Before you Rush to judgment

Even if you’ve never listened to talk radio, you’ve probably heard the name Rush Limbaugh. For about three hours a day, five days a week, he tells America what he thinks is good for it, and millions of his fans soak it up. On 'Headliners and Legends' this Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, find out how a college drop-out ends makes his way to becoming one of the most famous and influential names in talk radio.

Below are five things you might not have known about the controversial talk show host:

1. DJ nicknames: His former DJ names, were “Rusty Sharpe” (Rusty was his childhood nickname) and  “Jeff Christie.”
2. Heard around the world: He is remembered to have said, “Compassion is no substitute for justice,” a saying that would later haunt him when it is discovered that he was addicted to painkillers and is accused of obtaining them illegally.
3. Death threat: Many have been angered by what Limbaugh says on-air. But one day, in the late 1980s, a listener took it too far by coming into Limbaugh's station in a homicidal rage. The guy came through the front door, went past the receptionist, and walked down the radio station hall with a knife. Engineers tackled him before he was able to get into the studio.
4. Talker almost completely lost hearing: In Oct 2001, Rush was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder that rapidly destroys his hearing. The hearing loss is uncommon and rarely reversed. Before the end of the year, he received cochlear implants, which enable him to hear well again.
5. Cyber-dater: It is actually in the quiet isolation of cyberspace that Rush meets Marta Fitzgerald, who later became his third wife. Marta, who was initially married when they met, married Rush in 1994. The ceremony takes place at the home of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas.

Find out more about the kid who simply wanted to be a DJ, and instead, made radio history. ‘Headliners and Legends’ Rush Limbaugh airs Saturday, February. 7, 6 p.m. ET

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