On the July 5 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck labeled anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan a “tragedy pimp” for going on a hunger strike to protest the war in Iraq. Beck added of Sheehan: “She's practically Gandhi in a pantsuit.” Beck also suggested that Sheehan could use her “D-list fame” to appear on the program The Surreal Life, which features celebrities living together in a house, to which “Stu,” the show's executive producer and head writer, added, “I could see Cindy Sheehan hooking up with Flavor Flav," a rapper who has appeared on that program.
Beck previously called Sheehan a “tragedy pimp” on the January 10 edition of his radio program, as Media Matters for America noted.
Beck also hosts CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck, a weeknight program that debuted in May.
From the July 5 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: Cindy Sheehan is in the news. She has tried everything she can to think -- that she can think of to stop the war. After gaining notoriety for setting up a campsite, anti-war celebrities and the press were quick to come to the aid of her plight: “She's a mother, you know.” She was probably thinking, “Great! We were just hoping this would get a little press, and look at this! We should have the home -- troops home in a week! They'll be back by -- what day is it now? It's Tuesday, they'll be back by Saturday!” Unfortunately for Cindy Sheehan, she's failed miserably every step of the way. The campaign has been hapless. She's really not a likable figure to many -- others love her to pieces. The only thing that Sheehan really has accomplished is D-list fame. I mean, she might be able to be on one of those, you know -- what do they call them? Circus of the Stars kind of things. You remember those -- you remember those shows in the '70s where they'd get all the really D-list celebrities together and they'd do, you know -- it was like bad celebrity Olympics. I personally think she could be on that. Stu, what do you think? Do you think she'd -- Surreal Life. I think she could -- Cindy Sheehan could be on Surreal Life.
STU: I could see Cindy Sheehan hooking up with Flavor Flav --
BECK: In a heartbeat.
STU: In a heartbeat.
BECK: I could see it.
STU: Chemistry.
BECK: All right, so she's got this crappy book deal, she got that. And that's, you know, everybody's -- she gets to meet [actors] Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen, which has got to be a dream come true. And here's the interesting thing: After all of that happens, the war is still going on, and I think that that is -- that's a testament to Cindy Sheehan -- it is -- and all that she can accomplish. You know, now that I've exposed the overall limpness of the Cindy Sheehan movement, which is not exactly the Viagra that people were hoping for -- that were carrying peace signs and flowers -- but I feel it's necessary, and this is really not as much -- well, it is necessary strictly for your amusement. This is for entertainment purposes only. I feel it is important to tell you about the latest horrible PR stunt from Cindy Sheehan. Again, just for entertainment purposes. Cindy Sheehan, the “tragedy pimp,” as we like to call her, is going on a hunger strike. Surprisingly, they're not doing this because they, you know, want to follow a book deal, they actually think that the press is not covering the true cost of war, and that's why she's going on a hunger strike. She's practically Gandhi in a pantsuit.