On the April 3 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck renewed his attacks on ABC colleague Rosie O'Donnell, asserting that the difference between her and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who like O'Donnell is a lesbian, “is about 400 pounds.” Later, the executive producer and head writer of Beck's radio show, Steve Burguiere, whom Beck calls “Stu” on the air, claimed that O'Donnell looked like she wanted to “bit[e] off the head, and probably the torso, of [ABC's The View co-host] Elisabeth Hasselbeck everyday.” Burguiere later said, “I was saying she was eating her co-host,” to which Beck replied, “Ah, there's not a lot of meat there. But maybe she's vegan. Maybe she's vegan. You know, she just likes to suck on the bone for a while.”

Also on April 3, as noted by the weblog Think Progress, which posted the video, and others, Beck appeared to suggest that O'Donnell is not really female, making a “more-or-less” gesture with his hand while referring to O'Donnell as a “woman.”

Also on the April 3 broadcast of his radio show, Beck likened O'Donnell to filmmaker Michael Moore: “In more ways than one, she's Michael Moore. ... I don't mean that as a fat joke. Although we could spend, you know, 40 days and 40 nights and a bag of donuts just making those fat jokes.” Burguiere added: “And not to mention that Rosie O'Donnell isn't a serious commentator. She's just this lady, who used to have, you know, who used to be the chick on the women's baseball movie, and is now talking for some bizarre reason on The View, where Michael Moore is supposed to be seen as this great liberal commentator. ... [S]he's silly. She's just a silly figure."

As Media Matters for America has noted, on the May 17, 2005, broadcast of his radio program, Beck said he was “thinking about killing Michael Moore” and pondered whether “I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it.” Beck concluded: “No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong?”

As Media Matters has also noted, Beck has a history of attacking O'Donnell over her weight. On the March 21 broadcast of his radio show, Beck called O'Donnell a “fat witch,” and added that she has “blubber ... just pouring out of her eyes.” On the March 23 broadcast of his show, Beck said he was “a little ashamed” for calling O'Donnell “a fat witch,” adding, “technically she's not a witch.” He went on to say, “But she's so fat. She's so fat.”

Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates Beck's radio show, says the program is heard on more than 230 radio stations nationwide. According to Talkers Magazine, the program reaches more than 3 million listeners each week. As Media Matters has noted, Beck was recently hired as a commentator for ABC's Good Morning America -- the same network that features O'Donnell.

From the April 3 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

BECK: I'm ready to take your counsel on this. Do you think she's going to survive or not?

STU: Rosie O'Donnell?

BECK: Yeah. I mean, survive as a -- as the media darling, media mogul that she is.

STU: I think people are going to think she's crazy. But I think she'll be fine, I think she'll do fine on the show. She's helped the ratings. That's what's going to keep her on the program. The minute those ratings tank --

BECK: She's gone.

STU: They'll be more than happy to -- because she's --

BECK: She could do -- what she could do -- what Ellen DeGeneres has done. Ellen DeGeneres -- America liked Ellen DeGeneres. But there's a huge difference between Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen DeGeneres seems like a really -- I don't know her -- seems like a really nice person. Just seems nice, and she's happy and normal and everything else.

Huge diff -- well, see -- I don't mean it that way. I do. But I'm going to claim I don't mean the huge difference between the two is about 400 pounds.

STU: Ah, see -- so facile.

BECK: So, the difference here is Rosie O'Donnell is an angry, bitter, bite-the-head-off-of-pigeons kind of person.

STU: Yes. She's definitely -- she does not come off nice like an Ellen DeGeneres does.

[...]

BECK: In more ways than one, she's Michael Moore. No, but she is. I don't mean that as a fat joke. Although we could spend, you know, 40 days and 40 nights and a bag of donuts just making those fat jokes.

[...]

STU: And not to mention that Rosie O'Donnell isn't a serious commentator. She's just this lady who used to have, you know, who used to be the chick on the women's baseball movie, and is now talking for some bizarre reason on The View, where Michael Moore is supposed to be seen as this great liberal commentator. So I think that she's just such a -- she's silly. She's just a silly figure.

[...]

STU: Yes. I would say --

BECK: That's what you are.

STU: That was what I expect. I'll be honest -- you know I went on -- when I was in Miami, I went on the fancy rich-people house tour. And we went on Rosie O'Donnell's house, which is on this beautiful island. And you wouldn't think her life sucks. I'll tell you, man. It doesn't seem sort the kind of life that would make me miserable and actually biting off the head, and probably the rest of the torso, of Elisabeth Hasselbeck everyday.

BECK: But you know, money doesn't -- money doesn't --

STU: I didn't get a “facile” button.

BECK: Money doesn't make you happy. Hang on, what was --

STU: I was saying she -- I was saying she was eating her co-host. I think I deserve --

BECK: Ah, there's not a lot of meat there. But maybe she's vegan. Maybe she's vegan. You know, she just likes to suck on the bone for a while.