DAVID Letterman says skipping out on a check was the true origin of his infamous 16-year-long feud with Oprah Winfrey, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The TV host revealed the truth as he was interviewing Jon Stewart for the Late Show With David Letterman this week, reported the New York Post.

Most, including Stewart, thought the feud started when Letterman hosted the Academy Awards in 1995.

During his opening monologue, the funnyman jokingly introduced Winfrey to Uma Thurman by repeating their odd sounding names over and over again, "Oprah ... Uma. Uma ... Oprah"

"Oh, no, no, this predates the incident at the Academy Awards," Letterman told Stewart.

According to Letterman, "long before" the Oscar incident, Winfrey and boyfriend Stedman Graham ran into Letterman and his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Regina Lasko at a restaurant while they were on vacation.

"This is hilarious," Letterman said he told Lasko. "I'm going to make Oprah buy us lunch."

"So the waiter comes over and asks for 'l'addition s'il vous plait,' and I say, 'Oh, this woman right over there has been kind enough to take care of our check," he continued.

Then, as Letterman left the restaurant, he good-naturedly waved to Oprah, who waved back, a gesture that apparently duped the waiter.

The duo ended their feud in 2005 when she appeared on his talk show and the pair made light of it last year when they appeared in an ad together during the Super Bowl.