There are more American Indians alive today than there were when Columbus arrived or at any other time in history. Does this sound like a record of genocide? [according to US Census Bureau estimates, there were approx. 15 million Indians in America when Columbus arrived. There are approx. 2 million in America as of 1996]

I love the women's movement. Especially when I am walking behind it.

Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?

I'm appalled at people who simply want to look at all this abhorrent behavior and say, "Hey, you know, we can't control it anymore. People are going to do drugs anyway. Let's legalize it." It's a dumb idea. It's a rotten idea, and those who are for it are purely, 100 percent selfish.

When you strip it all away, Jerry Garcia destroyed his life on drugs. And yet he's being honored, like some godlike figure. Our priorities are out of whack, folks.

These tough sentencing laws were instituted for a reason. The American people, including liberals, demanded them. Don't you remember the crack cocaine epidemic? Crack babies and out-of-control murder rates? Liberal judges giving the bad guys slaps on the wrist? Finally we got tough, and the crime rate has been falling ever since, so what's wrong?

There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods, which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.

There are more acres of forestland in America today than when Columbus discovered the continent in 1492.

Victory is victory, and it's not determined by a timetable. World War II did not go by as quickly as you think.

Where Are They Now

(October 2001) Has gone completely deaf but is continuing to do his radio show anyway.

(December 2003) In October, Rush admitted to his listeners that he was addicted to prescription painkillers given to him after a failed back surgery. He also told his audience that he would check himself in to drug rehabilitation for 30 days.

(1992) Release of his book, "The Way Things Ought To Be".

(1993) Release of his book, "See, I Told You So".

(1996) Release of the book, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" by Al Franken.

(1997) Release of the book, "Rush Limbaugh in Night School" by Charles Varon.

(1993) Release of the book, "Rush Limbaugh and The Bible" by Daniel J. (Daniel Joseph) Evearitt.