Rush Limbaugh Says His Stage 4 Lung Cancer Prognosis Is ‘Terminal’

Rush Limbaugh gave an update on his health during his radio show Monday, revealing that recent scans show “some progression of cancer” and that his prognosis is “terminal.” The controversial conservative radio host, 69, who announced his cancer diagnosis in February, said the progression was “not dramatic” but was heading in “the wrong direction.”

“Stage 4 is, as they say, terminal,” Limbaugh continued, adding, “It’s tough to realize that the days where I do not think I’m under a death sentence are over.” The radio host said that while everyone knows they will die at some point, “when you have a terminal disease diagnosis that has a time frame to it, then that puts a different psychological and even physical awareness to it.”

Limbaugh then told listeners he had undergone three different kinds of treatment to combat his cancer, the last of which appeared to be working before scans at the beginning of October revealed his lung cancer was no longer responding to doctors’ efforts. “After receiving the diagnosis, I never thought I would see October 1,” he said. “I never thought I would. When October 1 hit on the calendar this year, I reminded myself of that — of that thought.”

Limbaugh, who has come under fire throughout his career for making racist and inflammatory remarks, said he plans to continue hosting his show for as long as possible, despite his health prognosis. “All in all, I feel very blessed to be here speaking with you today. Some days are harder than others. I do get fatigued now. I do get very, very tired now. I’m not gonna mislead you about that,” he admitted. “But I am extremely grateful to be able to come here to the studio and to maintain as much normalcy as possible.”

The media figure said he had mostly avoided talking about his health because he didn’t want to have to keep correcting updates, as cancer has been a “day-to-day thing” for him, and he didn’t want to “put [himself] through it.” He added that now felt like the right time to give a major update, however, as he knows his listeners are “concerned” and looking for more information. “We’re all going through challenges,” he concluded. “Mine are no better, and mine are no different, and mine are no more special than anybody else. But it can feel like a roller coaster.”