Robin Williams appears on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on the CBS Television Network in New York January 2, 2008.
CBS/John Paul Filo/Landov

In their big return to TV Wednesday night, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman couldn’t help but take a few swipes at the writers’ strike that kept them off the air for nearly two months.

"As you know, we are in the middle of this writers' strike here in Hollywood. It's already cost the town over a half billion dollars. Five hundred million dollars! Or as Paul McCartney calls that, 'a divorce!'" Leno joked.

He also admitted that his wife had helped him write some of his lines. Even though he was without writers, he kidded that he felt obligated to return to TV because fans rely on his show for information they can’t get anywhere else.

"For example, did you know that just three weeks ago, Idaho Senator Larry Craig married Britney Spears? Did you know that?'" he kidded. "See, no one knew! This is the only place you will find that out."

O’Brien, who had a beard, cracked that the strike has caused people to "read books and occasionally even speak to one another."

Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, was the only one of the group to reach a settlement with striking writers.

On his show, he also showed off a full beard that he says took eight weeks to grow.

"I know what you’re thinking," he said in his first opening line. "You’re thinking: Geez, Dave looks like a cattle-drive cook!"

Letterman went on: “We haven’t done a show in two months, and seriously, during that period of time, I was very introspective. Here’s what I learned about myself: Show or no show, I really enjoy drinking in the morning.”

Tell Us: Did you think Leno and Conan’s shows were funny without writers?

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