John Oliver’s not the only talk show host who can drop in on another show unexpectedly. Last night, the great David Letterman made a rare appearance on the Tonight Show right in the middle of Jimmy Fallon‘s monologue.
Catching the audience – if not Fallon – by surprise, Letterman dropped by to see his old friend Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band, who were sitting in for Tonight’s The Roots (who apparently were rehearsing for the big Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary concert.
“Is this the 23rd hour of The Today Show?,” Letterman asked as he wandered onto the stage. When Fallon said it was Tonight, Letterman shouted “Jimmy!,” then “Paul? What are you doing here.”
From there, Fallon offered Letterman the opportunity to tell some monologue jokes, with Letterman bypassing the suggested cue card quips. “I’m good, thanks.”
As for Letterman’s recent activities, the former host said he’s been working on a “TikTok. I made an enormous deal with the Chinese government.”
Then Fallon attempted to corral Letterman into making a viral video called “the handshake challenge,” in which Fallon literally hopped sideways to get to Letterman and shake his hand. “That was lame,” Letterman deadpanned.
After the handshake challenge, Letterman indulged in a little bit of his show’s style of humor. “What I really want to do is hit you in the face with a tortilla,” Letterman said, then proceeded to do just that, over and over. Shaffer even got in on the action.
When Fallon return the tortilla slap, Letterman yelled, “I think you cracked a crown!” From backstage he shouted, “I’ll see you in court.”
Letterman’s visit to Tonight was a long time coming, 33 years to be exact, back when Johnny Carson hosted. That era was a tough one for Letterman, who was thought to be a shoo-in to replace Carson but NBC opted to go with Jay Leno instead. Letterman took the CBS slot in direct competition for his still-missed Late Show with David Letterman.
Check out the segment above.
