Rush Limbaugh Mocks Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s In Resurfaced Clip

YouTube/60 Minutes

February 18, 2021, 7:45 am

The death of Rush Limbaugh this week has evoked a wide array of emotions. Some see him as a radio icon, championing conservatism and Christianity throughout his career, while others see him as a virulent bigot who divided families and harmed this country in ways that may take ages to mend.

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As people in both camps share memories of Limbaugh over the years, a number of clips of him saying truly heinous things about entire groups of people as well as specific individuals have resurfaced—among them, Michael J. Fox.

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Fox went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998, ultimately somewhat retiring from acting two years later as his symptoms became more difficult to manage.

Six years after that, Fox appeared in an ad supporting stem cell research, and by association, Democrat Claire McCaskill as she ran for Senate.

Because stem cell research was linked to a Democrat, Limbaugh took to the air to mock Fox over it—specifically, to mock his disease.

“In this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease,” the radio host claimed, mimicking Fox’s movements as caused by Parkinson’s. “He is moving all around and shaking and it’s purely an act. This is the only time I have ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he had.”

“So this is really shameless, folks,” he added.

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Positioning a conspiracy theory that Fox was going out of his way to fake or exaggerate his symptoms to push a Democratic agenda as factual was quite a leap—and one that Fox later claimed was incorrect.

While Limbaugh speculated that Fox was “off his medication or acting” in the spot, Fox said he was actually overmedicated at the time, because his symptoms had gotten so bad. 

The Back to the Future actor was only one in a long list of people Limbaugh denigrated for no reason other than to gain listeners and support by being divisive and cruel. 

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I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but I believe the legacy of every person of note should be acknowledged ASAP after they die. As for those who think this is “celebrating his death,” it isn’t in the least, but that explains why his opinions are revered by so many.

— James Morrison (@JamesPMorrison) February 17, 2021

I get why we’re reminding people how cruel Rush Limbaugh was to particular people, but dude wasn’t just like, mean. His reach was vast, his effect structural. He spent his career spreading an ideology that normalized his cruelty and served as basis for modern cultural chauvinism.

— austin walker (@austin_walker) February 17, 2021

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Remember when Rush Limbaugh called President Barack Obama a “halfrican American” & continuously played a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” on his show?

Rest in piss, Rush Limbaugh

— Jake Lobin (@JakeLobin) February 17, 2021

He gave his audience permission to be cruel to her as well, something I have no doubt continues today.

— Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) February 17, 2021

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Rush Limbaugh had a regular radio segment where he would read off the names of gay people who died of AIDS and celebrate it and play horns and bells and stuff.

— Paul Elliott Johnson (@RhetoricPJ) February 17, 2021

Rush Limbaugh mocked people dying of AIDS, made fun of Parkinson’s disease, called America’s 1st Black president, ‘Barack the magic negroe’——he was a vile, pompous, white supremacist who spread racist hatred.

Bidding him good riddance or wishing him to rot in hell is being kind.

— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) February 17, 2021

It’s not difficult to see why some people may be glad Limbaugh can no longer spread the kind of hatred he became known for over the three decades he held influence over American radio. It’s only a shame his voice was so amplified for so long.

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*First Published: February 18, 2021, 7:45 am