Get ready for some gratuitous jabs at Jay Leno: Conan O'Brien will visit "The Late Show With David Letterman" next week for the first time in 13 years.
On Thursday, May 17, Conan will finally sit down with Letterman on-air since the 2010 late night war that briefly made them 11:35 p.m. competitors. The two late night hosts have a long history, with Conan having taken over "Late Night" from Letterman in 1993. Conan has praised Letterman for inspiring his career, and even attributes his eventual success on "Late Night" to an early visit from the veteran host.
But their biggest common thread has to be Jay Leno, with whom Letterman has had an ongoing feud since 1992, when Leno was hired to take over "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson (in lieu of Letterman). Similarly, Conan and Leno had a highly publicized feud when NBC decided to reinstate Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" after Conan held the position for only seven months. On the night of Conan's TBS show premiere -- and many more times since -- Letterman mocked Leno for taking back the show.
This appearance will mark Conan's fifth time doing "The Late Show," his first time since Jan. 13, 1999. A memorable moment during that interview occurred when Letterman prompted Conan to introduce a clip he brought, only to have it be the trailer for "Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace."
The episode airs Thursday, May 17 at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT. Also appearing are John Mayer and musical guest Regina Spektor.
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The Huffington Post | By Katla McGlynn Posted: 05/10/2012 1:31 pm Updated: 05/10/2012 2:37 pm