Paul Shaffer once asked Julia Roberts a bizarre question during Letterman interview: "Are you getting..."
Julia Roberts has appeared on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' multiple times, and each time her unmistakable chemistry with the late host has led to comedy on the sets. In 2001, right after winning an Oscar for 'Erin Brockovich,' Roberts came on the show to discuss her early achievement; however, Paul Shaffer, Letterman's sidekick and bandmaster, was more curious about her romantic life. During the segment, Letterman allowed Shaffer to quiz the 'Pretty Woman' actress; the musician paused and then dramatically asked, "So Julia, um, are you getting laid these days?" The cringe question startled Roberts and infuriated Letterman.
"Wasn't that what I was supposed to say?" Shaffer added quickly, trying to deflect the situation after sensing that his remark backfired. The 'Ocean's Eleven' actress sat gasping while Letterman got up from his seat and walked towards the bandmaster. "What is wrong with you? What is the matter? Are you just nuts?" the veteran host repeated consistently, visibly irked. As per The Things, at that point, Roberts approached Letterman and restrained him from his shoulders in a mocking way. "Bad, bad, Paul. On seven levels, that is wrong," she said while pointing a condescending finger at Shaffer and leading the host back to the stage.
Shaffer's comment was linked with Roberts' breakup with actor Benjamin Bratt the same year. The couple met in 1998 and dated for almost four years before calling it quits. Addressing the issue on the show, the 'Wonder' actress blamed the media for blowing their relationship out of proportion. "It's come to a kind and tenderhearted end, and my only regret is that the media can't accept that it's tenderhearted and kind," she said, adding. "The media has to make it messy and ugly." As per InStyle, she then went on to praise her ex diplomatically, saying that he was a kind man and "we're both just two kids trying to find our way in the world."
Roberts exchanged a lip lock with Letterman for each of her 26 appearances on the late-night show, which eventually became their signature move. As per ETOnline, during her last appearance, she acknowledged that at first, she had no desire to be a guest on the hit CBS show. "The first time I was on this show was to promote Mystic Pizza, and I, as a fan of the show, did not want to come on because I had seen you absolutely dismember young actresses of my peer group," she confessed to Letterman.
Roberts stated that she thought it would be awkward going on a show that left her feeling embarrassed. "And I thought, 'I'm going to go on, and he's going to know, within 10 seconds, what my IQ is, and [he] is going to, like a samurai, just Benihana me into pieces. And I'll be left for dead and forgotten," she added. However, she clarified that she didn't feel humiliated by Letterman in any manner, which is why she kept appearing on the late show. "You didn't behave that way to me," she concluded. "Thus the 26th appearance."