![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton poses for a photo at the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., December 1, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/David_Letterman_2012.jpg/500px-David_Letterman_2012.jpg)
Letterman
David Letterman
Documented beefs: 2 · Active 0 · Cooling off 1 · Dormant 0 · Resolved 1
At a glance
- Documented beefs
- 2
- Active
- 0
- Resolved
- 1
- Average Beef Score
- 69
- Highest Beef Score
- 77
- Longest beef
- 37 yr
Longest: vs Oprah Winfrey. Most recent: vs Jay Leno (Cooling Off).
The Beef Graph
Explore the wider networkEvery line is a published BEEFS record. Nothing here is inferred — click a line to read the sourced beef, or a name to recentre on that entity.
Read the graph as a table
| Connection | Category | Status | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Leno vs David Letterman | Celebrity | Cooling Off | 77 |
| David Letterman vs Oprah Winfrey | Celebrity | Resolved | 60 |
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Documented Beefs
- CelebrityCooling Off1992 – ongoing
vs Jay Leno
The public rivalry between comedians Jay Leno and David Letterman originated in 1992 when NBC named Leno as Johnny Carson's successor on The…
77Beef Score - CelebrityResolved1989 – ongoing
vs Oprah Winfrey
A long-running, public tension between talk show hosts David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey began following an uncomfortable guest appearance b…
60Beef Score
Beef History
Every published event across David Letterman's beefs, in one chronology.
June 18, 2026 · Verified event
Both attend the Obama Presidential Center opening in Chicago
→ vs Oprah WinfreyMay 5, 2026 · Public statement
David Letterman Discusses Hosting Leno on Netflix Show
→ vs Jay LenoApril 24, 2025 · Public statement
Jay Leno Comments on Potential Letterman Reunion
→ vs Jay Leno2014 · Verified event
Leno and Letterman Decline Farewell Appearances for Each Other
→ vs Jay LenoJanuary 2013 · Verified event
Letterman and Winfrey officially resolve differences on Oprah's Next Chapter
→ vs Oprah Winfrey2010 · Verified event
Leno and Letterman Film CBS Super Bowl Commercial Together
→ vs Jay Leno2010 · Public statement
Letterman recounts restaurant bill incident to Jon Stewart
→ vs Oprah WinfreyDecember 1, 2005 · Verified event
Oprah Winfrey returns to Late Show for first interview in 16 years
→ vs Oprah Winfrey1995 · Verified event
David Letterman jokes about Oprah Winfrey while hosting the Oscars
→ vs Oprah Winfrey1992 · Verified event
NBC Names Leno Host of The Tonight Show Over Letterman
→ vs Jay Leno1989 · Verified event
Oprah Winfrey guest stars on David Letterman's show
→ vs Oprah Winfrey