Updated: Ebert Offers 'Sincere Apologies' for Limbaugh Jokes | Roger Ebert Makes Fat Jokes After Limbaugh's Hospital Visit

January 4th, 2010 5:28 PM

Update (Ken Shepherd, Managing Editor, 11:30 p.m. EST): A few minutes ago, Ebert tweeted the following apology on his Twitter feed: "I feel bad about my cheap Limbaugh jokes. Sincere apologies to Rush and you folks. He said he was fine but that's no excuse." # # #

In a demonstration of Hollywood's quintessentially intolerant hatred of conservatives, film critic Roger Ebert took to the Twitterverse on Saturday to mock Rush Limbaugh and his sudden trip to a Hawaii hospital (h/t Big Hollywood headlines).

Ebert was hardly alone in rejoicing Limbaugh's hospital visit--and distressed when he was given a clean bill of health. Liberals nationwide let loose the vitriol, some--including members of the hate-stricken mobs at Daily Kos and DU, as reported by P.J. Gladnick--simply wished he would expire.

For his part, Ebert fell short of calling for Limbaugh's death, and offered only lame fat jokes and implications of racism. Some of the juicier tweets:

Rush: Hawaii is the only country where the Hawaiian shirts come in S, M, L, XL, Rush, and Sumo.

Rush: Nurse at snack time: "You have nuts?" "No!" "You have dates?" "Hey, if I had nuts, I'd have dates!" Ah...Har! Har! Har!

Rush: This hospital food is confusing. I thought *I* was the smoothie. Blueberry is best for my heart. With ice cream.

Rush: Stuck in this hospital room watching TV, I really miss Lou Dobbs. All the Oriental nurses are U.S. citizens, though.

Rush: Our US health care system is the best in the world. The nurses here in Hawaii keep offering me lays.

Rush: The Orientals here talk funny. They keep saying "howdy" and it comes out sounding like "howley."

Rush says docs found nothing wrong. They're obviously not listeners.

Now, Ebert thought up all those racist quips, so one has to wonder whether that says more about him than it does about Rush. As for the fat jokes, I'll let readers devise their own Ebert-is-being-a-tad-hypocritical cliches. I suppose we should be thankful that he didn't mention oxycontin.

Rancorous jibes at conservatives are nothing new for Ebert, of course, or for the vast majority of Hollywood liberals. But coming as they did at the expense of a hospitalized man--that is truly detestable.