Upon his
return to the air during the
WGA strike,
David Letterman surprised his audience by sporting a full
beard. The beard was grown as a show of support for the striking writers. Similarly, on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
O'Brien returned to air on the same day as Letterman with a
full beard as well. On
January 7,
2008, five days after premiering his beard, Letterman was shaved during a taping of
The Late Show with David Letterman. The barbers used an electric and straight razor to shave Letterman's beard. The night's guest,
Tom Hanks, brought first-aid kit for a cut Letterman sustained on his lip.
