Kaufman vs Lawler

[@Snyde70]

Jerry Lawler keeping up with Kaufman's act is almost like Kaufman wrestling like a pro. Full credit due.

[@rubenclemente8469]

Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler should've won Emmys for their performances!

[@mikeruben9601]

actually it was more less real even Jerry said he didn't realize he was going to hit him

[@nahtesalinas1917]

Ruben Clemente He was just "teasing in fun"

[@mitcht1026]

if it was "very real" then it never would have escalated to the slap. because thats assault and Lawler even admitted he was nervous that he would get arrested. but kaufman was in on it so it didnt matter.

[@nycinstyle]

I remember just after 11th grade graduation I watched this in 1982. All 3 were great. Kaufmann, Lawlor, and Letterman. Of course, Lawlor and Kaufman staged the fight and friction between each other. They did it to make publicity and make money in arenas in Lawlor's territory in pro wrestling. Kaufmann always admired pro wrestling and said he would give up Hollywood and NY acting if he could be a big time pro wrestler. He just was physically not large enough, but pro wrestling was exactly what his type of comedy was about. You never knew what was and what was not real. These two made money in pro wrestling in Lawlor's territory down south. Kaufman's stand up routine often consisted of a guy nearthe front row in audience saying Kaufman's jokes as Kaufman was saying trhem on stage. You did not know it was a set up. There was friction and anger and Kaufman would lose it and the whole thing was very uncomfortable to watch. That was Kaufman's idea what he liked to do. I remember watching it live. Kaufman was into causing confusion and uneasiness like a car wreck you could not turn away from watching it.

[@derekanderson9549]

Definitely it was a set up. Sort of like wrestlemania 3 when Andre the Giant gave up the torch to hulk Hogan. Even Terry admits that. If you watch that Andre has to jump to allow Terry to slam him...its all business and a big show. Andy Kaufman knew that

[@christophermccluskey5644]

Lawler played his part in this to perfection, Andy must have been so happy with this.

[@tyler0896]

The slap was terrible. It had no immediate set up or reason. Anyone with any common sense reads between the lines as "well we only have so much time on Letterman, guess it's about time for it, huh?" You can blame Kaufman as well. He should have doubled down on the manhood- questioning right then, it would have taken it from a 0 (dog shit) to a 100 (perfect).

[@steveloafe]

tyler0896 You need to hear Jerry talk about how it all went down to understand. It wasn’t set up. The slap was thrown out there by Andy in a phone conversation earlier in the day and they had not discussed it. When Jerry realize the segment was about to end he took the initiative and did it that’s why there was no set up and it was rushed. Find Jerry’s discussion about it on a podcast and it all makes sense. It’s actually fascinating to hear him talk about it.

[@mrskinszszs]

@@tyler0896 I disagree. Andy called out Jerry's manhood, which prompted him to do the same. Things had escalated to a point where it made sense to slap him.

[@rainy7106]

tyler0896 not gonna lie, I thought the slap was real when I first watched it. It seemed more like Lawler was done just simply talking to Andy, he gets up, turns around and lays one on him. Might not be perfect but they sold it.

[@shable1436]

You can tell Andy was signaling with the coffee cup right before he tossed it, and didn't aim for the face, Andy sold this just as well, i wonder if they called each other and laughed their asses off, and yeah ive heard the podcast Jerry says all this on but there is no after story

[@valiant971]

Kaufman is great, but Lawler is the one who really sells it.

[@panzerken]

valiant971 Absolutely! Lawler was fantastic. The coffee reaction looked 100% real!

[@OctopusCabbage]

+panzerken I read that this was improvised so the shock from the coffee is probably mostly real.

[@panzerken]

OctopusCabbage That would not surprise me. It seemed very realistic.

[@dharma_star]

+OctopusCabbage Yep,if you look at it again,you will notice that Andy holds the cup for a second before throwing the coffee.This is to give Jerry a slight heads up as to what he's going to do.Then he throws the coffee somewhat behind Jerry so that he doesn't accidentally burn his face.Jerry,thinking fast,was also able to duck mostly out of the way.Just good improv and instinct from both. Although if Andy didn't hesitate,it would have been fairly easy to get Jerry in the face.So,this is why it is reasonable/easy to conclude that it was staged/improvised.But nowadays,learning about this story from various sources including Jerry Lawler 's several interviews,it's common knowledge that they planned/improvised all their "bits" to great success.

[@katmac8743]

+Asia Experience Looked more like he was pausing so he wouldn't hit Letterman, imho

[@johansmallberries9874]

“You don’t see me out here doing comedy?” Proceeds to drop several hilarious quips

[@europeanamerican379]

"I couldn't warm up to this guy if I was cremated with him" - Jerry Lawler

[@emirlsanchos6302]

Andy: I could've sued you for every penny you're worth but I didn't because I'm not that kind of guy. Jerry: What kind of a guy are you? For someone who doesn't do stand-up, Jerry Lawler had some hilarious, quotable zingers throughout this segment.

[@darthroden]

@@emirlsanchos6302 And he's only gotten better with age.

[@mattadorno6452]

From Jerry "I don't try to come out here and try to do comedy" Lawler. Priceless.

[@tonyjones1560]

And Lawler said he wasn't a stand-up comic...but he's funny as hell!

[@dubuyajay9964]

Ooh, sick burn. 🔥

[@razzledingle]

One of THE greatest moments in live TV. Kudos to Lawler, possibly the greatest ad lib promo wrestler ever.

[@atomic_syd2234]

Andy sold that slap better than wrestlers now selling a powerbomb.

[@onebodyinyahuahlosangeles1206]

Atomic_Syd still looks real

[@84sp84]

Lawler has said he didn’t pull it, slapped Andy as hard as he could. They had to go all out to sell this for the national audience.

[@DweeD1516]

Was a real slap for sure

[@johnevors5617]

Jerry hit him for real

[@stevedrums1675]

@@84sp84: it was a spur of the moment thing. Andy had no idea it was coming.

[@astroash]

And the way letterman handled it was pure gold...

[@Maplelust]

he handles everything well. never seen him before or?..

[@carolyncastillo5818]

Dave knew nothing about them being friends.

[@ElBloeTigre]

Was Letterman in on it?

[@pal1ndr0me12]

@@ElBloeTigre Nobody was in on it. The writers had scripted for them to apologize to each other and reconcile.

[@The-Secret-Door]

@@pal1ndr0me12 I'd never heard anything about this from Letterman ... but he finally said in an interview with Howard Stern that he was in on it. Andy told him ahead of time. Dave played it very well!

[@NicholasA1000]

I love the sounds they used to bleep it out! lmao!

[@darthroden]

+NicholasA1000 That made the whole thing about ten times funnier too!

[@bigroy38]

Cuckoo!

[@brianmallen8887]

This took three people who were great at what they did: improv..Lawler was damn funny, never broke the fourth wall, totally believable, "what kind of guy are you?" Letterman knew what he was doing, playing the nervous host but throwing in crucial comedic updates. Andy Kaufman, what can you say, the greatest performance artist who ever lived. Can you imagine what he did for Letterman's career? What he did for wrestling? Thank you very much. And yes REM, they did put a man on the moon, his name was Andy Kaufman. .RIP

[@hanginlaundry360]

How do we know this is fake?

[@junqone]

@@hanginlaundry360 How do we know if this is real fake?

[@hanginlaundry360]

@@junqone Who knows?🤷😆

[@junqone]

@@hanginlaundry360 Kaufman was the ultimate prankster, he knew.

[@Marcelotaker]

funny to see people thinking its real more than 30 years later...kaufman's pranks still work

[@beback_]

marcelotaker I totally fell for it. Impeccable.

[@bertoramirez9499]

The movie let people in on the joke.

[@Maplelust]

I wasn't 100% sure. I don't know much about Kaufman tho.

[@dillweed1992]

Jim Carrey still thinks it was real lol

[@jonnydanger7181]

marcelotaker absolutely! Take a good look at Adam Schiff,,,,it’s him!!!!

[@joejensen2310]

These 2 literally saved wrestling with these antics.

[@darthroden]

And then Vince McMahon and Vince Russo destroyed it decades later with theirs.

[@rickwilliams4573]

WRESTLING is far from "Destroyed" you just have to weed out the good from the bad, AND accept that times have changed

[@allindbz]

Saved it how ? Stop sucking up to a dead guy

[@junqone]

@@darthroden Pat Patterson...

[@EnzoFuturistic]

"my father said I could sue you"...LOL.

[@rickylahey724]

loll.. epic troll. well before the internet

[@darthroden]

Yep, Andy Kaufman was a millennial before they even existed.

[@valuecalc]

EnzoFuturistic , it seemed childish for a grown-up to have to refer to his dad that way.

[@valuecalc]

UpAndDown , uh, no. It made him look like a giant dumbshit.

[@HrSamstag]

sandinyourshoes Uh yeah. That’s the joke.

[@exunderscorejai]

Andy Kaufmann is the original troll

[@MrPolit3]

His Troll power is strong.

[@alp21188]

William Sayers trolling is an art when it’s done this beautiful

[@martinlehfeldt6916]

That's a good point.

[@dingleberryliespewer3177]

@William Sayers trolling is all about the intention, you can troll for fun or to hurt. it's just easier to say than "being disingenuous to elicit a response", and people wont tune out halfway thru the sentence. it's close to sarcasm but not quite the same, so it's a separate word.

[@fjccommish]

This was all a put on. Lawler was in on it.

[@psiklops71]

those too were best buddies.. pure genius

[@tyrelllopez7151]

psiklops71 They didn’t like each other 😂

[@marctouss1862]

@@tyrelllopez7151 nah he's right they were great friends...

[@GJuane4life]

They had a short lived business arrangement and were cordial associates. Quit believing the dirt sheets.

[@jeremyc9593]

@@GJuane4life Lawler literally said they were friends. Quit believing third parties.

[@amyntut]

I also love how Andy's wrestling promos toward Lawler were filmed at Lawler's place lol. People weren't ready for his genius back then.

[@headphonesguy6289]

One of the greatest publicity stunts in the history of media.

[@realrobrose]

Lawler said recently it was the idea of the Letterman staff for them to kiss and make up on the show, but Kaufman secretly told him it'd be awesome if Lawler slapped him instead. Lawler said no at the time because he didn't want to burn a bridge with CBS but then decided in the moment to just go for it.

[@ThunderFist1978]

This was NBC actually.

[@realrobrose]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, right, right

[@ThunderFist1978]

Rob Rose In Lawler's book, he said that neither of them liked the idea because it would pretty much kill Kaufman's involvement in wrestling, which neither of them wanted, especially not Kaufman. That's when he came up with the idea for the slap.

[@Burps___]

Kaufman was going to let Lawler tear off his head and shit down his neck but the NBC censors nixed the idea.

[@cz6301]

Everything Andy did was a put-on. Ha-ha he is still fooling you.

[@somedude4774]

This was probably one of the most brilliant pieces of television ever, I think only Jerry and Andy knew what was actually going on.

[@robertchandler5055]

BOB Z ALSO

[@somedude4774]

@@robertchandler5055 Actually when Jerry pile drived Andy Bob had no idea it was a set up and thought Jerry had actually Hurt Andy.

[@teddymills1]

David also knew.

[@trevorbarnhill4140]

This is classic television right here. Lawler and Kaufman put on one hell of a show. And Letterman's reaction to the bit is priceless.

[@dukebowers3532]

wrestling will never be this great again

[@The_Primary_Axiom]

Duke Bowers true

[@franckmarronier130]

False

[@waynej2608]

@I_Said_ OU812 Right, so it's actually better than wrestling. 😆

[@440gohorse]

Wrestling is Dead. Never to live again. Vince McMahn killed it.

[@FrozenSurf]

How did Lawler keep a straight face when Kaufman was on about suing

[@speier]

He's a wrestler - he does that for a living

[@juicycantona350]

I think lawler is corpsing around the 3:37 mark.

[@FrozenSurf]

Matthew Klahn I don’t understand how anyone is confused it’s a rhetorical question

[@MrConstantine02]

@@juicycantona350 SEND FOR THE MAN

[@carlhicks9327]

Andy Kaufman 4 the WWE Hall of Fame.

[@namelessbastard3052]

Andy Kaufman For The Walk Of Fame Bro

[@mikethegrunty5968]

Nameless Bastard he needs to be on both

[@empressink_]

Carl Hicks Yes!

[@ronaldirwin3305]

Wwe hall of fame. Hell. Yeah!!!

[@jstone3435]

No

[@nycinstyle]

2:24 Lawlor did a fantastic job. He proves himself to have a quick wit the likes of a professional comedian on par here with Letterman and Kaufman. His performance stole the show, IMO. I saw this live when I was 17 early on in summer vacation 1982. I still remember where I was - at a beach house with friends.. lol Good job, all 3 of them.

[@weneedsaving515]

So come to think of it, Andy Kaufman is the original Borat

[@rozzie101]

I was watching it when it happened, and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

[@donnagosdantian4932]

rozzie101 me too i saw it way back when, and i was flabbergasted ! God, I loved the old Letterman show and Andy, of course ..

[@philipjoseph5099]

rozzie101 did you think it was real

[@です火水人]

philip joseph that slap seemed pretty real to me

[@darthroden]

The slap was real, but it was the way Andy sold it that made it awesome.

[@Maplelust]

@@darthroden I thought Andy actually gave it away. his outburst at the end did not sell it although lawler did.

[@darthroden]

Love David Letterman's reactions because he had no idea this was a work between Kaufman and Lawler.

[@RKOzza]

He knew... infact, I think the constant laugher from the live crowd shows they knew.... but it still does not take away from the fact that these 2 friends put on a great entertaining angle.

[@RKOzza]

PandawdyBob Yeah I think I listened to that on Austin's Podcast. Maybe he didn't know Lawler was going to smack him but iam saying Letterman very likely knew it was an angle/work. I don't think the people at the time were as fooled by it as people make out today.

[@troyelich9307]

Per Lawler, the original plan was for them to both apologize and bury the hatchet on the Letterman show, however Both Lawler and Kaufman realized it would kill their wrestling feud and decided without the knowledge of Letterman or his crew, to do the slap instead, thus furthering their wrestling storyline. Lawler, however says he didn't think it would actually make it to air partly because of the slap but mostly because of Kaufman's use of profanity following the slap. Much to Lawler's surprise they aired the entire segment.

[@DragonTigerBoss]

Poop In Your Mouth He didn't have another wrestler on the show for 15 years. He definitely didn't know the full extent of it.

[@1qwasz12]

Andy was so ahead of the times. Excellent theatre!

[@Fakename70]

1qwasz12 Don't forget Letterman and his participation as well. He was absolute gold in the 12.30am slot during his NBC run.

[@franckmarronier130]

This man sucks

[@Maplelust]

no he wasn't. there is no such thing.

[@thewab1974]

I'm old enough to remember when this first aired and I was 100% convinced that this was legit. THAT'S how good Andy and Jerry were. OMG, they sold this entire segment to perfection. Kayfabe was alive and well.

[@zacharylewis2802]

Jerry Lawler: Defender of Kayfabe

[@jtmichaelson]

Back then, we had no idea about any of this being real or fake. We had our doubts and clues, but in the end, it was just great entertainment all the way around. I HATED to learn all of this was fake. HATED IT! Man On The Moon was a good movie but tore down the illusions Andy gave us.

[@michaelmichael8314]

Shut up Michaelson. What a dumb surname

[@kevinlocke3400]

This was so brilliantly played by all 3.

[@PuppyPetite]

I like how Letterman stays so nonchalant during the whole thing and those little funny sounds to block the curses was hysterical

[@NBATESdgm]

Simple. Andy Kaufman enjoyed "the worked shoot", that's basically his humour is just like wrestling, it is make belief it's not real, but it seems too real and that's the point. GENIUS

[@true0utlaw72]

And yet people bury Russo for doing the same thing....

[@mikeruben9601]

this was extremely real kaufman didn't know he was going to get hit

[@TheImpures]

Pedro Vaz youre so gullible andy is so good at fooling people

[@joshual1021]

Lawler actually addressed this in his book. He said it was Kaufman's idea and he ran with, even though he said he wouldn't after Kaufman pushed on it during the interview. That's why he was surprised by the slap. That's the genius of this entire scene. It was the perfect acting of both men, not just Kaufman. They surprised each other, but both knew it was an act overall. It's called "Improv".

[@L0wki]

@@true0utlaw72 the difference between Andy and Russo is Andy was a Smartmark Vince was a Mark that has no clue how wrestling works.

[@jcdova29]

The best Letterman show ever. All three were great!

[@timberwolf534]

The Greatest Con ever perpetrated on TV. It was awesome. Well done Andy and Jerry. R.I.P Andy Kaufman

[@TIBVR]

Whole nation was clueless. One of the GREATEST performances in entertainment history

[@seaness267]

I never get tired of watching this skit, its frigin realistic as hell, and funny the way Letterman just sort of ad libs the whole thing. RIP Andy, it's a shame he is still not around. He could of provided many many more memorable moments had he still been with us!

[@tabansiobialo8881]

I saw the original broadcast of this and they did not bleep anything Andy said. As far as I knew it was real. It was the most shocking thing I have every witnessed on TV. The greatest TV moment in history!

[@kevinpayton2664]

It was ranked among the greatest moments on TV Land's countdown list.

[@waynej2608]

I saw it too, but I seem to remember the foul language was bleeped. After all, it was taped. But, I do remember being quite taken aback. It was quite an event. I was a Letterman and Kaufman fan, from the beginning. But, I was not a wrestling fan. I'm still not. Just didn't get into it. I prefer boxing.

[@timrhicks1234]

They certainly had everyone going! It does look real but of course all staged. Awesome!!!

[@The_Primary_Axiom]

timrhicks1234 ofcourse but staged back then is different than staged today.

[@matttttttk4698]

not staged, all improv, slap was real, listen to the interview with jerry lawler about the shooting of that night

[@Maplelust]

it looked real until Andy started spouting out bullshit at the end.

[@eltonspurlock]

Not what Lawler said, that smack was real.

[@davidharbron6907]

"I don't know weather it's a neck brace or a flea collar" lol.

[@prayingmantis6777]

As a teenager at the time I definitely ate this skit up. That's the art of great entertainers making you believe.

[@jmyleo]

I remember seeing this on David Letterman when I was a kid. I believed it all. It was definitely very memorable.

[@ibrahimkennedy317]

What great chemistry they had together.

[@krsfromprp]

"Man On The Moon" is a great movie. This was staged, but pure genius.

[@PatricksCrazyPlace]

How Lawler was able to pull this off without breaking character, I'll never know. I would have cracked almost immediately, lol.

[@funkster007]

He's in kayfabe mode dude. Pro wrestlers are the masters of not breaking character.

[@Stitches2390]

Lawler was a genius in his day. Makes listening to him on commentary now all the more depressing.

[@LordZordid]

Letterman was always such a professional. He let the actors/performers do their thing and cracked a few jokes. Neat and tight show.

[@jameszahendrix8697]

Legendary. Andy was way before his time. Never get tired of watching this.

[@leogetz3570]

40 years later, and this is still the greatest work in wrestling

[@7beers]

"I couldn't warm up to this guy if we were cremated together." One of the best lines I've ever heard in my life.

[@Gibson777]

Andy Kaufman was a genius. A comedic genius. He was one of the first people to illicit a reaction out of strangers through pure shock. Tom green, Sacha Cohen, etc, they all owe Andy props. Not too mention Kaufman did it for his own amusement more than the audiences'. That makes him the coolest comedian I've ever seen. The fact that people didn't appreciate him as much as they do now shows that he was ahead of his time.

[@a.toniboysmith7360]

This was really cool 😎 man. Jerry Lawler is the man.

[@sarahk5380]

I think Lawler deserves an Oscar for that slap

[@udoricht2116]

Everyone thought it was real. One of the greatest performance ever!

[@euroslopez360]

This is WWE & Jerry Springer deliciously combined in the actions of Kaufman and Lawler on a Late Nite forum. The Future!!!!!

[@pogsquatch]

A little while after I saw this , I turned wrestling on and there was Lawler tied up in the ropes while Kaufman was trying to light him on fire ! - At that point I realized what a work the two had pulled off on Letterman.

[@ActorJasonCrowe]

This has to be the greatest work in the history of wrestling. Period.

[@BrianDornTFP]

This is when Letterman was at his best.

[@waynej2608]

After most of the original SNL cast left, Letterman and SCTV were the only shows, on tv, that were genuinely funny and hip, in the 80s. Imho. SNL did improve, after they got Eddie Murphy, but not to the same level as before. Not till the 90s. But Dave and those talents from Canada, saved the day, back then.

[@CMUBrent]

Usually, I don’t like when things are censored on TV, but this is an exception. “BUT YOU, YOU’RE A...” *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* “...YOU HEAR ME, A...” *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* *Cuckoo!* 🤣🤣🤣

[@johnj28]

I remember watching this as a kid when it happened. I thought the entire thing was real at the time! I hated Andy Kaufman back then, but I have really grown to appreciate his outlandish comedy! He was Insane, but that was what was funny. The fact that this guy basically did whatever he wanted to do and got away with it and was paid well...... Crazy times for sure.

[@stagglee1227]

They were both sooooooo quick witted! They were both feeding off each other with the subtle clues they'd give each other. BRILLIANT on both ends.

[@edatnatcir]

Did you laugh when you were laying in the hospital was it a joke then? 😂😂😂

[@danielnazario7485]

R.I.P Andy Kaufman. You truly were a class act.

[@bigxshowx]

Netflix Jim Carey Kaufman documentary brought me here

[@Maplelust]

stfu.

[@Maplelust]

@@jasoncarpenter7488 you suck at insulting. you're pathetic.

[@quasiphatpaul]

dude these guys are great fun. The joke is on the audience. Lawler was at andy's funeral and was definitely not an enemy of andy's.

[@conniecarroll7222]

I remember when this aired in Memphis. They re-ran that part on the news, on all 3 news stations for a couple of days. We all loved it since Lawler was a home boy and we hated Kaufmann due to the wrestling bit . It really was stupid if you were around at that time.

[@Wushutigercranekungfudragon]

i love how they go right into music after the slap

[@TheRealGiacomoKnox]

He was literally the greatest Prankster that ever lived. Man in the Moon

[@krsfromprp]

this was GENIUS!! Both Kaufman and Lawler did a great job pulling this off.

[@cgravier]

LOL Letterman played this perfectly. "I think you can say some of those words"

[@patrickdaly5068]

This is one of the all time classic clips like the Tim Conway Carol Burnett elephant sketch.

[@mrgallagher7072]

I saw that when it happened on Letterman and until right this minute I thought it was for real. I feel cheated.

[@stevebutler812]

When you still can't tell if it was acting, 30 years later, that's great acting. Real pros. Even Letterman isn't sure. Performance Art. Back before we had no cuss words on t.v.

[@RKOzza]

The cat was well out the bag at this point on pro wrestling being a work, Letterman even mentions it here. You can also tell by his reactions and the constant laugher from the live crowd (even after the slap) that everybody knew it was a work but it still does not take away from the performance from both men, which was brilliant and created one of the best pro wrestling angles ever.

[@TiltBrook]

Greatest work/angle in the history of professional wrestling!

[@hungwilliam44]

i love how two-faced and wormy Andy is LOL.

[@seankelly4594]

The perfect heel

[@etxkevin7452]

Crazy how real it still looks giving what you know about Kaufman and Lawler. That slap was perfect....that's what really sells it.

[@JVLIVSPhotography]

“You can’t throw coffee!” Classic. More than likely this was staged.

[@trevorbarnhill4140]

It was staged. They were putting on a show.

[@wtffinger]

my god andy kaufmann was such a genius. when it came to not neccesarily entertaining people, but leaving an experience those people will never forget, no one did it better than him.

[@raysnyder7512]

Fucking brilliant especially knowing Lawler was a pall bearer at Andy's funeral.

[@kevinbob]

that noise when he cusses lmao

[@docwho10th88]

The greatest "work" ever!

[@kurtboyer299]

Fascinating that Jim Carrey thought it was real to the point where he played Andy backstage like Andy acted on camera. Lawler said he went to the director and said "Doesn't that dunce know Andy and I were friends?"

[@CrownMe13]

Lawler is hilarious in this, he probably could’ve been a professional comedian. He’s always had that good stage presence

[@Windycityduelingpianos]

Lol the slap sound comes just before he actually “hits” him

[@eduardoavila7112]

It was andy's idea, Letterman produced it and Lawler was in on it, great creative minds at work, those are the moments that made them great entretainers

[@09rja]

What did the five fingers say to the face? Slap!

[@Corkfish1]

How these guys didnt crack up always amazed me.

[@timhallas4275]

I've been wanting to do that to Andy Kaufman since Taxi aired in the 70s.

[@thatrandomchannel8589]

If you dont know any better it would fool anyone

[@mrawesome669]

Especially back then before the internet

[@Dark3stB3foreDawn]

Kaufman was trolling before trolling was a thing.

[@TRIIGGAVELLI]

You could say he is the godfather of trolling.

[@josephharper3714]

Best set-up duo ever! This is what you would call the "long con". It started way before this and continued after as well. I believed it at the time, for sure! It's truly heartbreaking to think of all the trouble Andy Kaufman was not able to perpetrate. Comedy genius!

[@robinannaniaz9670]

I'm almost certain Andy will pop up one of these days going "got you, fools!"

[@Carolinian4372]

If you didn't know the back story to this you'd think it was real as hell. I'll never forget watching this it was funny as hell.

[@hraith]

A reminder that Letterman was actually pretty good at his job, back in the early days.

[@powerliftingmama]

i remember watching this live.thank you for download

[@phenomenol91]

4 years of post graduate studies, run a business with several employees, and I'll be damned if I didn't believe this was 100% legit back in the day.

[@Jack_______oh]

The thing about this is that it's TIMELESS. I don't give a shit about any episode of David Letterman and very few segments, but this was extremely entertaining. What a brilliant guy that Andy Kaufman.

[@dwch1986]

Hilarious how different Lawler's voice sounded back then...

[@SupratimChakravarty]

Was seeing the man on the moon and had to play this video along with the movie one. it's pure acting and direction brilliance.