Birch Barlow

Birch Barlow
Gender/Sex
Status
Hair Color	Light Gray
Occupation	Talk Show Host/Right-Wing Conservative
First episode appearance	"Sideshow Bob Roberts"
Portrayed by	Harry Shearer

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 also ended up "accused" by Lisa of being the true mastermind behind Bob with the implication of Bob simply being a puppet Mayor in order to trick Bob into confessing to some of his crimes in court (with Birch Barlow also trying to dissuade the shocked audience in regards to the accusation).

Behind the Laughter

Birch Barlow is a parody of the stereotypical right-wing political commentator. Barlow's voice and appearance is modeled after commentator Rush Limbaugh. He has also been a customer at Marge's prescription drug-laden "yard sale", a reference to Limbaugh's Oxycontin addiction scandal . In The Simpsons Guide to Springfield, despite his ultra-conservative views, he was shown having dinner at the Shaboom-Kaboom Cafe with Smithers, John, and Buddy Hodges.

Appearances

• Episode – "Sideshow Bob Roberts"
• Episode – "Radioactive Man"
• Episode – "We're on the Road to D'oh-where"
• Episode – "You Kent Always Say What You Want"
• Episode – "E. Pluribus Wiggum"
• Episode – "The Kid is All Right"
• – The Simpsons Movie
• Book – The Simpsons Guide to Springfield