Elton John says he wants Rush Limbaugh to support civil unions

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Elton John says he wants unlikely friend Rush Limbaugh to say he supports civil partnerships for gay couples.

The singer sang at the controversial radio host’s wedding last year and was reportedly paid $1 million for the gig.

He was a surprising choice for Limbaugh, who strongly opposes marriage equality.

John said this week that the radio host had called to congratulate him on his new son and added: “My goal is for Rush to say, ‘I support civil partnerships,’ and if I rang him right now, I think he might agree.”

Whether Limbaugh will pledge his support for legal recognition of gay couples remains to be seen.

After his wedding, he claimed that he and John both opposed marriage for gay couples.

John also launched into one of his customary tirades about the state of pop music today.

Speaking to Word magazine, he said: “It’s hard to tell Girls Aloud from The Saturdays. And then there’s Cheryl Cole… It’s all crap.

“British pop music like that is the worst, it’s just awful. It could have been made by anybody. All lip-synchers should be shot. Only drag queens are allowed to lip-synch.”

The legend, who can usually be relied upon to say something controversial in interviews, had nothing but praise for bisexual star Lady Gaga.

He said: “She’s a phenomenal star – definitely someone who will be taking on the old sods like me, McCartney and Rod Stewart doing big tours for years to come. Pure genius.”