Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh has married four times: Roxy Maxine McNeely (1977-1980), Michelle Sixta (1983-1990), Marta Fitzgerald (1994-2004) and Kathryn Rogers (2010-present). He does not have any children.

Rush Limbaugh was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Mildred Carolyn ‘Millie’ and Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Jr. His father was a lawyer and a fighter pilot. He belonged to a family of professional lawyers.

At 8, Limbaugh was determined to have a career in radio. Although his father was against his pursuits, he him bought a Remco Caravelle, a toy radio that could transmit on AM frequencies up to 500 feet away.

His professional radio career started in 1967, while he was still in high school. He used the nom de plume ‘Rusty Sharpe’, and worked as a DJ for the local station KGMO, which was co-owned by his father.

He later attended Southeast Missouri State University but left his college studies midway in 1971 to pursue a career in radio. Limbaugh moved to Pennsylvania and became a Top 40 music DJ on WIXZ.

In 1973, Limbaugh shifted to Pittsburgh radio station KQV. He was fired from the job within a year and was told that he was not good enough for the radio and should consider a career in sales instead.

For the next decade, Limbaugh tried his luck at various other radio stations but he was thought to be too controversial for the radio. In 1979, he started working as a director of promotions with the Kansas City Royals.

He again considered a career in radio in 1984 when he was hired as a talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento. After being declared as Sacramento’s top radio host, Limbaugh moved to New York to start his national radio show career.

After the Federal Communications Commission repealed, the Fairness Doctrine rule was finally passed in 1987, which helped in shaping up Limbaugh’s politically conservative radio style. At ABC Radio Network, he became famous for his strong right winged ideologies.

All his fame and strongly opinionated views on American politics helped ‘The Rush Limbaugh Show’ to become the highest rated American talk show program, by ABC Radio in 1988. This show has been running for two decades now.

Although Limbaugh’s radio career took off with KFBK, Sacramento and he was declared as the best talk show host, it was ‘The Rush Limbaugh Show’ with ABC Radio Networks, New York, that made him into a broadcasting star.