Millie Limbaugh's very famous son

(Published May 25, 1993.)

Millie Limbaugh, mother of the nation's most controversial -- and most popular -- radio talk show host in history, was playing bridge with friends at the country club one day when someone called her and said he had just heard her son refer to her crowd as "the blue-haired, bloody-Mary drinking, bridge players at the country club."

Millie was a bit indignant. "There's not a blue-haired one in the bunch!" she retorted.

Otherwise, she is nothing if not proud of son Rush Limbaugh, the gadfly of the nation's airways for liberals in general and President Bill Clinton's administration in particular.

Her son has become such a celebrity that Millie is now a veteran at giving interviews. So much has been written about Rush that she has filled three scrapbooks "but it's gotten beyond me."

Reporters call, write and visit Millie wanting the inside story on Rush Limbaugh, still known as Rusty by family members. "A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a man in St. Louis who wanted to come down to do an article on Rush. I talked to David and he found out he was with something like the National Enquirer.

"I didn't even sleep that night. He got here at 10 a.m. and he was just as nice as he could be." But she turned him away.

She's aware her son is provocative and controversial. Sometimes even longtime acquaintances have to speak up. For example, her Federal Express man, who has been making deliveries at her home for years, one day could contain himself no longer. "I've gotta be honest with you. I just love you but I don't like Rush."

She gets occasional calls from critics but the overwhelming majority of the calls are from fans who want her to pass along their praise.

Millie likes the mugs and "Rush Is Right" bumper stickers sold on Rush's show so much that she ordered several. "They are so good to me. They told me my money wasn't worth anything and they sent it all free."

Her son's fame has had some unexpected benefits. Rush set up a telephone visit between actress Doris Day and one of her fans, his mother. Both are animal lovers.

Millie rarely misses any of her son's television or radio shows. "Sometimes I take my radio in the supermarket and people come by and put their thumbs up."

In Cape Girardeau, Missouri, when Rush's three-hour radio show ends, the next program features Alan Colmes, a more liberal commentor (actually about anybody would qualify as "more liberal"). Millie called his show to say, "I'm Rush Limbaugh's mother and I listen to you, too." The courteous call so astounded Colmes that he has since spoken fondly of her on his national program.

Millie said her other son, David, just a year younger than Rush, is quite proud of his brother. "He's back of him. He critiques. David has just been wonderful."

She used to talk to Rush every other day but with his ever-increasing demands, it's now twice a week.

While Rush was still a child, Milli collected a number of musical tapes. She was dismayed, but not surprised, one day to discover that Rusty had dubbed over them with his own disc jockey antics.

She said Rusty had a good time as a teen and racked up his fair share of shenanigans and pranks but nobody caught him.

In mid-sentence, Millie glanced at the clock. "Oh, oh. It's time for the Mouth!" Sheepishly, she looked around, saying, "I can't believe I said that."

Millie says Rush got his smarts from his dad and his nonsense from her and, truly, she does have a reputation for looking on the bright side of life. "Let me tell you what Millie told me about how she got her real name, Mildred," said her friend Elizabeth McClary of nearby Jackson.

"I was born at home. So many were in those days," Elizabeth quoted Millie. "The doctor was an alcoholic and was drunk when he came to deliver me. When he asked mother what she wanted to name me, mother said Gwendolyn Marie.

"The doctor had trouble spelling it... G... w... n... He couldn't get it right so my mother said, "Oh, just call her Mildred.'"