Rush Limbaugh: who was the controversial US TV host, what did he say about AIDs - and what is Donald Trump’s tribute to him?

The conservative radio and TV host has died at the age of 70, after a battle with cancer

Limbaugh was a supporter of Trump (both pictured in 2018 at a 'Make America Great Again' rally, and the former president paid tribute to him following his death (Picture: Getty Images)

US presenter, author and political commentator Rush Limbaugh has died aged 70, after a battle with lung cancer.

His death has been mourned by some of his ex-colleagues and politically conservative acquaintances, but for others his death conjured up feelings of upset, anger and disapproval at his views on many political matters.

Limbaugh shared his controversial and judgemental views across the various platforms he presented on and refused to apologise for any upset caused.

So, who was Limbaugh and why was he considered a polarising figure in US media? This is what you need to know.

Who was Rush Limbaugh?

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in January 1951, in Missouri, US.

His father was a lawyer and a United States fighter pilot while his mother stayed home to raise him and his brother.

Limbaugh first worked in radio at the age of 16, going by the name of Rusty Sharpe. He later dropped this and used his own name in the 1980s.

He was best known for his radio show, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and also had his own television show in the 1990s.

The political commentator was one of the most handsomely paid radio hosts in the US, estimated to be worth around $84.5 million (£73.2M).

Limbaugh became affiliated with the conservative movement in the US throughout the 1990s and he was a well-known and staunch supporter of the Republican party.

His views on sexual orientation, women’s rights, trivialising of sexual consent and racist insults resulted in his own definition of himself as an ‘insult-radio’ DJ.

He was recognised on the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump, in 2020.

Limbaugh married four times, three ended in divorce and he never had any children. He passed away on 17 February 2021, having been diagnosed with lung cancer on 20 January 2020.

What were his most controversial views?

The self-proclaimed ‘insult radio’ host was particularly infamous for a section on his radio show in the 90s, titled the ‘AIDS update’.

On the ‘AIDS update’ he mocked and shamed gay and bisexual men who had died from AIDs - and referred to the illness as ‘“the Rock Hudson disease”.

He added that gay men and women engaging in sexual relationships was unhygienic, and in 2007 suggested that AIDS “did not spread to the heterosexual community.”

Further insults were threw by Limbaugh to women campaigning for equal rights - determining them “feminazis” and that their "most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur."

In 2017, he also described a women’s rights march attended by over 500,000 US women as a “Deranged feminazi march”.

The stigmatising radio host once hung up on an African American caller on his radio show, who he claimed he could not understand. Limbaugh told him to “take that bone out of your nose and call be back.”

He also suggested that all e-fits of African American criminals resembled activist, Baptist minister and Democratic presidential nominee Jesse Jackson. He also spread false claims President Obama was not from a US citizen and called his presidency a ‘regime’.

Limbaugh expressed speculation around what constituted sexual consent. In 2014, he responded to a campaign in Ohio State University for students to verbally ask before performing a sexual act on a partner, by asking "How many of you guys ... have learned that 'no' means 'yes' if you know how to spot it?"

He also opposed climate change action, describing activists as "environmentalist wacko", and opposed the US Green New Deal which sought to make public bodies take action on climate issues with the same seriousness and severity of their actions over social inequalities.

On 24 February 2020, Limbaugh made comments regarding his scepticism of coronavirus.

He said: "I'm dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks," alleging it was being "weaponized" to bring down President Trump.

How did he respond to backlash?

While Limbaugh denied many of his comments were derogatory or an endorsement of racism, sexual assault or homophobia, he did apologise for the remarks he made about the African American ‘taking the bone out of his nose’.

For the most part, Limbaugh deemed his offensive language and insulting attitude towards minorities to be well-received and justified.

He referred to Fox News pioneer Roger Ailes, whom he worked with on his TV show in the 90s, as teaching him “how to take being hated as a measure of success.”

With regards to his comments about sexual consent, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lobbied others to boycott his radio show as they alleged he had endorsed sexual assault.

Limbaugh’s representatives stated they would be pursuing defamation cases against the DCCC, but a spokesperson for the committee said they never received any correspondence from his attorney.

For the most part, the 70-year-old spent more than four decades making comments which he did not apologise for and continued to make controversial and largely unfounded statements about coronavirus, climate change and other human rights disputes until his death in February 2021.

What was Donald Trump’s tribute to him?

One American who was quick to pay tribute to the late Limbaugh, following news of his death on Wednesday, was President Trump.

He called into Fox News to share that he felt the radio host had been like a religious experience” for listeners.

Trump said: "He is a legend. He really is. There aren’t too many legends around. But he is a legend.

"And those people who listen to him every day, it was like a religious experience for a lot of people."

The former president added: "The great Rush Limbaugh has passed away to a better place, free from physical pain and hostility. His honor, courage, strength, and loyalty will never be replaced.

"Rush was a patriot, a defender of Liberty, and someone who believed in all of the greatness our Country stands for. Rush was a friend to myself and millions of Americans—a guiding light with the ability to see the truth and paint vivid pictures over the airwaves."

Meanwhile, the US Media Matters watchdog said: “He made our politics more toxic and contributed to the dangerous levels of polarisation that dominate our public discourse today.”

Twitter was awash with polarising views of him, with 1.7M tweets referring to him in the hours following the announcement of his death.

The Blacklist founder and Vanityfair contributing editor, Franklin Leonard wrote: “Please let these stories about Ted Cruz being dumb enough to be in Cancun while Texas freezes be true. And on Rush Limbaugh’s death day during Black History month. Lord, I have seen what you’ve done for others.”

This followed a tribute for Republican politician Ted Cruz, whom Limbaugh endorsed in the 2016 presidential election, which referred to the him as “a patriot and a lion-hearted defender of freedom,” “a conservative leader and media icon who forged a path in radio that had not been tread before”, before determining: “There is no doubt that Rush will continue to live on as one of the most iconic figures in the conservative movement for years to come.”

The prime minister of Israel also tweeted: “I send my heartfelt condolences to the family of Rush Limbaugh. He was a great friend of Israel and he stood by us through thick and thin, always firm, never wavering. We shall miss him dearly.”