Rush Limbaugh made a name for himself in the 1990s as an outspoken ultra-conserative and ultra-popular radio talk show host. Limbaugh got his star in radio while still in high school. In the 1980s he landed in Sacramento, California and perfected the politically-oriented sarcasm that earned him national syndication. Limbaugh gained particular fame as a staunch opponent of president Bill Clinton; by 1995, when Newt Gingrich led a Republican majority into the House of Representatives, Limbaugh was one of the most popular radio hosts in the U.S., with a fervent audience of "dittoheads," fans who parroted his conservative views. In July of 2001 Limbaugh signed a contract extension, reportedly worth $285 million, which would keep him on the air through 2009. In October of the same year Limbaugh announced that he was almost completely deaf, saying that he had first experienced hearing loss only four months previously. In October 2003, after published reports linked him to illegal purchases of prescription drugs, Limbaugh admitted on the air that he was addicted to painkillers. He spent five weeks in a drug rehabilitation center and returned to the airwaves in November 2003, still under investigation amid reports of illegal drug purchases and money laundering.