Huckleberries Online

Comedian Wishes Limbaugh Ill Health

Posted by DFO

May 11, 2009 4:23 p.m. • 51 comments

The joke in question? “Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails,” Sykes said. “So you’re saying, ‘I hope America fails.’ You’re like, ‘I don’t care about people losing their homes, their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq.’ He just wants the country to fail. To me, that’s treason. “He’s not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying. You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight.” Not everyone laughed at that joke. She recognized it and said, “Too much?” If it was, that didn’t stop her. “Rush Limbaugh, I hope the country fails; I hope his kidneys fail, how about that?” she continued. “He needs a good waterboarding, that’s what he needs”/Christian Science Monitor. More here.

Question: Did comedian Wanda Sykes go too far in saying that she wishes Rush Limbaugh’s kidneys would fail? Or are critics simply being thin-skinned.

51 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

spokelooneh on May 11 at 7:09 p.m.
She’s a COMEDIENNE and and ENTERTAINER, just like El Rushbo is an ENTERTAINER, who also happens to be a leading voice in the dregs of what’s left of the Republican party.

Does anyone REALLY think she wishes El Rushbo’s kidneys to fail?
Really? Are you daft?

Besides, this is nothing compared to El Rusbo mocking and denigrating Michael J. Fox, saying Fox was faking his symptoms of MS, in a commercial in support of stem cell research.
Cindy_H on May 11 at 7:16 p.m.
Actually, Wanda Sykes is rarely funny. She’s just about the most unfunny woman in show business.
Give that line to Ellen DeGeneres and she probably would have brought the house down.
Given the choice between listening to 10 minutes of Wanda or 10 minutes of nails screeching on a chalkboard, I’ll take the chalkboard.
hmoffsuite on May 11 at 7:21 p.m.
I watched Obama’s bit at the WH correspondants dinner deal the other night and thought he was great. Didn’t see Wanda Baby’s gig until watching some news tonight. Wrong, spoke. It was way over the top and terribly out of line considering the venue. It was vicious, nasty and had no place there. If Obama ok’d he doing her bit, he should be held accountable. Listen to her whole deal, you will agree. Ugly and not in any way apporopriate. It was so bad, even the audience didn’t laugh and her cheap crap.
Stickman on May 11 at 7:25 p.m.
I’m with Cindy. Not funny at all.
JamesBond on May 11 at 7:28 p.m.
Dumb.
Dennis on May 11 at 7:29 p.m.
I agree with Stickman, Cindy & HMO. Very classless performance.
Arch_Druid on May 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Neither is Rush Limbaugh funny. And he has been a nasty dude for a very, very, very, very long time. But none of you anti-Sykes on the board appear to have a problem with Rush, huh?
hmoffsuite on May 11 at 7:34 p.m.
Don’t use that as a defense for what she said, arch. You may not like Rush but his comments are political and of a different nature. Wanda’s were simply mean and nasty with no redeeming purpose.
Cindy_H on May 11 at 7:35 p.m.
Actually, I don’t find Rush funny either. But he’s not intentionally a comedian.
Dennis on May 11 at 7:39 p.m.
Arch,,,, I don’t pay any attention what-so-ever to Limbaugh and I wouldn’t have paid any attention to Sykes either had her comments not been plastered all over the news. She was out of line. Period.
spokelooneh on May 11 at 7:45 p.m.
If you think Obama Ok’d her routine, you’re completely daft, and haven’t the slightest clue as to how these things work.

Nice try, HMO, but your Obama Derangement Syndrome is showing again.

It wasn’t a particularly good joke, I’d give it a 5 on a scale of 10, but it was A JOKE.
Arch_Druid on May 11 at 7:45 p.m.
Don’t hold Obama accountable because Wanda showed a nasty streak. I haven’t seen the situation in question. I have been busy gardening. However, Spokelooneh did have a point about Limbaugh going over the top on any number of issues down through the years. And as I said, seems the anti-Sykes posting on the board for the most part don’t have a problem with the dumb, classless, nasty comments that Limbaugh has said.

Even if what he said was “political” in nature.

What I will say, and this is indeed in defense of Ms. Sykes’ freedom of speech even if it infringes on what other people view as at the edges of decency; Limbaugh having gone beyond those boundaries himself, you loved it, then all Sykes had done was give him a payback that I am sure he richly deserved. Had Limbaugh on talk radio NOT been a mouth that roared; Sykes’ particular diatribe would correctly have been way over the top, classless, dumb, nasty. Do remember, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
spokelooneh on May 11 at 7:51 p.m.
“Do remember, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.””

Arch, that’s obviously for cafeteria Christians, which unfortunately seems to be the majority of them.
hmoffsuite on May 11 at 7:53 p.m.
This was a rather formal event for the WH correspondants. Consider the venue and those in attendance. This wasn’t some sleazy night club. What is said is one thing. Where it is said in entirely another matter. Btw, spoke. Why did you change your name from cant read?
spokelooneh on May 11 at 8:17 p.m.
There was never a more sleazy moment at the White House Correspondents dinner than when President George W. Bush MOCKED the search for weapons of mass destruction which where sold by his administration (nuclear smoking gun) as justification for this war.

How many mothers of our fallen soldiers, who thought their offspring were going to Iraq to stop Saddams “ready to use” weapons of mass destruction, saw George W. Bush MOCKING that entirely unnecessary search that their sons DIED for. “No weapons under here. Heh heh heh.”

How many?
1000 mothers?
2000 grieving mothers?
4000 mothers who’ll never see their sons and daughters again?
HonestGeorge on May 11 at 8:28 p.m.
I don’t buy any defense that lays out the case that because Limbaugh does it then its alright to deal in the same type of muck. Her comments were crass - her performance lowered the entire tone of the evening.
Charlie on May 11 at 8:34 p.m.
Wanda’s comedy routine was over the line and IMO, Obama gave tacit approval of it when he laughed at her material. Didn’t Imus do one of those functions and the Clinton’s did not laugh at his material. Wanda is in the same category as Al Franken, unfunny!
Nick_Adams on May 11 at 8:35 p.m.
I thought that Sykes went over the line. You can get your digs in without just being mean-spirited. Limbaugh is fair game. He is an entertainer first, political fat-head second. Still, a great comedian can mock the subject and stay within the bounds of the venue.

I’ll admit I chuckled at the failing kidneys line, but it wasn’t the appropriate venue. I also chuckled, in spite of myself, when Rush played “Barrack the Magic Negro” (sung to the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon) on his show. Both are inappropriate given their respective profiles, but still kind of funny.
Nick_Adams on May 11 at 8:50 p.m.
@Charlie: Stick to blog posting, not judging humor. Franken not only made millions making people laugh, he’s going to be the next Senator from Minnesota. Coleman has now lost to a professional wrestler and a comedian. How lame is that?
Arch_Druid on May 11 at 9:00 p.m.
Hey, you can get your digs in without being mean-spirited… Shall I repeat myself? Limbaugh being other than civilized was not an issue for the many anti-Sykes posting on this board. Only when Sykes returned the favor, then it became crass, classless, dumb, nasty, etc. As for Obama’s implicit approval because he actually thought she was funny? How about that. I don’t always think that Jon Stewart is funny. But I watch his show. And that is because he provides a few things in his media criticism (some of which goes over the top let me tell you) that can’t be found in MSM. Why don’t we make this thread, humor like beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
Nick_Adams on May 11 at 9:22 p.m.
Hey arch: Don’t ever forget that imhoff and charlie only exist in the now. Nothing that has ever happened before counts. It’s only about Obama. Even imhoff thought Obama was good (on this one particular night). It’s all forgotten now that the news cycle has moved on. That’s why we can’t EVER bring up W.

In the words investors will understand…”past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future gains.”

I still maintain that Sykes went over the line. Her humor may play on HBO and the Larry David Show, but she was a poor choice by the Correspondents’ board.
Charlie on May 11 at 9:24 p.m.
Why can’t I judge humor? I’ve heard Franken and Sykes and they still are not funny. Others have judged humor here! Rush has made hundreds of millions.
Nick_Adams on May 11 at 9:37 p.m.
Sorry, Charlie. You’re right. You’re well within your rights to judge humor. Just like Perez Hilton is well within his rights to judge Miss USA.
Arch_Druid on May 12 at 9:16 a.m.
I think someone forgot tht the Ntionl Correspondents Dinner is comedic rost. The chnce for comedins of ll stripes to come together nd dish it out. You might not like their sttements but they hve the right to mke them. Sorry, my keybord semi-froze.
toadman on May 12 at 9:23 a.m.
Someone wished Limbaugh ill health? Perhaps they haven’t seen him lately. He’s a bloated gasbag who’s cholesterol level is likely through the roof, and who’s blood pressure is probably on the verge of making his eyeballs bleed, and he’s got anger issues.

I think the damage has been done…no need to wish any thing. At this rate, he’ll be dead in ten years of his own doing.
moscow_minidoka on May 12 at 10:11 a.m.
Why is everyone so bent out of shape? This is the nature of this dinner, no matter the party that holds the White House…

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.