Oprah Winfrey's latest venture drew a flock of big names to Broadway on Thursday, the same evening she ended a 16-year feud with rival chat show host David Letterman in very public style. While an eclectic mix of stars, ranging from David Bowie to Sidney Poitier, made their way down the red carpet to see the musical The Color Purple, the show's producer was squired to the theatre by Letterman himself after appearing as a guest on his Late Show.
"It was really lovely," admitted Oprah afterwards. "I kept thinking, when's the stunt coming, the big gimmick, the joke. And nothing happened. That's to his credit."
The philanthropic talk show queen had not appeared on the Letterman show since 1989, when her experience was "not the most pleasant" because his style of ribbing made her feel uncomfortable. More jokes at the 1995 Oscars sealed her discomfort, but Thursday's reconciliation seemed complete when Oprah said, "There is no feud. There is only peace and love."
"I want to thank Jimmy Carter for negotiating the peace settlement," her ex-tormentor had quipped earlier.
