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I have a preview from tonight’s Late Show monologue. (see below). But, first, I’ve obtained an excerpt from today’s taping with David Letterman apologizing for the attention and inquiries that have been aimed at his staff and family:
“I’m terribly sorry that I put the staff in that position. Inadvertently, I just wasn’t thinking ahead. And, moreover, the staff here has been wonderfully supportive to me, not just through this furor, but through all the years that we’ve been on television and especially all the years here at CBS, so, again, my thanks to the staff for, once again, putting up with something stupid I’ve gotten myself involved in.
“Now the other thing is my wife, Regina. She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it. And at that point, there’s only two things that can happen: either you’re going to make some progress and get it fixed, or you’re going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed, so let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Has anyone noticed that Halderman’s idea (threaten Letterman with exposure in the form of a “screenplay”) was stolen directly from “The Player”? End of the pic, scene with Griffin Mill in his car, on the phone to the writer, writer pitches his incriminating screenplay….
Who cares whether Letterman had sex in the workplace. It goes on all the time EVERY DAY in all parts of this country and in all businesses. He was single and it was consensual (Yes, even if they were working FOR him). What a victorian society this country is. In every other country in the western world blackmail would never have been an option cause nobody cares who has sex with whom.
And this becomes a major story?? Not the blackmailer?
what a gigantic waste of energy.
When this scandal first broke Fox News refrain in coverage of it. I notice that Joy Behar who has her own show on CNN/headline news,she and lady anchors at CNN have been pouring and dumping all over Letterman. The 6pm show on Headline was treating this like tabloid with revaltions of more to come.
Right on “Mar.” It’s amazing to me how the liberal talk shows that I ADORE are saying that Letterman was single. Huh!? He was living w his now wife for years! Hello!? I’m married now but lived w my husband for two years prior to that and if he had affairs during this time, it would be a huge BETRAYAL! Duh! When you’re living w someone, esp for years, that’s called relationship — you’re not single, maybe for tax purposes but certainly not socially.
I didn’t like how Letterman got all “Prairie Home Companion” w last weeks monologue where he glossed over everything and by his folksy tone, the auds had no idea what he was really saying. Which is probably why he had to do this apology, yet again. I think there’s more stuff here that’s gonna get out.
Who’s on trial, here? Isn’t blackmail a crime?
If you get blackmailed by someone, how is it that you wind up on trial over what someone tried to blackmail you about?
I’m not endorsing what Dave allegedly did. If Dave did something wrong, regardless of what it is, is it not supposed to be handled internally at his company, as opposed to being dealt with by threats and demands from someone on the outside? Someone who wasn’t even affected by it? What am I missing here?
The guy leaves a note in Dave’s car at 6am saying Dave does terrible things and the whole time he’s trying to blackmail Dave. Pot? This is the kettle calling.
Poster Mar is making quite a few assumptions about Letterman’s behavior. I’m not saying it isn’t true, but there is no concrete evidence either way, other than your preconceived notions of Letterman. Britney Spears makes more sense; she certainly wasn’t the best mother and there was plenty of evidence (some on camera) of this. But unless I missed it, we only really know, so far, what Dave has told us.
Dave Getting Hoist on his own Petard…
I stopped watching the show years ago, when flashes of meanness and pettiness towards other celebrities and guests broke through the amiable veneer. His knife was always ready to stick in someone’s back. Madonna in the mid 90s went on the show to tell him she didn’t mind kidding, but cut the crap out with beating her up every single day. “Yes, Dave, I do pee in the shower.”(Audience laughs). “But… Do YOU pee in the shower Dave?” (Audience laughs more, then applauds. Dave looks frightened. He just lost his audience to Madonna. He changes subject and pretends to apologize). I’m not buying Dave the Victim nonsense.
By the way, where are the FEMINISTS? The ones who couldn’t criticize Bill Clinton for abusing his power? Can they ever grow a pair (or borrow somone else’s) and actually live according to their rhetoric and condemn leftist Dave who abuses his power?
If Mr. Letterman abused his power or harassed his employees, than I agree there’s more to come and he’s got a lot more work cut out for him with respect to his fans, audience, co-workers and management.
However, there’s no evidence of that. None that I’ve heard. So, currently, it’s between him and his family. And, as he admits, he’s got his work cut out for him.
Let’s face it folks, although he’s in NYC (and lives in CT), it’s still Hollywood so the fact they are trying to work it out deserves our respect and privacy. Largely, it’s up to his wife Regina to decide whether to forgive or not. Of course, we’re all free to change the channel.
way to man up and pull on your big boy worldwide pants, Dave.
we are all of us human and all of us flawed…
please remove splinter from own eye before active condemnation.
thank you,
your self
Wonder what HIS top 10 will be? What I really should say?
Ha, it’s funny how David Letterman can cheat on his wife with staff and Deadline commenters find his honesty “refreshing”. Meanwhile, if Jay Leno bats an eyelash, he’s the spawn of Satan.
Letterman was not married at the time when he was having affairs with staff members. Get your facts straight.
“This is why he will not read your script”
David Letterman should be fired by CBS. If a top executive of any major corporation did what Letterman has done he would be fired. If CBS doesn’t fire him they will just continue their skids into the bottom of the toilet where they belong.
Sadly, CBS hasn’t got a legal leg to stand on in Dave’s case. Les Moonves screwed his way through the lower ranks at CBS while he was married to Wifey #1. Not just liviing with Nancy, married to her. So, yeah, good luck with that. And, as others have pointed out, Dave isn’t technically an employee of CBS, but of World Wide Pants. And WWP’s sexual harassment policy is considerably elastic in this particular regard. Which is really too bad, because I believe that what Dave did is indeed sexual harassment. Those women received special treatment and consideration that women who didn’t sleep with him (and men, as well) didn’t have access to.
@Mar – Your entire post is confusing. First of all, what exactly made you decide that Letterman is the one that did the seducing and menacing wielding of power? You seem to have decided that the events happened a certain way, but do you know the details for sure? Sorry, perhaps I missed some critical piece of fact; but if not, that is a pretty heavy assumption on your part and I’m not at all surprised that you’ve been given a lot of shit for your opinion. Of course he should have “kept it zipped up” but I bet we can all name a hell of a lot more famous or historical figures who also decided not to keep it zipped simply because they could get away with it – and they’ve been remembered for many other (more appropriate?) uses of their power. Go ahead, read a history book and then dig deeper elsewhere for the real stories. I daresay you’ll have a lot more of that disgust of yours to dish out.
Second; sure, he made bad choices but your statements about accountability are contradictory. You say, “We live in a culture that refuses to accept or assign blame.” Then you (seemingly sarcastically?) say, “No one is asking for Letterman to be burned at the stake or castrated. Shit.”
So, which do you want? Has he been sufficiently held accountable, in your humble opinion? Or should we all relax with our damned opinions, already?
Letterman himself, in fact, is holding himself accountable by bringing these issues to light. What more do you want? So you’re disgusted, big deal. Join the club: a lot of us are feeling disappointed – none more than his wife, and surely she’s not merely disappointed. I think that given the current set of circumstances — uh, he can’t un-fuck anyone — I for one can’t suggest any better way for him to be handling it. Who knows what his fate will be. It’s not my job to punish him, and I couldn’t begin to tell him how to handle himself any further.
It’s his journey – not yours or mine. He was irresponsible and he’s now trying to be as responsible as he can with this mess.
I suggest you quit ranting so you can get some clarity with your thoughts and arguments.
*INsufficiently held accountable… (Whew, I guess I needed to quit ranting so that I could get some clarity.)
Yes, you do need to get some clarity.
You are certainly lacking in facts.
I agree completely. Besides, the ONLY people he is truly responsible for making amends is his wife, if in fact he was married at the time though this fact is on shaky ground so there may not even be a case with the wife. As for the female staff members, whose to say they weren’t the ones doing the seducing to climb the corporate ladder? You’re right again. I’m a woman and it disgusts me to learn when women do this because it makes it more difficult for other women who are unwilling to resort to such lengths to get ahead in an area of business still predominantly run by men. Women, like men, are not infallible. There’s enough evidence of others, who are known more publicly and famously than David Letterman.
As for Palin, I have no idea what was said with regards to either of her daughters but let’s face it, Palin is the one who painted the bulls-eye on her and her family’s back. If she wanted to keep the fact that her “abstinence-only” approach to parenting didn’t work then she should have kept her damn face out of the press. It’s obvious that the woman is clearly ill-educated and does not possess the skills to run a town let alone a state or a freaking country. It was apparent to me the first time her face went on television and in the papers that she was incompetent both in parenting skills and in office. I still believe there are lies with huge skeletons in the closet over that kid that was supposedly her baby when the facts don’t support it. She didn’t LOOK pregnant yet her daughter had the baby preggie bump in pictures months before this so-called Sarah Palin kid was born then the girl was knocked up again. Why else would Palin fly all over the freaking country then end up at a hospital well outside her circle of friends only to come home proclaiming, “Guess what, I was pregnant!” BS!!!!! It is common knowledge in the medical community and with any woman with half a brain and multiple children that you DO NOT wait to go to the hospital when in labor and you sure as H$LL DON’T get on a plane! Subsequent births come much faster than a single first-time birth, which generally goes on into many hours, especially considering the number of kids she spit out minus the infant – who I still do not believe is her kid. I will always believe that kid is her grandchild, not her child.
Just look at the abuses of office Palin did while she was the so-called governor of Alaska. All she did was lie from start to finish and then lied and attempted to snake money from the GOP, who deserved it after putting someone as idiotic as they did out there for a presidential run. I mean how gullible does the GOP think we women are? Just throw in any woman and all women will vote for her because she’s a woman? Give me a freaking break!
I knew before Palin opened her mouth she wasn’t qualified for the job then after she actually began talking it became perfectly clear that not only was she not qualified to run as vice-president, she was not qualified to run a family… Heck, she wasn’t nor is she now, qualified to run a danged ant farm let alone a town, state, country, or even her own family. But that’s okay. Those lies won’t stay locked up forever. Sooner or later they will all come out. I’m only sorry that the Alaskan people didn’t have enough brass sets to impeach her due to her abuse of her office when she was governor while doing all she could to have the father of her sister’s children fired from his job and when the man, who really didn’t have the power to fire him was fired unduly, she just got away with it! What kind of idiots live up there? Should there be more funding to put some actual voting booths in more towns so the reasonably smart people will have somewhere to go to vote b/c it’s more than obvious that Palin was bought or sold into office in Alaska. She surely didn’t get there on her smarts. Who doesn’t know that Africa is a continent and not a country?
It sounds to me as if Letterman really has nothing to apologize to the public about. It is a private and business matter that, as others have said, should have been handled personally and internally. The corporations, even World Wide Pants, have insurance to pay for damages from sexual harassment if indeed it did happen. As for his wife, I will say it now as I did when the witch hunt on Clinton took place… If Dave’s WIFE wanted to roast his nuts over the alleged affairs then that was her business, not the American public’s business.
As for the female staffers, unless they are claiming rape or abuse of power, then that should be handled internally by way of a check cut from the insurance policies. If Dave’s innocent then he has the right to say no to the pay-off then leave it to the women to prove the affairs 1. occurred, and 2. were not a business ploy to move up the chain with WWP. I’d feel the same way if this were a woman or a man. It doesn’t matter. It would have to be proven to have been non-consensual. As for the wife, if there was proof of infidelity, if he was in fact married and not separated from the wife, then that’s her place to roast his nuts over the coals in a court of law. To be quite blunt, it’s none of our business. That’s his private life, which he did NOT put on display by opening it up for the world’s scrutiny the way Palin did when she began spouting her Mother Teresa parenting skills while having a daughter knocked up, possibly for the second time, and abusing her power in the governor’s office not to mention what she potentially could have done while mayor of that so-called town Wasilla, which actually is so small it’s hard to believe it’s an actual town. It’s more of a tiny community, not a town.
As for Letterman’s comedic opening monologue and many of the skits on his show, this is called comedy. Dennis Miller has been there, David Spade, Jay Leno, and even Carson took hits at movie/music celebrities and anyone running for office – especially when it relates to the presidential office. Heck, it’s been said hundreds of thousands of times that Bush was a moron as was Cheney and then to have Dementia Man and Wife of Deliverance running for the office of the presidency.. They are the ones who painted the bulls-eye on their backs. There is nobody to blame but them.
I can’t recall who said but one of the comedians went on the air stating that Bush should just go home to Texas and shut up because his constant pleas to go around giving speeches and his attempts to open a library in his name just left him even more open to one-liners and idiocy remarks. If he started a library it would have to stop at a 3rd-grade reading level because it is more than obvious he was spoonfed throughout the entire time Daddy WarBush bought him the White House. The man bankrupted every company he ever became involved in. What made anyone believe he wouldn’t do the same to the country? We are living in a time of proof that he bankrupted the USA not to mention the fact he and Cheney compromised the integrity of our morals as it relates to crimes such as treason, unlawful leak of undercover operatives, attacking a soveirgn nation, and let’s not forget all the trillions of dollars that went to Iraq yet somehow managed to disappear… If anyone should be in the hot seat right now it should be Bush/Cheney & Co for the serious infractions against the country and its citizens since taking office.
If you feel Letterman owes you a more sincere, less sincere, or an apology at all you are delusional. What wrong that affects you have some of you, in your delusional minds, conjured up?
How is it a comedian owes anyone in his audience an apology for what he or she does in their personal time?
Get your own lives. Heal yourselves.
As an American who’s lived overseas for a decade, I had forgotten what a Puritan swamp the United States is. Why is this such a big deal? Right wingers ranting about morals, left wingers and feminists doing pretty much the same rant (but spining it in ethical terms).
So many useless, shriveled penises commenting!
Wonderful to know Dave’s isn’t & it pleases.
He didn’t have to apologize. He owns his show & the 1 following it. He shits more money than the lot of you will ever see let alone make.
If CBS fired him, that cold day in hell would be celebrated by every network breaking their necks trying to sign him.
He apologized because he’s a decent guy who hurt those he loved.
PS: Sarah Palin is a worthless, mindless, bailin’, money grubbing (“being Governor’s hard! I’d rather have someone ghost write a book for me & make $”) whore who allowed her own underage child to have sex & get impregnated under her roof.
You Drudge RepubliKKKans need to clean your own Ensign, Sanford, Foley, Craig, Duvall et al infested houses before you throw stones @ anybody!
If Bill O’Reilly, an accused sexual harasser with an out of court settlement was able to keep his job, why in the world would David Letterman be fired? I don’t understand how no one is talking about Bill O’Reilly! Did Bill O’Reilly go on the air and apologize to his wife, the victim and his staff?
I can tell you why he did not get fired. He carries the water for the ultra right whack jobs. Faux Noise would never cancel him. Well at least while they transmit the crap that they do. He was harassing his employee. Letterman was not harassing anyone.
Except for the voyeuristic element in all of this what value of this to anyone? Back in 1985 I first heard of Letterman, and his “Stupid Intern Tricks.” It was an open secret to the most peripheral people at NBC like myself. Through the years it just became a running gag. I was just amazed after all that time at the guys maturity level. The WOW factor was long gone.
The story’s a bit sleazy, and any other details will certainly render greater personal embarrassment, but Letterman doesn’t owe the masses national apologies for indiscretions he’s long justified to himself, and only now serve anyone with just added fleeting gossip. Not exactly the stuff that high crimes and misdemeanors are made of.
It’s a total boys club behind the scenes at Letterman and very difficult for women to advance. It’s hard enough for girls to even become interns. Maybe this whole thing will inspire Letterman and his crew to if not think of women as equals at least give more of them a shot at working for and interning for the show.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Three of the Five executive producers are women and they’ve been with Dave for twenty years or better. Dave said himself in an interview years ago, he gets along better with women than men.
Jo: You’re a moron. And may I say, a bitter angry woman.
I am not an idiot. Yes, there are execs. But try getting a job as a writer on the show or getting on the show if you are a female comedian. It’s a boys club like so many comedy shows are. Women can be producers in this business, but creative, that’s more of a challenge.
Not sure if my response posted, so I am reposting. Yes, there are women in producer roles, but women writers are a different story. And forget about getting on the show if you are a female comedian. The guys at Letterman don’t think women are funny. That’s the attitude. In the business as a whole, women excel at producing, but when we try to be creative, forget it. It’s a miracle that any women get a chance. I know things are a lot better at SNL now. Let’s hope this whole thing makes the situation better at Letterman.
Hey Hank, why don’t you watch your language? This lady just tried to make a point, and she didn’t resort to name calling. Who are you to call her a “moron” and a “bitter woman?” Sounds like you’ve got issues with the ladies. Maybe you ought to get some advice from Dave. At least women like him.
Charlie Joffe is probably tugging one off in the grave.
Unlike a president or a governor or senator…a comedian doesn’t make laws that the rest of us has to follow. They just make jokes and play the fool. So there *IS* a different standard that lawmakers have to follow. They willingly put themselves in a position to be public servants. Therefore they should expect the contracts that they enter into (marriage or work) to be scrutinized by the public. Republicans seem to miss these basic facts when one of their law makers f*cks up and vehemently enforces it when it’s a Dem.
It is not just the fact that they make the laws. It is all about the hypocrisy. They run around yelling family values and then go off to get some Argentinian tail. When they get caught they ask forgiveness from their god Herr Limbaugh. Then they feel they are back to the family values. Just a bunch of hypocrites.
“Who’s on trial, here? Isn’t blackmail a crime? ”
Exactly! You don’t have to like Letterman, or his behavior, to know blackmail is a CRIME. If I were CBS, right now I’d be more concerned with what Robert Halderman was doing, and if he’s done it before.
Other talk show hosts on other networks have dated their staff. You just don’t know about it. Office romances happen.
Considering the sleazebag has a full-blown bachelor pad style fuck room installed at the office, I can’t really believe that this long-term affair (or any of the other affairs he’s had with numerous employees) is anything less than calculated. Doing it once “by accident” might have been belieavable but not when he’s got the whole enchilada installed at the office and does it for years on end with multiple women. And this asshole has the audacity to attack others for their morals when his own morals are buried inside a bottle of Viagra.