cutting through the noise. he watched this show. his definition of unafraid. he loved to say he had talent on loan from god. tonight, god has that talent back. rush hudson limbaugh iii. ♪ ♪ good evening welcome to "fox news primetime." i'm rachel campos-duffy. tonight we are remembering rush. it's impossible to overstate significance of rush limbaugh on american culture and politics. today every media outlet tried to explain his place in broadcast and the modern political history. some respectfully, others not so much. those taking cheap shots today can't explain rush because they never understood him. and they will never get rush the way we conservatives do. they can't fathom the love we have for him. or the trust we put in him and the way he gave his heartfelt

from the gut, always spot-on analysis. they will never understand the friendship we formed with him as we all listened from our kitchens, cubicles, trucks, tractors, and barns. we worked while rush taught us. now my immigrant mom introduced me to rush. she called his show her university. she wasn't joking when she told me that a degree from rush u. was more valuable than the degrees my siblings and i got from fancy liberal universities. if you grew up listening to rush as i did, you know he was a genius. and that he had a photographic memory. he was an elephant. he never forgot anything. we needed him in this era of the rapid news cycles and the liberal media memory holding because they were lying about us. about themselves. and about america.

he spoke with such clarity and connected the dots for us on what was really happening in politics and culture. especially on the stories that the media couldn't or wouldn't tell us. rush limbaugh told the truth. even when it wasn't popular or obvious. and he was always ahead of the curve. he warned us that democrat policies and the leftist ideologies were steeped in socialism and the marxism and communism. he predicted we'd end up where we are today. where the socialists and the democrat party have taken off their masks and they are bullying us in to silence. he told us that the battle was between tyranny and freedom. and who doubts that today? but the most important thing conservatives know about rush is that he loved america. deeply. everything he did and said, every awful vicious attack he endured from the left.

and there were so many. he did because he loved this country. he fought every single day for it. >> the constitution doesn't need to be redefined. conservative intellectuals. the declaration of independence does not need to be redefined and neither does conservatism. conservatism is what it is and it's forever. it's not something to bend and shape and form. >> he taught us that fighting for america was worth it. through his example, 30 incredible years of his example he taught us about courage and perseverance. he taught us to never give up on america. and every day from 12:00 to 3:00, he armed us with the knowledge we needed to stand up for america. in our hometowns. on our city councils. our school boards. congressional races. and in our homes. he helped us to educate our

friends and our kids. what i most loved about rush is that he wasn't impressed with the fancy people, the elites. he rarely took calls from them on his show. if you listened to his show, you know that he genuinely loved taking calls from his listeners. he respected them. he trusted their common sense. and genuinely believed that they were smarter than their leaders in washington, d.c. he knew that the lady who called in to his show from the barn after she milked her cows had a better sense of how to fix america than the slick politicians in washington. now i never had the honor of meeting the great rush limbaugh in person. i wish i had. if i did, i would have told him how grateful i was for the education he gave me. and how much his courage has inspired me to fight for america and for the american dream. but this past fall, when the media was giving amy coney

barrett the kind of the cruel treatment they give to conservative women, especially those who challenge follownist orthodoxy being happily married, having a lot of kids and having the audacity to speak their mind. he said this. >> conservative women are not afraid of these possibility. look at ivanka. look at sarah palin. rachel campos-duffy, amy coney barrett. thousands of conservative women successfully mixing things up. >> when i heard it, i cried. i couldn't believe it. i mean rush limbaugh knows my name. i just, i couldn't believe it so i clipped it and i immediately sent it to my mom. i don't think she was ever more proud of me. rush limbaugh, her hero, knew her daughter's name. well, we conservatives will

never forget rush's name. his voice, his courage, or his patriotism. we miss you so much already, rush. rest in peace, rush. rest in peace. joining me now today is david webb, radio host of siriusxm patriot 125 and a fox news contributor. david, just give it to us. what did rush mean to you? >> first, let me say you made me smile with that last story. really great to hear that. rush meant so much more to the industry. but let's talk about the man for a moment. he never stopped being who he was. yes, he reinvigorated a.m. radio and f.m. crushed a.m. for a while. conservative talk took off. i got in conservative talk. i had listened to rush for years but i started in the mid-'90s. i had been listening to him.

but when i was hired and i was syndicated i remembered something about him. he said be yourself, essentially. people want to be the next rush limbaugh. he said be yourself. stand by your values, your beliefs. you talk about how he didn't fear the debate. he liked to go out and get into it. he liked to actually talk and engage with the woman who would come in from milking the cows in the barn or whatever you said. that was rush. because rush didn't go to an elitist school but he became an elite broadcaster because he never lost the connection with people. he did something else very important. he brought back the business of radio. radio owes a great debt to him. because of him, talk radio is a successful median. conservative talk is successful median, much more

than the liberal talk when you look at the audience and you look at sean and mark. i have the siriusxm platform, andrew wlcox, stacy washington, and breitbart news and the shows that have come along. the conservative talk and the successful business owes this to rush limbaugh. a great legacy. >> a lot of politicians own rush limbaugh. when conservative radio comes to a town, especially rush limbaugh, he is educating for three hours on the conservative philosophy and how to fight back and what is happening and what they are doing. it changes politics. >> it does. it also comes with a responsibility which he used. he didn't overuse it or abuse it. he had a responsibility to the people which is what he felt. but then he turned around and that helped the politician. because politicians can listen

to talk radio. hear from the people. they can interact whether they are on the air or not. that is important. because a part of the system is this conversation. the conversation look, we are going to miss rush's voice without a doubt. >> of course. >> it will be missed. i was asked earlier by our mutual friend charles payne on his show about the future of conservative talk and conservative movement. because of men like rush limbaugh and those of us who have taken on the talk radio mantle, the conservative movement will carry on. we will miss his voice and we will be stronger. you are stronger when you stand on the shoulders of giants like rush limbaugh. >> 100%. i mean, it's just, it's such a -- i think we are all still a little bit in shock, david. i really do. your words are so right. really quickly, he is the first person to deal with the cancel culture. didn't he teach us how to

fight? >> yeah, he did. it was simple. don't stop talking. keep going. don't let them shut you down. stand for who you are. in america, you can be public about it. rush spoke his mind. america needs to speak your mind. >> thank you, david. you are so right. thank you. when we come back, the next generation of the conservatives inspired by rush on where we go from here. let me tell you who we conservatives are. we love people. we see americans. we see human beings. we don't see groups. we don't see victims. we don't see people we want to exploit. what we see, what we see is potential. we do not look out across the country and see the average american, the person that makes the country work. we do not see that person with contempt.

we don't believe they doesn't have what it takes we believe they can be the best he or she they want to be if certain things removed from the path. like onerous taxes, regulation and too much government. my psoriatic arthritis pain? i had enough! it's not getting in my way. joint pain, swelling, tenderness...much better. my psoriasis, clearer... cosentyx works on all of this. four years and counting. so watch out. i got this! watch me. real people with active psoriatic arthritis look and feel better with cosentyx. cosentyx works fast for results that can last. it treats the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, like joint pain and tenderness, back pain, and helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop

or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. i just look and feel better. i got real relief with cosentyx. watch me! feel real relief. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx.

sarah shopped for the lowest mortgage rate and chose amerisave, the one choice she'll never regret... ...unlike buying a do-it-yourself orthodontics kit... or marrying eddie... visit amerisave.com now. lower mortgage rates mean higher savings.

at t-mobile, we have a plan built just for customers 55 and up. saving 50% vs. other carriers with 2 unlimited lines for less than $30 each. call 1-800-t-mobile or go to t-mobile.com/55. we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way

martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪

for me, rush was my reagan. my introduction to rush was somewhat unconventional. when i was 16 years old, a boy i had a crush on invited me to his car to listen to rush limbaugh on the radio. so, thanks to rush, in 1994, i became a conservative in the backseat of a camaro. >> rachel: well, rush limbaugh inspired a new generation of the young conservatives, many of them

first hearing his voice from the backseat of his car. maybe not exactly the way she described. from their parent's car. before they were old enough to drive. a lot has changed since then. but rush's brand is still thriving. thanks to a new generation of loyal listeners, like buck sexton who filled for rush's show and beverly, from the media group. you are both millennials. barely but you are. how did you first hear about rush, buck? >> well, i grew up listening to rush. and, you know, you went in the c.i.a. and i came out and started working in media. it was always a dream to get a chance to just be on the radio, period, after listening to rush and learning the craft from him. he is the best. we all know this, people in the business know he is the best that ever was. that is who i learned from. to get the call a few years back where they said hey, how would you like to fill in for rush limbaugh? it was incredible.

the greatest professional honor of my lifetime. it was really the fulfillment of a dream. it still honestly, i get a little choked up thinking about it. >> rachel: i can imagine. not a lot of people can say i filled in for rush limbaugh. so yeah, quite an accomplishment. beverly, how did you first hear about rush? you are pretty young for when he started and what people assume were his listeners' ages. >> yeah, i have to admit i can't remember a time i didn't know about rush. my dad picked me up from school and always had rush on the radio. i never met him personally but i felt like i knew him because he was part of my life, day after day, year after year, and decade after decade and even to this day. what is astonishing about what he was able to do is it was multigenerational. not just the younger generations but the younger generations listened to him. here is the reason why. not only was he able to distill technical policy issues like welfare and tax policy to make it easy to

understand, he was able to do that in an entertaining way. you talk to the d.c. politicians, they have a hard time breaking down complex issues. he did that in brilliant ways and really laid the groundwork for the ability to talk about real issues in factual ways on radio and make it interesting at the same time. he is someone leaving a legacy of talk radio still dominated by the conservatives. >> rachel: 100%. buck, tell me. what is it as you observe him having filled in for him, what is the trick? what does he have that everyone wants to have? >> he was just honestly a different league. everybody in the radio business knows that. we speak about it in kind of -- we always have, in the tones of the just that is the way it is. i think one thing that rush could do is make millions of people across the country feel like he was having a one-to-one conversation with them. which is an amazing if you think about it.

he was an educator and advocate and leader. professor of sorts but also a friend. he was a trusted voice for people. he was there for people. especially when there were many days that they felt like the country wasn't go way they wanted or they needed that voice. and his ability to both connect and explain was unparalleled. that and i'll say one more thing. rush limbaugh was able to find in a story that many other people had read and many other people were talking about that overlooked detail. the one aspect of the story that really changed your whole understanding of what it really meant and what was going to happen. he had an ability to look forward to the future. it was just, it was a gift on loan from god. he said it himself. it was true. >> rachel: yeah. beverly, you know, we hate to think that he has passed. there might be another rush limbaugh. but i think he loved america and conservatism. if you had to look at, you know, the conservative talent out there in broadcast media and radio in particular, who is the next rush?

>> i think the reality is there are so many young people out there who want to fill in the void he is leaving. it's a massive void. it will take a lot of people. what i want to touch on is something you played earlier. he focused on conservative women. he lifted up conservative women, including you, rachel. when it comes to young women he provided a way for them to be part of radio as well. liberals often don't think women can be conservatives. he was able to give them a platform as well. so, i think the fact that talk radio is still dominated by conservatives. liberals were never able to do what he did. he is someone that did mentor people. we will see a lot of conservatives step up and hopefully carry on the mantle. >> rachel: absolutely. buck, who do you think -- maybe it's buck. if it wasn't you, who is the next rush? >> there is only one rush. there will only ever be one rush. >> rachel: of course. >> really what he has done, i like to think of rush as a

conservative force multipliers. he has created a whole generation of people. you know you can go down a list of the great hosts. who are doing podcasts now, on terrestrial radio and have their own digital shows or shows on fox news. they are in a business only possible because of rush. he was the grandfather of all of this. he is the ultimate conservative constitutionalist force multiplier. that is what i would say. thanks to him i think we have a much better shot at the future he would have wanted for the country. >> rachel: i agree 100%. excellent analysis. thank you, buck, thank you, beverly. dana lash is up next.

at visionworks, we want you to feel safe and we want you to see yourself in your new glasses and think, "ooh!" but if you get home and your "ooh" is more of a "hmm..." you have 100 days to change your mind. that's the visionworks difference. visionworks. see the difference.

priceline works with top hotels,

to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (quiet piano music) ♪ ♪

comfort in the extreme. the lincoln family of luxury suvs. for veteran families, when it comes to finding and buying your dream home, we'll be there to make it happen. we'll be there when you want better rates too. or to get money for retirement. we'll be there because we work only with veteran families like yours to help you get the most life out of a home for the life of your family america is under attack from within. our culture. our history. our founding. are under the most direct

assault i have seen in my life. i'm sure it's the same with you. we haven't seen anything like this. you might, you might even get away with saying that we are on the cusp of a second civil war. some of you might say that we are already in to it. that it's already begun. however you characterize it, we are under attack from within and it's bought and paid for from people outside america. in addition to inside. >> rachel: rush limbaugh spent years warning his listeners about the let's culture war against america. whether he was railing against the slow creep of socialism or the insanity of identity politics, he was proven right time after time. joining me now are two people familiar with the left ongoing assault on america.

dana loesch and eric betaxis show. he is the author of "fish out of water: the search for meaning of life." thank you for joining me today. dana, i'll start with you. you are a woman in broadcasting. what did rush limbaugh mean to you? >> good to see you and good to be with you to talk about this tonight. he was like the dad of all of us, right? radio's dad. all of our dad. we all came to the conservative age under rush limbaugh. i remember i was a teenager raised in a democrat household. i first listened to him and i thought this guy doesn't know what he is talking about. he is so wrong. then i got older and i thought wow, has he always been this right? maybe i'm older and wiser and he is really smart. he knows his stuff. i appreciated it. one of the things that you asked me specifically as a woman who i like. it didn't matter that i was a

woman in broadcasting. broadcasting gets a bad rap as an old boy's club but i disagree with that as my experience. it's really everybody. boys and a girls club. he never catered to that and he was always accessible. he was entertaining and it was infotainment. that appealed to me. i took the whole infotainment thing from rush limbaugh. i'm friends with his brother david. a good friend of hours. i think he would be okay with it. but he never lectured and he was, he always was entertaining. but yet, you walked away enjoying the program. then you realized i learned so much. i didn't even know it. this was great. i think just, rachel, his accessibility, for everybody. >> rachel: yeah. the hours flew by. three-hour program every day and flew by.

eric, you met rush limbaugh, right? >> did i? yes, i did. i met him once in 2004. during the primaries. the g.o.p. primaries and it looked like mccain was going to get the nomination. so i met rush. what do you blurt out when you meet a legend and a hero? i blurted out, i said, "it looks like mccain will get the nomination." rush immediately responded, "then we're f'ed" and he said the word. that is my entirety of the relationship with rush in person. he was a legend. his ability to speak the truth, the way he did, to of course millions of americans. it's because of him and his voice that we still have a slim chance to keep the republic. it's an amazing thing. the one difference about conservatism today, which is interesting. when rush came in '89 until

recently, it was era between the communist empires, right? when you think of the conservatives before rush, you think of the cold war. suddenly that is over. and now once again, we are facing a communist giant that is our enemy that is making inroads all around the world and including domestically. i think what is interesting right now is that the conservative party we have the moral high ground. years ago the left had the moral highground. we have the moral high ground. the left thoroughly embraced marxism and cancel culture and stepping on free speech. they used to love free speech. but now the conservatives have the moral high ground. we care about the muslims being tortured and killed in china. we care about the companies doing business with china and saying we don't care what they do as longways make a buck.

that is not america. thanks to rush we have a fighting chance to speak up against the moral horrors. in particular, the idea of stifling dissent in the united states of america. if we don't agree with you, we will demonize you and label you domestic terrorists. we'll come after you and cancel you. everyone knows in part thanks to rush that is fundamentally anti-american. not un-american. it's evil and anti-american. i really believe because rush educated a couple of generations of americans, we have a future. >> rachel: you feel the same way? eric brought up cancel culture, something you know a lot about. he was the original cancel culture person from the left to go after -- for the left to go after. >> he was the original alternative media, before the internet exploded and before social media it was rush limbaugh. he would not have grassroots

or the tea party or genghis -- u wouldn't have newt gingrich or trump without rush limbaugh. what he contributed to the conservative movement before the internet, before social media cannot be overstated. it was iconic. he was uncancellable. but that is what i really love about rush limbaugh. he was uncancellable. he had audience of millions. everyone in broadcasting can credit rush limbaugh for their career. eric, myself, buck before us. who was just on rachel with you. all of us. and every single one of us in some way tries to, this is not -- eric, i'm not being mean. we all try to imitate in some way rush. he was so talented. so iconic. i know people on the left are saying nasty things, but he

would enjoy it and he would find it amusing as we all should. what an american icon. absolutely. the original alternative press. >> rachel: yep. a national treasure. eric, dana, great to talk to both of you on a sad day. but you know, something for us to look forward to is the future of conservatism. that he really laid the groundwork for us to move forward with. thank you for joining me tonight. >> thank you, rachel. >> rachel: all right. >> thank you. >> rachel: up next, the man who gave rush's big break. he even brought the tapes. >> wabc, talk radio 77. my name is rush limbaugh. brand new to the city. here for a long, long time. each weekday. we'll be doing this from 10:00 until 12:00 noon. [ heavy breathing ] allergies with nasal congestion overwhelming you? breathe more freely with powerful claritin-d. claritin-d improves nasal airflow two times more than the leading allergy spray at hour one. [ deep inhale ] claritin-d. get more airflow.

>> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ university of phoenix is awarding up to one million dollars in new scholarships through this month, because hope fuels opportunity. see what scholarship you qualify for at phoenix.edu

want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network. sure thing! and with fast nationwide 5g included at no extra cost. we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction. and get a new samsung galaxy starting at $17 a month.

learn more at xfinitymobile.com or visit your local xfinity store today.

do you have ever wake up in middle of the night and think to yourself i'm full of hot gas? [laughter] you know what i mean? and, of course, you know i mean that, of course -- >> dave, let me tell you something. >> do you think i'm just

fooling people? >> isn't it great country that two guys look at weird and i are huge stars? i don't, dave, i'm a servant of humanity. in the relentless pursuit of the truth. i actually sit back and think that i'm just so fortunate to have this opportunity to tell people what is really going on. >> rachel: that is a class act. rush, never one afraid to take on the critics. he was always curious. he enjoyed hearing opposing points of view. his unlikely friends include family guy creator seth macfarland and even sir elton john who performed at rush's wedding. with more on the rush limbaugh most people don't know is john, the owner of the wabc radio, the limbaugh home radio station for 25 years. so this is amazing to have you here. you knew him in the early days and what did you see in him? >> he was a star. >> rachel: like right off

the bat he was a star? >> yes, absolutely. he made talk radio what talk radio is today. whether you agree with rush or didn't agree with him, the one thing you knew he was a patriotic american and he loved america. that was always important. whether to put him in the wabc hall of fame along with cousin brucey and don imus, dan ingraham, harry harrison and all the guys. howard cosell. he was a star. he was a star on radio. he made talk radio what it is. and people loved him. >> rachel: so when you had him on that many years ago, was the blow-back of having a conservative so outspoken and put it all out there, was it as much as you see now or were people more accepting of this guy with this conservative point of view? >> i think it was more accepting. i don't know what happened to

america the last few years. people are fighting with each other. i believe that everybody should sit around the same table. ronald reagan didn't like tip o'neil but they fight all day long and at the end of day they sit down and have a beer. newt gingrich didn't like bill clinton. they would fight all day long and at the end of the day they made a deal. that is what america should be about. let's argue during the day. right, left, liberal, conservatives. but you know, president biden should bring all americans together now. put his foot down and i think i saw a little bit of president biden putting his foot down last night. as far as what the extreme left was asking from him. >> rachel: one of the great things you brought us a tape from one of his earliest

callers. we'll play that. take a listen. >> rush limbaugh in new york. back to the phones we go. vinnie from new york. hello. glad you are with us. >> rush, thank you. >> by the way, thank you. first caller that has learned my name. you pronounced it correctly. thank you. >> one of them california beach names or what? >> no. [laughter] california beach names. i'm to -- if i were in california on the beach i would be a whale. i'm from missouri. rush is my grandfather's aunt's maiden name. an old family name. >> rachel: that is amazing that you brought that in. his voice never changed. it's still smooth and the perfect radio voice. >> well, i will tell you. 25 years at one station is a lifetime. we were proud to have him for a long time. we had him, wabc had him until cumulus bought wabc. >> rachel: john, i have to

tell you. it's a treat to have you here. thank you for bringing in the tapes. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. let's all pray that he is in heaven now and god bless him. >> rachel: he sure is. >> we will always love him. eternal be his memory. >> rachel: amen to that. all right, john. thank you. >> amen. thank you. >> rachel: up next a rare look at rush limbaugh thely lan thro pist with country music singer john rich. >> despite all the attempts to impugn you and me, to chris criticize us improperly as racist and bigots. the critics own all the compassion and the decency, these are the true tight wads that don't donate to anything. their own cities are drug infested, feces infested, rat infested, sit there and attack us. but for 31 years you have

proven and demonstrated time and time again my explanation of who we as conservatives are. i am robert strickler. i've been involved in communications in the media for 45 years. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly.

and i enthusiastically recommend prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. if you're on medicare, or retiring soon, making sure you have the right medicare coverage is important. so call unitedhealthcare and take advantage of a wide choice of plans including an aarp medicare advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. it can combine your hospital and doctor coverage with prescription drug coverage, and more, all for a low monthly premium or in some areas, no plan premium at all. take advantage of $0 copays on all primary care doctor visits, all virtual visits, and preventive dental care. plus $0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions. and with renew active, enjoy a free gym membership. so call unitedhealthcare and take advantage of the variety of plans we offer, including ppo plans that let you see any doctor who accepts medicare, without a referral.

if you're on medicare or retiring soon, call unitedhealthcare or go online today. it's an important time to save. with priceline, you can get up to 60% off amazing hotels. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. like you, my hands are everything to me. but i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture. and it got to the point where things i took for granted got tougher to do. thought surgery was my only option. turns out i was wrong. so when a hand specialist told me about nonsurgical treatments, it was a total game changer. like you, my hands have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today.

mike shopped for the lowest mortgage rate and chose amerisave. a choice he'll never regret... ...unlike using perm plus, a shampoo which attracts cats. lots and lots of cats. visit amerisave.com now. lower mortgage rates mean higher savings.

[footsteps] so, are you gonna buy the car? please! if i could just go home, and discuss things with my wife- i've been here all weekend. you can leave anytime you want. no! ahhh! never go to a dealership again. well, that was painless. go to vroom.com, buy a car and we'll deliver it straight to you.

>> rachel: rush limbaugh is a national treasure. as sad as we are to lose his indispensable voice and the passion for america, his passing is another gift to the conservatives. today we are being wrongly smeared as racist, sexist, homophobes and xenophobes. rush is reminding us of who we really are. he is telling us to stand tall. be proud. love america. know that as much as we love america, this is not our real home. we belong to another place. today, i know rush is welcome

in to his father's arms with a big bear hug. and told, "well done, my good and faithful servant." here now country music singer john rich. welcome to the show. >> thank you much. >> rachel: it's been a sad day. what are your thoughts on -- because you have had your own interactions with him. >> a giant hole out there, isn't it? what a voice. the radio stations every day for decades. playing rush limbaugh. i grew up in amarillo, texas, and seeing "rush is right" bumper stickers. i asked my dad what does it mean? he said it's rush limbaugh. we listened to him from time to time. huge loss but he is afternoon example of how far you can go if you believe in the right to pursue happiness and you have the nerve to say what is on your mind. >> rachel: you know you are

in texas when you see the "rush is right" bumper sticker. i remember those, too. listen, you put up a tweet today. i'm going to read it to the viewers here. "when i was on celebrity apprentice, rush limbaugh made a donation of $100,000 to st. jude's hospital to support them in my mission on the tv show under the condition that he remained anonymous. and never said a word until now." he will be missed. amazing. tell us about rush, the philanthropist. he was a rich guy. he worked hard and he made money but he was also so generous. >> pime don't know that side of -- people don't know that side of him. i put that out. i was not friends with rush, i was more of an acquaintance but on celebrity apprentice, i was playing for st. jude's and trying to eclipse $1 million of the funds raised. i called a lot of people and reached out to rush and said would you make a donation to add to my total. i'm trying to get past $1

million. he said i'll send a donation but you can't tell trump or tell anybody. it's anonymous. i believe that is the way charity should be. i said you got it. i didn't know how much he was going to send until it showed up. i see a six-figure check to st. out's children hospital. what an incredible moment that was. >> rachel: yeah. amazing. he used to show to inspire others to donate all the time. people would call. you wonder how many other anonymous donations he made out there. >> probably a lot. i can't imagine i'm the only guy who has a story of that. that is the true nature offy lon thropy in my opinion. you give when nobody is watch -- nature of philanthropy in my opinion. you give when nobody is watching. he did it behind the scenes because it's a great place to give money, taking care of kids and fighting cancer. he cared about that a great deal. it was a good thing to show

people and tell that inside story. >> rachel: i'm really glad you shared that with us. i know you are a conservative. what do you think this void he will leave. how are we going to handle that as a conservative movement? up now as you well know. you mentioned earlier how the politicians are so weak, they can't defend. they can't take the fight out like they should. i mean, so disappointed in so many of them. a lot i supported that i am disappointed in. i hope new voices will come. at one point rush was a new visit. i think there are probably new voices out there ready to come out and fill the space to pick up where he left off. >> rachel: have you heard from others in the country world about rush limbaugh? >> yeah. a few of my friends hit me up. wow! rush passed away. i was actually outside today with my kids. we were snowed in and my phone went off and kept going off. i went oh, no. we lost him. i went inside and i said i

want to put something out there only i know the story. everybody knows everything about rush. they don't know that story. that is why i put it out on my little old twitter page. a lot of people have seen it and i think appreciated what he did for st. jude. >> rachel: absolutely! i know that i was really touched by that story. so many other people were. i mean i just, it still seems so surreal. hearing the audio that we have been hearing today and seeing the video. it seems impossible that tomorrow he won't be on that show. >> yeah. you know, he inspired so many other people. dave ramsey is a good friend of mine. he is on your network quite a bit. dave says that elvis invented rock 'n' roll and rush invented talk radio pretty much. dave is one of the biggest guys out there. his legacy lives on and his influence lives on. the question to the big space that is left, it will be filled by the patriots and people that want to carry a strong message forward. no doubt. >> rachel: i don't either. i think the message moves on.

conservatives are feeling a little down and out. you know the few days. it's interesting to me the timing of his passing. i think there is something about it. i do think that it's another gift for us. it's a pick me up, reminding us of who we are. yeah. i don't disagree. baton being passed. maybe not to one person and maybe to many people but he definitely taught us how to say it straight and hold the line. >> rachel: no holds barred. thank you. so great to have you on the show. we leave you tonight with rush limbaugh signing off in his own words. rest in peace, rush. you are already missed. >> we wrap up with mannheim steamroller and "silent night" and my ongoing attempts to thank everyone in the audience. all of you for everything you mean to me. that last call, it reminds me

how much i love all of you. how much i so appreciate everything you have meant to me and my family. you don't have any idea. i know so many people think this program changed their lives for the better. you have no idea what you all have meant to me and my family. the day is going to come, folks, where i'm not going to be able to do that. i don't know when that is. i want to be able to do it for as long as i want to do it. i want to. but the day will come where i'm not going to be able to. i want you to understand even when the day comes, i'd like to be here. so i have this sense of

needing to constantly show my appreciation for all that you have done and meant to me. so i hope you all have a great christmas. a great new year. and i hope that the things that are in store for all of us in the coming year, are certainly better than what we have endured in 2020. i don't know too many people who have enjoyed 2020. probably some sickos who have. but 2021 has to be better. we will try to make it that way here at the e.i.b. network. again, folks, thank you so much. i wish there were a way to say it other than thank you. you are just the best. my family is just the best.

♪ ♪ >> thank you. ♪ ♪ >> tucker: good evening. welcome to "tucker carlson tonight." rush limbaugh passed away today as you have doubtless heard. he just turned 70 last month. there are people literally, millions of people to listened to rush limbaugh faithfully every day for 30 years. some of them cried when they heard the news. others on the internet gloated. but we're going to tell you about rush limbaugh and what he did and why he mattered. he was talented broadcaster but that is not why he reshaped the media business which he did. he believed things. he