Can Limbaugh Get Away with Using the N-Word On Air?

This week, Rush Limbaugh claimed that it’s OK for him to say “‘nigga’ with an ‘A’ on the end,” because “it’s not racist” when Travyon Martin’s friend Rachel Jeantel uses it.

In an interview today, Jeantel responded to Limbaugh, noting that it’s “disrespectful” and “racist for an adult” to say it.

It’s no surprise that Limbaugh gleefully seized what he saw as an opportunity to say the slur on air. For years, he has used racially-charged rhetoric and other dog whistle tactics to attack minorities on his radio show.

After a career of tiptoeing to the edge, Limbaugh thought he could finally use this slur with impunity. When a caller followed his example and also said the word “nigga” on air, Limbaugh didn’t advise against it or inquire as to why he’d want to use it in the first place. Instead, he merely warned the caller “not to try it on the street.”

We’d advise Limbaugh not to try it with his remaining advertisers, either—his reckless slurs have already gotten him into trouble. Last year, after Limbaugh smeared Sandra Fluke as a “slut” and a “prostitute” for advocating that health insurance cover contraception, an effort emerged to educate his advertisers about the content they sponsor.

It’s working—Limbaugh’s advertising sales are way down, and his distribution deal with one major radio station operator, Cumulus Media, may collapse at the end of the year.

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