There’s a Fake Rush Limbaugh Uploading New ‘Rush Hour’ Daily Podcasts on the Internet

It’s a small YouTube account that hasn’t gotten much traction. At least not yet. Most of the episodes are still in double (or even single) digits of views/hits. But I’m fascinated by what it represents. It’s probably just a matter of time until it takes off. 

(Or gets banned.)

And if you’re a Rush Limbaugh superfan, you’ll probably find it a strange combination of awesome, heartwarming, dystopian, and creepy.

So very, very creepy.

“The Excellence in Podcasting Network” YouTube channel, starring “Rick LeBow,” has been uploading new daily episodes for a little over a month. Here’s a sample:

I’m 99.99% sure “Rick LeBow” is a fake name. It’s too on-the-nose. There’s a deceased Arkansas police sergeant by that name, an addiction counselor in Costa Rica, a doctor, and a few others, but nobody who’s ever worked in radio (as far as I can tell). And although he’s possibly a voice actor doing a Rush Limbaugh impression, the frequency of the updates — and the emotional flatness — points to AI.

Which, interestingly enough, is something we discussed two years ago:

In theory, it’d be wonderful for Rush Limbaugh to rise from the ashes and thrill his dittoheads one last time. And his fans would be beyond thrilled to hear his voice again — listening to his spin on Kamala Harris, the 2024 campaign, and the craziness of the world — and share the Limbaugh experience with our children and grandchildren. An AI version of Rush, done right, would be the ultimate tribute to America’s Truth Detector, our Doctor of Democracy, and America’s Anchorman: An ongoing legacy that continues to educate “young skulls full of mush” and promote the conservative beliefs that defined him.

So as a fan, I’d loooove it if the EIB Network became the “AI” B Network and Rush roared again. His absence still hurts; the vacuum he left was never filled. 

But as a fan, I also suspect he wouldn’t support it. 

Rush Limbaugh would want us to think for ourselves. Rather than being pleased that we’re still turning to him for guidance, I think he’d be saddened. Rush championed the conservative principles of rugged individualism and self-determination, and asking an algorithm to speak for him — or think for us — is antithetical to the Limbaugh ethos.

My same teenage kid who alerted me to the Lego/Utah/Mormon YouTube controversy (and we’ll be updating that story soon) showed me this channel. I’m glad he did.

But I still don’t know if I like it.

On one hand, even a soulless, bloodless, AI-generated Rush Limbaugh facsimile is better than nothing. It’s a helluva nostalgia kick! For the most part, “Rick LeBow” nails Limbaugh’s personality and worldview: conservative, patriotic, optimistic, sincere. He’s still the same harmless, loveable fuzzball we know and love. (Or knew and loved.)

It made me realize how much I still miss him.

But on the other hand, it’s definitely not the real Rush Limbaugh. It’s just not. There’s a certain spark — that Limbaugh-esque twinkle-in-the-eye charm — that an AI impression lacks. It’s more like a tribute band than the genuine article.

And it’s almost certainly being done without the approval of the Limbaugh estate. That’s creepy, too. (And of dubious legality.)

Yet this is the wave of the future. The ubiquity of the technology guarantees it. As does its rate of improvement: AI keeps on getting better and better.

This is the worst it’ll ever be!

Two years ago, when I wrote about the possibility of Limbaugh’s legendary EIB network becoming the “AI” B network, a “new” George Carlin comedy concert, allegedly AI-created, had just dropped. (It’s since been scrubbed from the internet.)

Today, nobody is using two-year-old AI. It’s a dinosaur. The same technology that wowed us in 2024 has exponentially advanced. Had the Carlin estate not intervened, we could’ve had an endless stream of “new” George Carlin material that kept on getting funnier, wittier, and sharper. 

Imagine: Totally new, all-original comedy concerts every few months — and each one is better than the last!

That’s awfully enticing if you’re a Carlin fan.

But the Carlin estate did intervene. His daughter was especially offended:

My statement regarding the AI generated George Carlin special: My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain and imagination. No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind…1/3

— Kelly Carlin-McCall (@kelly_carlin) January 11, 2024

Politically, George Carlin and Rush Limbaugh were opposites. They didn’t agree on much.

But I suspect they’d agree on this.

Whether you applaud “Rick LeBow” or are repulsed by him, you ought to be aware of what he represents. He’s a small part of a much larger story.

One Last Thing: 2026 will reach a crescendo with the midterm elections. Nothing less than the fate of the America First movement teeters in the balance.

Never before have the political battle lines been so clearly defined. Win or lose, 2026 will transform our country.

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