Oprah Winfrey to Make First Appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman  11/22/05

OPRAH WINFREY TO MAKE FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE "LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN," THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Oprah Winfrey, whose renown as a television host, producer and publisher has made her one of the most recognized and admired public figures worldwide, will make her first appearance on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, Dec. 1 ( 11:35 PM-12:37 AM , ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Ms. Winfrey, who appeared twice in the 1980s on NBC’s "Late Night with David Letterman," has never been a guest on CBS's LATE SHOW.

Ms. Winfrey will make her LATE SHOW appearance the same night as the red-carpet premiere for the Broadway musical “The Color Purple,” which she is producing.  The theatrical production is based on the Alice Walker novel, which also yielded the 1985 film of the same title, for which Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.

“What a big night that is going to be – not only for us, not only for Oprah, but for Broadway," said Letterman during a taping of his show this evening. "You have the big 'Color Purple' Broadway opening, and then right across the street here in this theater, you have Oprah appearing here.  I mean, that's what Broadway is all about – it's a street of dreams."

 Letterman, who in recent years has made no secret of his longstanding desire to have Winfrey as a guest, said, "This just gives you an idea of what a big, big star this really is. She's huge. Put bygones behind us, the water under the bridge, over the dam, wherever water goes – standing in your basement – she's going to be here on this show and it's going to be fantastic."

The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a presentation of Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Maria Pope, Barbara Gaines, Rob Burnett and Jude Brennan are the executive producers.