Fox News contributor and podcast host Dan Bongino said on Thursday that all conservatives had a memorable moment when they heard Rush Limbaugh, the American radio icon who died yesterday after a long battle with lung cancer.
“We became different people because of Rush Limbaugh,” said Bongino in “Fox & Friends”. “All the conservatives I know, everyone had that Rush Limbaugh moment when they were hearing and hearing an idea for the first time in their lives.”
Bongino noted that at the time “The Rush Limbaugh Show” aired in 1988, Fox News and other mainstream conservative vehicles were still almost a decade away.
“If you wanted to hear about conservatism, there was only one place, and it was in your AM [radio] dial, “said Bongino.
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Bongino, who was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September last year, said that Limbaugh’s diagnosis of cancer was a “journey to life” that makes you appreciate and recognize the impermanence of life, despite the “horrible experience” “from chemotherapy.
He applauded Limbaugh for staying on the air for so long and said he regretted not having listened more carefully to what would become Limbaugh’s last show in recent months.
Bongino, who now works in the same space that Limbaugh “created”, added that “Rush Limbaugh invented the conservative space on national radio – he invented the game”.
In his last radio broadcast of 2020, Limbaugh thanked his listeners and supporters, revealing at the time that he had survived his prognosis.
“I was not expected to be alive today,” he said. “I was not expected to arrive until October, November and December. Still, here I am, and today, I had some problems, but I am feeling great today.”
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“The Rush Limbaugh Show” started 33 years ago on national distribution with only 56 radio stations and has become the most listened to radio program in the United States, airing on over 600 stations, according to the program’s website. More than 27 million people tuned in weekly and Limbaugh affectionately referred to his passionate fan base as “Dittoheads”, as they say “idem” when they agree with the iconic radio host.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.