On February 17, 2021, the world lost a giant in the broadcasting world—Rush Hudson Limbaugh III, the voice of the American conservative movement and an icon in the media. Through his wit, humor, and unwavering patriotism, Rush shaped the way we think about politics and the media. We honor him with reflections from some of the many great Americans who were touched by his work, his friendship, and his influence.
“And Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
-President Donald J. Trump
Introduction
Ladies and gentlemen, it was four years ago, February 17, 2021 that radio’s greatest of all time, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III, American patriot, passed away.
So, here on Presidents’ Day 2025, we present a tribute to Rush Limbaugh, with more than a few thoughtful reflections from some great Americans.
Paul Leslie Remembers Rush Limbaugh
It’s a question I’ve found myself asking repeatedly since he passed: What would Rush be saying about this? As I and so many others have been saying, these are historic times. Rush Limbaugh would have plenty to say here on President’s Day 2025. His sharp mind was always delivering those unbelievable soundbites in rapid succession.
What would Rush have said about Biden’s unraveling?
The Trump vs. Biden debate that resulted in a TKO for the Biden campaign?
The selection, not election, of Kamala Harris?
The most famous McDonald’s shift in history? The impeccable Trump presidential campaign with some of the most successful media appearances in history?…
My goodness, I would have loved to have heard Rush talk about all of these things.
And then there’s what my imagination settles on: Can you imagine Rush Limbaugh at Mar-a-Lago basking in the election night victory? He would have been at the inauguration most likely.
The thing that I wonder most of all: Would he have known how responsible he was for all of America’s victories in ushering in what feels like a Golden Age? Rush was on to what was happening such a long time ago.
The reason that you and I ask these questions—What would Rush have said?—is that he was actually training us in how to think independently of the media’s narrative. If you can try and think of what Rush would say, it means that you’re escaping from the prescribed path that the media and the state have planned for you. Rush Limbaugh made it incredibly entertaining.
I still listen to the tapes, the old broadcasts. Excellence in broadcasting, indeed. He made every second seem like everything was exactly as it should be and where it should be. I think of the way he’d rumple the papers, the uniqueness of the way his microphone sounded, the unmistakable theme song from The Pretenders, “My City Was Gone.”
There will never be a radio show like it. But rather than mourn his passing, I think Rush would prefer that we celebrate that he was here. His work mattered because America is not just a place, and it is worth fighting for.
So with a little help from my friends, what do you say we remember and celebrate Rush Limbaugh today?
Nick Searcy: “Rush Limbaugh became friends with everybody in the audience”
We’ll start with a guy who actually got to substitute host for him, a great actor and filmmaker, a past guest on this show, Mr. Nick Searcy.
“Better than any Oscar”
Hi everybody, Nick Searcy here. You probably know who I am if you watch the show Justified, and if you don’t, you should watch Justified. But I had the distinct honor of guest hosting The Rush Limbaugh Show one time, December 27, 2017.
Rush and I had become acquainted because he was a fan of Justified. And he wound up interviewing me on the show when he found out that I was also a fan of his. And I always joke that I was on the show longer than Dick Cheney when he interviewed me.
And then I joked around with Bo Snerdley after that, that someday they should let me guest host—and they did. So, great honor. Better than any Oscar.
“I think every day about what Rush would be saying right now”
I think every day, every single day, about what Rush would be saying right now about what’s happening in our country. Because he did so much to bring it to this point, to help the country understand who Trump was and what it was that he had to do in order to shake up the corruption that has been going on in America for years.
Rush was so much a part of that. I wish he could see what Elon Musk is doing. He’s attacking all the things that Rush talked about all these years.
“I miss his humor. I miss the warmth of his laugh”
And I miss him every day. And not just for the substance of his political viewpoints. I miss his humor. I miss the warmth of his laugh. I think all of us who were Rush Limbaugh fans—we respected him, but he was a friend of ours, and he talked to us like he was a friend of ours.
And that’s the difference between him and everybody else that’s on the air. Because of Rush, everybody else has found a way to kind of do what Rush does. The thing that set Rush apart was he became friends with everybody in the audience. And he loved us, and we loved him too.
God bless you, Rush. I miss you every day.
Clarence “Frogman” Henry Reflects on His Relationship with Rush Limbaugh
Rush was so good at using theme songs for certain things, up up in a way for the condom update, My Boy Lollipop for the Barney Frank updates, and then there was Ain’t Got No Home from Clarence “Frogman” Henry that he would always play during the homelessness update.
I had the chance to talk to Clarence “Frogman” Henry a few times, and I think you’re gonna enjoy what he had to say about Rush Limbaugh.
Paul Leslie: There’s one duet that you did on stage that I’ve seen this on YouTube. It’s very interesting. You performed with the late Rush Limbaugh.
Now, there’s a man, he made me also, you know, and my royalties had gone down a little bit, and he brought it back up. And Rush Limbaugh, I got a lot of respect for him, you know. He, he, he—the people talk about what he’d say he is, but Rush Limbaugh respected me, and I respected him.
You know, Rush Limbaugh lost a lot of jobs before he became a real Rush Limbaugh. I heard about, you know, different things that he didn’t make it. And when he got with me, and then he started saying different things, that’s when Rush got very popular, you know. But Rush Limbaugh is a hundred with me, and he responded well, you know, for my career also, you know.
Paul Leslie: What was he like when you were just around him face-to-face?
Clarence “Frogman Henry”: Would you believe he like he would pay me like whatever my salary was I asked for? Rush Limbaugh gave me $200 extra.
That’s nice.
You would believe that Rush Limbaugh in California sent me some kind of liquor that I had never had—high-class liquor, you know what I mean. Rush Limbaugh had a lot of respect for me, you know. That man, he was down home.
I got a lot of respect for Rush Limbaugh.
Summer Lane of Write Revolution News Reflects on How Rush Limbaugh Shaped Her Analytical Thinking
Somebody I got to interview twice is a great writer—Summer Lane. She is the editor of Write Revolution News (W-R-I-T-E). And like so many of us, Summer was a Rush baby. Let’s hear what we talked about.
Paul Leslie: It wasn’t long ago, I was talking to a great writer, Robert McCready is his name. He’s on Twitter @eveningmagic, and Robert was talking about how Rush was such a humorist, such a comedian at times. And I never heard anybody put it this way, but he said when he was having fun on the radio, he sounded like a little boy in his joy.
What did you like about Rush?
Summer Lane: Well, he was funny. That’s a good point. And he was easy to understand. So even as a child listening to Rush Limbaugh, I understood his analysis. Like, I got what he was saying. And that helped me to think about things analytically instead of just taking a headline for what it said.
So I was very critical in thinking these things through at a very young age. But by the time I was an adult, I wasn’t just taking the news as it came at me. It was, “I wonder if that’s actually true? I wonder if that’s true or not?” You know, just asking myself those kinds of questions.
So which positioned me very well going into politics a little bit later in my life, especially during this political climate when we just don’t know what’s true and what’s not true. So it’s very important to be able to analyze and ask ourselves, “Is this true?” before we form an opinion on it.
Wyatt Torosian: “Rush made me question the media”
Our friend Wyatt Torosian shares how his early perception of Rush Limbaugh was shaped by the media, only to later discover the humor and truth in his broadcasts.
Wyatt Torosian:
Hey, so when it comes to Rush Limbaugh, I think of back in the ’90s, watching—I think it was an ABC News segment—talking about the danger of talk radio and painting him in this really dark and scary light.
“Rush Limbaugh is this guy who gets on every day and insults people. He says things about Chelsea Clinton that aren’t true.” And I’m a kid watching this and thinking, “Wow, that must be a really bad and scary man.”
And a few years passed, and I hear him on the AM radio—I guess we were flipping the dial in the car as a kid—and I heard this guy talk. And this guy was funny, and he was telling jokes, and Bo Snerdley… and it made me, for the first time, really question the media and how they portray people, especially on the right.
That came later with Ann Coulter as well, as I thought, “This person is absolutely hilarious.” When you see a voice come out on the airwaves like Rush and the consistency with which he spoke for so many years, and the fact that in a lot of ways he was reflecting the sentiment of the times and what people who were on their way to work and just living their lives were thinking—it’s an extraordinary impact.
And I’m so happy that President Trump was able to give him his due with the honor that he bestowed upon him. And I really think that when you look in the pantheon of figures on the right who did the work and made an impact, Rush Limbaugh is at the top of that list.
Drew Thomas Allen: Rush Limbaugh—“destined for greatness”
Drew Allen, host of The Drew Allen Show and author of the book America’s Last Stand, reflects on Rush Limbaugh’s enduring legacy and the impact he continues to have.
Drew Allen: Rush Limbaugh—I mean, you’re just lucky to be born with a name like that. Rush Limbaugh. Destined for greatness with a name like that. El Rushbo, known by so many things. And, you know, his legacy lives on like nobody else I can think of in other industries as well.
You know, I’m 38. I still listen to him, by the way, from time to time. I will listen to old episodes. And here’s the thing about Rush—you know, he had a comforting voice. Now we’re very aware, obviously, of the distrust in media, how dishonest they are.
He, ahead of his time, just had this presence. Obviously, he was doing radio. And he sounded like a friend. You know, a lot of it was just biological—a gift given from God. Obviously, talent on loan from God, as he said. And there just wasn’t a more trustworthy voice out there. You just felt like you really knew the guy.
And God bless him. We miss him. He continues to inspire me and what I do today.
Stephanie Fagan: “My absolute favorite radio personality of all time”
Singer-songwriter Stephanie Fagan shares why Rush Limbaugh was such a meaningful presence in her life.
Stephanie Fagan: I liked Rush a lot. He was my absolute favorite radio personality of all time.
I looked forward to listening to his radio show every single day, pretty much on my lunch break. He was just so matter-of-fact. He was funny. He was high-energy, positive, and even when he was reporting bad news, he wasn’t trying to make it worse by prophesying or making it bigger or more scary than it was.
And he’s very missed.
Gregory T. Angelo: “Rush’s legacy lives on”
Gregory T. Angelo of the New Tolerance Campaign reflects on Rush Limbaugh’s fearless approach to calling out hypocrisy.
Gregory T. Angelo: Man, Rush Limbaugh—where do I begin? When I think of Rush Limbaugh, the first thing that comes to mind are those iconic images of him smoking his cigar in front of that golden microphone.
I am reminded of the inconvenient truth that the left hates to be reminded of, and that is that Elton John actually performed at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding. And speaking of inconvenient truths, I always think about the Al Gore Armageddon Countdown.
Al Gore, former vice president of the United States—far-leftist—came out with a movie in 2006 where he predicted that the world as we know it would end unless humanity took drastic steps to impact climate change and global warming. Well, Rush immediately put up on his website what he called the Al Gore Armageddon Countdown and relentlessly started to count down the hours, the minutes, and the seconds until Al Gore’s prediction would come true.
Well, the clock ran out in 2016, and we are still standing here in 2025. Sadly, Rush Limbaugh isn’t, but his legacy certainly lives on. It is to call the left out on their hypocrisy at all times, to do it boldly, and to never let them forget it.
Robert McCready: “Rush Limbaugh was the greatest of all time”
Robert McCready, Muumuu House author and a good friend to the freedom movement, shares his thoughts on Rush Limbaugh’s impact.
Robert McCready:Rush Limbaugh was funny. I remember listening to him. This was probably my favorite episode. It was right around the time he was getting married to Kathryn.
The intro started, his opening remarks started, then he interrupted himself to talk to Bo Snerdley off-mic to answer questions that Bo Snerdley was allegedly asking about how much weight he lost. Then they started the intro again, and Rush interrupted his opening again to talk to Bo Snerdley about the method he was using to lose weight. They ended up doing that a couple of times. That was just the intro. The show started a few times that day, probably around 2010. I loved that.
I also believe that if Rush Limbaugh had not been sick when the China virus broke out, we would not have had the restrictions that we had. Rush Limbaugh had the ear of about 10 percent of America. Sometimes senators had to go to him to try to persuade him to support a bill because if he poo-pooed it—like he did on one amnesty bill—then they would not have been able to pass the bill. And they didn’t pass amnesty because of Rush Limbaugh.
When he died, my grandmother called to tell me that one of her favorite people had died. She got to see the whole show, from when he began a little bit on TV to his entire radio career, and she lived a few years after he passed away. I’m thankful that she got to see the whole show because my life began to revolve around it as a kid. We listened to it in the car, and then I started listening to him pretty much every day in 2007.
And in some ways, I’m a little bit glad the show isn’t on anymore because I was out of commission for an hour and a half to three hours—12 to 3, Monday through Friday—unless he was taking a vacation. It was a very important show, and just like his death certificate says, he was the greatest of all time.
And I miss him. And I’m so glad that we had him while we did.
Ben Coleman Reflects on the Lasting Impact of Rush Limbaugh
Ben Coleman is a very interesting well -spoken guy and I think he had just the right words to send it all home for us. I’m going to let Ben take it away
Hello, I’m Ben Coleman here in Phoenix, Arizona, and on the anniversary of Rush’s death, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and feelings about Rush down through the years. I am a Rush baby. I feel like Rush was part of my family.
I probably heard his voice almost every day that he broadcast from the time I was four years old till the time he died. Talk radio was a fixture in my house growing up, and I’m from Sacramento, Rush’s adopted hometown. So, he got his start in talk radio, as most of you know, at KFBK in Sacramento in 1984, and that’s when my mom started listening to Rush while she would do housework around the house, and I was a little baby with my little siblings.
In fact, one time, she called into Rush’s show and she told us that she was very embarrassed because she was trying to talk about the subject, and all of her kids were in the background causing a lot of commotion. She was trying to keep us quiet while she was talking to Rush about something.
And so his voice, from 9 to noon, for my entire life, I would say, was a stable and comforting sound throughout my entire life. Even into my adult life, I would listen to Rush in the mornings on my way to work, on my way to school, in between classes, while I was at work.
And his humor and his method of communicating really resonated with me. I always wondered what would Rush think about things. Loved reading his books. Loved his sense of humor. And, you know, my entire family listened to him. I would get into my grandpa’s truck with him, and he’d turn the radio on, and there’s Rush, listened to him.
At my family gatherings, we would talk about the funny skits that Rush would do and the parodies. So I really felt like when he died, it was a big piece that was missing for me, and he’ll never be replaced, I don’t think.
Surely the talk show hosts that exist out in the national scene right now cannot hold a candle to Rush, because he was one of a kind. He set the stage for the rest of them, and a lot of them are doing great, but Rush will never be replaced or forgotten, and I appreciate and remember him often.