Maher: 'Why Couldn't Rush Limbaugh Have Croaked from It?'

By Media Research Center
February 11, 2008

Bill Maher, on his HBO show Friday night, rued that it was actor Heath Ledger, and not Rush Limbaugh, who "croaked" from the mis-use of prescription drugs. In an interchange with conservative/libertarian humorist/author P.J. O'Rourke who derided Limbaugh as "the fat guy" who "refused to share his drugs," Maher referred to "the OxyContin that he was on" and then lamented Limbaugh hadn't died: "Why couldn't have he croaked from it instead of Heath Ledger?"

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The exchange on the February 9 Real Time with Bill Maher:

     BILL MAHER: Why is it that the Republican establishment, I guess it is, have so much disdain, not just for McCain, but the other guy who's still in it, Huckabee? They don't like either one of them.
     P.J. O'ROURKE: Well, I think a couple of things are going on. It's the, it's the twilight of the radio loud-mouth, you know? I knew it from the moment the fat guy-
     MAHER: You mean Rush Limbaugh and Sean-
     O'ROURKE: -from the moment the fat guy refused to share his drugs [audience laughter]. I was, you know, he never called, he never wrote. I'm ready to party, you know, come on! No, I think it's kind of over for those people. So-
     MAHER: Right, you mean the OxyContin that he was on?
     O'ROURKE: Yeah, exactly. You know, that stuff's good!
     MAHER: Why couldn't, why couldn't have he croaked from it instead of Heath Ledger? [small audience groans]
     O'ROURKE: Yeah, yeah, you know, it's a fitness thing.