Glover appeared on Late Night with David Letterman on July 28, 1987, to promote River's Edge. Unbeknownst to David Letterman and the audience, Glover appeared in character as "Rubin" from the then-unreleased film Rubin and Ed, wearing platform shoes and a wig. Rather than a conventional interview, Glover staged an Andy Kaufman-like prank. After being goaded by a woman in the audience (who some argue had been planted), Glover stated he "knew that this was gonna happen" and "the press, they can do things, they can twist things around." After challenging Letterman to an arm-wrestling match, Glover delivered an impromptu karate kick a few feet from Letterman while stating, "I'm strong... I can kick!" Letterman then abruptly ended the segment by walking off stage, saying, "I'm going to check on the Top 10," as the program cut to commercial.