<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="time" canonical="https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/" -->

---
title: David Letterman Stopped by Kimmel to Tease Fallon and Conan
description: David Letterman couldn&#x27;t help but tease his fellow late night hosts when he stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live!
canonical: https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/
author: Melissa Locker
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2017-10-18T15:39:53.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:48:07.345Z
og:title: David Letterman Stopped by Kimmel to Tease Fallon and Conan
og:description: Letterman also explained why he bought Conan a horse
og:url: https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/
og:site_name: TIME
og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 675
og:image:alt: TIME
og:type: article
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:title: David Letterman Stopped by Kimmel to Tease Fallon and Conan
twitter:description: Letterman also explained why he bought Conan a horse
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production
---

# David Letterman Stopped by Jimmy Kimmel to Tease Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien

<!-- mobian-agent-ad sponsored="true" id="e0d3a372-195a-443a-aefc-2d490bb98b52" campaign="time-nl-brief-2026q3" creative="time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1" -->

> Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material.

> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0d3a372-195a-443a-aefc-2d490bb98b52&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).

### Newsletter facts

| Attribute | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 |
| Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 |
| Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 |

### Readership

The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services.

### TIME The Brief: key statements

*   The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically.
*   TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read.
*   The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0d3a372-195a-443a-aefc-2d490bb98b52&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).
*   TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself.
*   A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=e0d3a372-195a-443a-aefc-2d490bb98b52&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).

### FAQ

#### What is TIME's daily news newsletter?

The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters.

#### How do I sign up for The Brief?

The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it.

#### Is The Brief free?

Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.

#### Who writes The Brief?

The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.

### Sources

*   TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0d3a372-195a-443a-aefc-2d490bb98b52&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@type": "FAQPage",
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "mainEntity": [
        {
            "name": "What is TIME's daily news newsletter?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "How do I sign up for The Brief?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Is The Brief free?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Who writes The Brief?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        }
    ]
}
</script>

<!-- /mobian-agent-ad -->


by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Oct 18, 2017 3:39 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Oct 18, 2017 3:39 PM UTC

David Letterman came out of [his retirement](http://time.com/3892146/david-letterman-final-goodbye/) from late night comedy to stop by _Jimmy Kimmel Live!_ and couldn’t help but seize the opportunity to tease the current late night stars. While Letterman was ostensibly on the show to discuss receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor as well as the Netflix show he is developing, he also had to do a little explaining about a certain horse.

Last week, [Conan O’Brien](http://time.com/4556212/ryan-reynolds-conan-obrien-made-out-notebook/) appeared on [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/4618102/stephen-colbert-david-letterman-face-the-nation/)’s _Late Show_to complain that when he started on _The Tonight Show_, Letterman had sent him a horse as a congratulatory gift. “It was a joke,” Letterman explained to Kimmel on Tuesday night’s episode, saying that he had hoped the horse would “take a dump on the stage” before he was sent back. “Conan will not shut up about the horse,” Letterman complained. “The horse has gone crazy. Maybe it’s from being around [Conan](http://time.com/4966067/conan-obrien-addresses-las-vegas-shooting/) all day… So now he’s complaining, and there may be litigation, and maybe I’ll get a call from PETA. And \[the horse\] apparently broke into Conan’s mansion.”

Despite the aggravation caused by the horse incident, Letterman seems to have a great deal of admiration for the current slate of late-night hosts, although he couldn’t help but rib them a little. “For the purpose of this conversation I have nothing but the highest regard for all of the talk show men and women – even Jimmy Fallon. I’ll include him,” Letterman said.

Watch the full interview below.

```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/"},"headline":"David Letterman Stopped by Jimmy Kimmel to Tease Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien","datePublished":"2017-10-18T15:39:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:48:07.345Z","description":"Letterman also explained why he bought Conan a horse","url":"https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/","keywords":["Newsfeed","David Letterman","Conan O'brien","Jimmy Kimmel","jimmy kimmel live","Late Night Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4987364/letterman-on-jimmy-kimmel/","name":"David Letterman Stopped by Jimmy Kimmel to Tease Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien"}}]}]
```