Oprah thaws out over Letterman 'feud'

Oprah Winfrey

The cold war between television titans Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman has thawed to the point where Winfrey has accepted Letterman's invitation to appear on the Late Show next month.

Winfrey's appearance will coincide with opening night of the Broadway musical The Color Purple, which she is producing.

The origin of their "feud" is murky, although Letterman has frequently joked about her on his show.

Letterman has pressed Winfrey to join him on the air since Time magazine quoted her in 2003 vowing never to go on his show again. She had said two guest stints on the old NBC "Late Night with David Letterman" show during the 1980s left her feeling "like the butt of his jokes."

At one point, Letterman even jokingly suggested that he and Winfrey could patch up their differences in a "Super Bowl of Love" officiated by self-help guru Dr Phil McGraw, who himself took a lot of ribbing from Letterman until becoming one of the most popular "Late Show" guests.

Winfrey finally turned the tables on Letterman in December 2003 by inviting him to appear on her top-rated nationally syndicated daytime show, an offer he acknowledged on his programme - "Oprah no longer hates me" - but never accepted.

A month earlier, Letterman revealed on his show that Winfrey had sent him collection of children's book as a gift marking the birth of his son, Harry.

It took the prospect of promoting a Winfrey-produced Broadway musical on Letterman's New York-based show to bring the two TV personalities together again. The 1985 film version of "The Color Purple" was a milestone in Winfrey's career, earning her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

- REUTERS