Rush Limbaugh says CBS has "declared war on the heartland" by hiring Stephen Colbert

Apparently, the conservative talk-radio host is not much of a fan of the GOP-skewering comedian

Published April 10, 2014 5:45PM (EDT)

Rush Limbaugh                                                            (Jeff Malet, maletphoto.com)
Rush Limbaugh (Jeff Malet, maletphoto.com)

Kicking off what's likely to be a larger round of kvetching from the conservative movement, talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh sounded off on Thursday about CBS's decision to hire Stephen Colbert as David Letterman's successor on the "Late Show." Suffice it to say, he would've gone in a different direction.

"What do I think of Colbert getting Letterman's gig?" Limbaugh said (being sure to emphasize the "r" in the comedian's surname).

"I'll give you the short version: CBS has just declared war on the heartland of America," Limbaugh announced.

"No longer is comedy going to be a covert assault on traditional American values, conservative values — now it's just wide out in the open," he continued. "What this hire means is a redefinition of what is funny and a redefinition of what is comedy and they're blowing up the 11:30 format under the guise of 'the world's changing.'"

"It's the media planting a flag, here," Limbaugh concluded. "It's a declaration."

Listen to Limbaugh argue that hiring a comedian to host a comedy show is a declaration of war against an ill-defined subset of American citizens below, via Media Matters:


By Elias Isquith

Elias Isquith is a former Salon staff writer.

MORE FROM Elias Isquith


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Cbs David Letterman Media Matters Rush Limbaugh Stephen Colbert The Late Show Video