Rupert Jee

2025-06-09T23:04:19Z

2603:8080:1600:7400:4C2D:46E2:610D:8291: /* Hello Deli */

{{short description|American businessman (born 1956)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rupert Jee
| image = Ruppertjee101404.jpg
| caption = Jee in October 2004
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|7|16}}
| death_date = 
| known_for = Hello Deli
| alma_mater = [[City University of New York]]
| occupation = Businessman
}}
[[Image:hellodeli.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Exterior of the "Hello Deli"]]

'''Rupert Jee''' (born July 16, 1956) is an American [[entrepreneur]], former deli owner, and television personality who gained fame from his frequent appearances on ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'', on which he sometimes used the alter ego Kenny.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |date=2007-09-30 |title=CBS, Late Show with David Letterman |website=[[CBS]] |url=http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/bios/cast15.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235347/http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/bios/cast15.php |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date=2022-03-14 }}</ref> He first appeared on the ''Late Show'' during a "Meet the Neighbors" segment on September 20, 1993,<ref>{{cite news |title=Joy And Tears As David Letterman Presents Last 'Late Show' |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/20/david-letterman-last-late-show/ |accessdate=28 March 2019 |work=[[CBS]] |date=20 May 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hauser |first1=Tom |title=Inside the Ropes with Jesse Ventura |date=2002 |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=9780816641871 |page=[https://archive.org/details/insideropeswithj00haus/page/113 113] |url=https://archive.org/details/insideropeswithj00haus |url-access=registration |quote=Rupert Jee. |accessdate=28 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and was a frequent accomplice of host [[David Letterman]] during the show's many comedic segments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brunner |first1=Jeryl |title=Rupert Jee Picks His Favorite Late Show with David Letterman Moments |url=https://parade.com/398628/jerylbrunner/rupert-jee-picks-his-favorite-late-show-with-david-letterman-moments/ |accessdate=28 March 2019 |work=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]] |date=20 May 2015 |language=en}}</ref> He appeared on the show over 400 times.<ref name=haring/>

Jee holds a bachelor's degree in [[economics]] from the [[City University of New York]].{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

He made an appearance on the January 7, 2016, episode of ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stephen-colbert-brings-back-letterman-gag_n_568fb6b5e4b0a2b6fb6f9d99|title=Stephen Colbert Brings Back Old Letterman Gag On 'The Late Show'|work=The Huffington Post|date=January 8, 2016|access-date=March 13, 2024|language=en}}</ref> marking his first and (as of 2024) only appearance on ''The Late Show'' following the retirement of David Letterman in 2015.

==Hello Deli==
With business partner May Chin, Jee co-owned the Hello Deli in New York City, which is located at 213 W 53rd St, adjacent to the [[Ed Sullivan Theater]] where the ''Late Show'' is taped. His deli is one of the neighborhood's last remaining small businesses.<ref name="kilgannon">{{Cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=2015-05-15 |title=Jokes Aside, David Letterman Leaves Behind a Costlier Neighborhood |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/nyregion/jokes-aside-david-letterman-leaves-behind-a-costlier-neighborhood.html |access-date=2022-03-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On the day Colbert's team moved into the theatre, he renamed one of the deli's sandwiches in Colbert's honor,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-08-06 |title='Late Show'-Famous Deli Replaces the "Letterman" Sandwich With the "Colbert" |language=en-US |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/colbert-sandwich-replaces-letterman-at-813506/ |access-date=2022-03-14}}</ref><ref name="levy">{{Cite news |last=Levy |first=Nicole |date=2016-01-08 |title=Colbert Clashes With Letterman's BFF Sandwich Maker Over Missing Tomatoes |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160108/midtown/colbert-clashes-with-lettermans-bff-sandwich-maker-over-missing-tomatoes |access-date=2022-03-14}}</ref> but as of 2022 the sandwich returned to its former name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rupert Jee's Hello Deli Sandwich Menu |url=https://www.hello-deli.com/deli_menu.php |access-date=2022-03-31 |website=www.hello-deli.com}}</ref>

Hello Deli marked thirty years in business on January 31, 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-02-14 |title=City Life Org - Hello Deli, Made Famous by The Late Show, Celebrates 30 Years in Business |language=en-US |url=https://thecitylife.org/2022/02/14/hello-deli-made-famous-by-the-late-show-celebrates-30-years-in-business/ |access-date=2023-05-08}}</ref> On March 18, 2023, Jee and Chin announced their desire to retire and sell.<ref name="haring">{{Cite news |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=2023-04-08 |title='Hello Deli' Owner, Made Famous By 'Late Show With David Letterman,' Is Retiring And Seeking A Buyer |language=en-US |url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/hello-deli-made-famous-by-late-show-with-david-letterman-closing-after-31-years-1235320632/ |access-date=2023-05-08}}</ref> The deli closed for over a year and has since reopened under new owners and management.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.hello-deli.com/ Official Hello Deli website]
*{{IMDb name|id=0420081|name=Rupert Jee}}

{{David Letterman}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Jee, Rupert}}
[[Category:Businesspeople from New York City]]
[[Category:Television personalities from New York City]]
[[Category:American people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Baruch College alumni]]
{{Authority control}}
{{US-business-bio-1950s-stub}}
{{US-tv-bio-stub}}

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Rupert Jee