Rupert Jee (born July 16, 1956) is an American entrepreneur and television celebrity who gained fame from his frequent appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, on which he sometimes used the alter ego Kenny.[1] He first appeared on the Late Show during a "Meet the Neighbors" segment on September 20, 1993,[2][3] and was a frequent accomplice of host David Letterman during the show's many comedic segments.[4] He appeared on the show over 400 times.[5]
He made an appearance on the January 7, 2016, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,[6] marking his first and (as of 2024) only appearance on The Late Show following the retirement of David Letterman in 2015.
Hello Deli
With May Chin, Jee co-owns Hello Deli, which is located at 213 W 53rd St, adjacent to the Ed Sullivan Theatre where the Late Show was taped. His deli is one of the neighborhood's last remaining small businesses.[7] On the day Colbert's team moved into the theatre, he renamed one of the deli's sandwiches in Colbert's honor,[8][9] but as of 2022 the sandwich returned to its former name.[10]
Hello Deli marked thirty years in business on January 31, 2022.[11] In 2023, Jee and Chin announced their desire to retire and sell.[5]
