Birchibald "Birch" T. Barlow is a right-wing conservative talk show host on the radio station KBBL. He also has a show on Fox News.
Fame
On air (and presumably personally), he is a radical conservative, highlighted by his book, "Only Turkeys Have Left Wings". His on air rantings are intentionally engineered to be controversial and to rile up the audience, in order to convince them to call, as do many talk back radio hosts. On his radio show, he declares himself to be "the fourth branch of government" and "the fifty-first state".
Barlow was instrumental in getting Sideshow Bob released, due to sympathy to Bob as well as believing his story about being framed. He was also "accused" by Lisa Simpson of being the true mastermind behind Bob with the implication of Bob simply being a puppet in order to trick Bob into confessing to some of his crimes in court.
Behind the Laughter
Birch Barlow is a parody of the stereotypical right-wing political commentator. Barlow's voice and appearance is modeled after the late commentator Rush Limbaugh. His name is a possible reference to the John Birch Society, a notorious right-wing advocacy group.
He has also been a customer at Marge's prescription drug-laden "yard sale", a reference to Limbaugh's Oxycontin addiction scandal [1].
Birch in the movie
In The Simpsons Guide to Springfield, despite his ultra-conservative views, he was shown having dinner at the Shaboom-Kaboom Cafe with Waylon Smithers, John, and Buddy Hodges.
Appearances
Episode – "Sideshow Bob Roberts" - Episode – "Radioactive Man"
- Episode – "Sweets and Sour Marge"
- Episode – "Weekend at Burnsie's"
- Episode – "We're on the Road to D'oh-where"
- Episode – "You Kent Always Say What You Want"
- Episode – "E. Pluribus Wiggum"
- Episode – "Take My Life, Please"
- Episode – "All About Lisa"
- Episode – "The Fool Monty"
- Episode – "Dark Knight Court"
- Episode – "The Kid is All Right"
- – The Simpsons Movie
- Comic story – K-Bart
- Comic story – Radioactive Homer
- Comic story – Sense and Censorability
- Comic story – Dullards to Donuts
- Comic story – X-MAS Marks The Spot!
- Book – The Simpsons Guide to Springfield
- Book – Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Seasons 1-20
- Video game – The Simpsons: Tapped Out
| The Simpsons: Season Six | ||||
| "Bart of Darkness": | "Lisa's Rival": | "Another Simpsons Clip Show": | "Itchy & Scratchy Land": | "Sideshow Bob Roberts": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Minor |
| "Treehouse of Horror V": | "Bart's Girlfriend": | "Lisa on Ice": | "Homer Badman": | "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Fear of Flying": | "Homer the Great": | "And Maggie Makes Three": | "Bart's Comet": | "Homie the Clown": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Bart vs. Australia": | "Homer vs. Patty and Selma": | "A Star is Burns": | "Lisa's Wedding": | "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "The PTA Disbands": | "'Round Springfield": | "The Springfield Connection": | "Lemon of Troy": | "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| The Simpsons: Season Seven | ||||
| "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)": | "Radioactive Man": | "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily": | "Bart Sells His Soul": | "Lisa the Vegetarian": |
| Absent | Cameo | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Treehouse of Horror VI": | "King-Size Homer": | "Mother Simpson": | "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming": | "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Marge Be Not Proud": | "Team Homer": | "Two Bad Neighbors": | "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield": | "Bart the Fink": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Lisa The Iconoclast": | "Homer The Smithers": | "The Day The Violence Died": | "A Fish Called Selma": | "Bart on the Road": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "22 Short Films About Springfield": | "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"": | "Much Apu About Nothing": | "Homerpalooza": | "Summer of 4 Ft. 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
