Danny DeVito's disheveled TV appearance

The actor stays out all night with George Clooney

Thursday, 30 November 2006

Danny DeVito is reaching out to TV host Barbara Walters after an unhinged appearance on her show on Wednesday.

DeVito put in a call to The View creator and co-host Walters but has yet to speak with her about his visit to the ABC show. DeVito's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, tells PEOPLE. He plans on trying to call again this evening.

During the broadcast, DeVito, 62, slurred his words, told rambling stories and at one point sat on Rosie O'Donnell's lap. After admitting he'd been out with Clooney all night, he told the show's co-hosts with a wry smile, "I knew it was the last seven limoncellos that was going to get me."

Rosenfield had no comment on speculation that DeVito, who was there to promote Deck the Halls, was drunk while on the air, and tells ABC that the actor has never had a drinking problem.

On the air, the hosts asked if DeVito had been to sleep, but he mumbled the response, "I don't know." He then embarked on a long and winding tale about having once spent the night in the Lincoln bedroom in the White House and attempted, with his wife Rhea Perlman, to "really wreck the joint."

At one point his words were bleeped after apparently using an obscenity when talking about President Bush.

O’Donnell and co-host Joy Behar seemed amused for the most part, although Walters was visibly impatient, rolling her eyes when DeVito was talking about the President.

"Listen, can we talk about this movie?" she said after the White House story.