I was sad when I heard about this today. Dave's actions are both shocking and inexcusable.
Perhaps it's due to the startling nature of this news but these reactions are leaping to conclusions. "Used his position and power"? "Shocking and inexcusable"? We are not talking about underage high school "interns" nor are we talking about a politician or a clergyman who abuses a position of trust. Letterman is an entertainer. I fail to see what is shocking about the discovery that a celebrity has had relations with younger women who work for him. How many celebrities are dating their personal assistants and/or employees at their production companies or on the set of their movies or TV shows? Isn't that how half the relationships in Hollywood start, a celebrity meets someone at work? Yes, these kinds of relationship are inherently fraught with the specter of coercion, sexual harassment and legal liability, especially in America, and perhaps the risk adverse would avoid them. But there is nothing illegal, even in America, about dating your boss. It may be the subject of office gossip but it is not legally, morally or ethically prohibited. It's not Polanski having sex with a 13-year-old.
Unless and until there is a suggestion that these women were coerced into sleeping with Letterman to keep or get their jobs, I don't think this is anything other than a personal mess that is best left to Letterman and his longtime girlfriend now wife to sort out. He has a lot of questions to answer but it's not from the audience.
Shocker. I really liked her. Now I know what that weird energy between the two of them on-screen was all about.
Watching the clip back on the story Paul posted does show that entire segment in a whole new light. Especially him saying "let's just hope the wife's not watching" when Lou is demonstrating the Heimlich manoeuvre on Stephanie. Hmm.
Perhaps it's due to the startling nature of this news but these reactions are leaping to conclusions. "Used his position and power"? "Shocking and inexcusable"? We are not talking about underage high school "interns" nor are we talking about a politician or a clergyman who abuses a position of trust. Letterman is an entertainer. I fail to see what is shocking about the discovery that a celebrity has had relations with younger women who work for him.
I was referring more to the infidelity part. I always had Dave down as a big family man.
im not sure about any other news show/network, but the BBC ran a piece on the story for the 10 o'clock news. Most of the New Yorker's who they interviewed seemed 'fine' with the news
Has everyone forgotten that Letterman met his wife Regina Lasko while she was a staff member on his show?! If you are outraged because Letterman dated an employee, you should have stopped watching back in 1986 when he first met Lasko.
I was referring more to the infidelity part. I always had Dave down as a big family man.
Fair enough but we don't know when he had these relations, if they stopped or continued after his marriage so we have no facts to say he committed infidelity. Obviously, this is embarrassing and not a proud moment in anyone's life but let's reserve judgment until or if more facts come out.
I have just searched all the media coverage of Daves extortion case on Bing.com and in a few of the publications it names one of the females that Dave has had sexual relations with as being Stephanie Birkett. Up untill the birth of Harry she worked at the Late Show as a regular walk-on as the girl who used to hand out the envelope prizes to audience members!!!:eek::eek::eek:
Apparently she had an affair with this CBS Producer as well, while he was married, cos his ex-wife lives in Colorado somewhere!!!
Kudos to Ms Birkett then for not selling out.
Adults in high tension work situations bonding to predictable conclusion :rolleyes:
Hurt feelings for Regina(?) if in her timeframe but a) she had the choice to to marry or not DAVID LETTERMAN who she presumably had some handle on personality-wise before deciding. b) Big picture, shagging is just what it is, and marriage isn't that. c) They sustain (-ed?) a functioning 21st century family unit, let's be grown ups, this is life...
i dont see why people are getting so mad about it and saying "i might have to watch conan now" LOL
how does this affect your need for humour and US chat show or great interviews?
so what the man slept around and may have cheated on his wife?
the worst part is that someone was blackmailing him! anyone these days would do anything for money, if its accuse michael jackson of child molesting, claiming they were raped (jordan) or extorting money of a colleague they have information about
Poll Results
Thank you for voting.
Does the revelation of David Letterman's affairs with staff members change your view of the TV host?
Yes, his squeeky-clean persona is gone. 26%
No, I still think he's funny. 57%
I like Conan better anyway. 17%
HA HA HA
Dave still does and will always rule
as for Stephanie, careerist!
Hey, you're clever - never realised you could link to IPlayer with a specific playback start time reference? Is that new or am I just slow? Can you capture the reference or do you just edit the /?t=NNmNNs ?
A top CBS News producer was busted Thursday for trying to shake down late night TV host David Letterman - threatening to expose the funnyman's affairs with several female staffers in a movie and book.
The "Late Show" host revealed the stunning plot on last night's broadcast in an extraordinary confession to viewers - and admitted he had indeed slept with several women who work at the show.
"I'm glad you folks are here tonight, and I'm glad you folks are in such a pleasant mood, because I have a story I'd like to tell you and the home viewers as well," he said, appearing to set up a comedy bit.
He went on to explain that a man identified by police as Robert Halderman, a 51-year-old Emmy Award-winning producer, found out that he was sleeping with several staff members.
Halderman allegedly threatened to expose the 62-year-old Letterman, who married his girlfriend, Regina Lasko, of 23 years in March, unless he forked over a staggering $2 million.
"This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," Letterman told viewers. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury.
"This whole thing has been quite scary," he said. "I had to tell them how I was disturbed by this. I was scared for my family. I felt menaced by this man."
Then, Letterman added, "I had to tell them all the creepy things I had done."
The audience roared with laughter.
"Now why is that funny?" Letterman asked.
"Now of course we get to what was it was - we get to all the creepy stuff," Letterman said, taking a more serious tone.
"I have had sex with women who work for me on this show."
The audience was silent.
Letterman said the grand jury asked if the accusations were true.
"Yes, I have," was his answer.
"Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would - especially for the women," he joked.
"But that's a decision for them, if they want to go public and talk.
"It's been a very bizarre experience," Letterman added. "I feel like I need to protect my family. I need to protect myself and I hope to protect my job."
CBS said in a statement that it was "made aware of" an ongoing police investigation involving David Letterman and an employee at '48 Hours'," one of the network's news magazine shows.
"Mr. Letterman addressed the issue during the show's broadcast this evening, and we believe his comments speak for themselves," the CBS statement read.
Halderman, who was being held on attempted grand larceny charges, has directed dozens of "48 Hours" documentaries, from the Winter Olympics to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
A "Late Show" staffer, 31-year-old Stephanie Birkitt, once lived with Halderman, according to public records.
Letterman said the shakedown started three weeks ago - when he found a package in his car.
"I don't usually receive packages at 6 in the morning in the backseat of my car," he joked.
"So I get to looking through it, and there's letters in the package and it says, 'I know that you do some terrible, terrible things, and I can prove that you do those terrible things.'
"And sure enough, there was some stuff in the pages that proved I did those terrible things," he said.
The audience continued to laugh, not knowing the shocking secrets Letterman was about to reveal.
"What this is, is a guy is going to write a screenplay about me ... and he's going to take all the terrible stuff he knows about my life, and there seems to be quite a lot of terrible stuff he knows about, and he's going to put it in a movie unless I give him some money.
"That's a little hinky," Letterman said was his first reaction - followed by a rush of fear. "I just want to reiterate how terrifying this moment is."
Letterman called his lawyer, and the two men set up a meeting with Halderman, who told them he was dead serious.
Letterman and his lawyer called the Manhattan district attorney's office, "And we say, 'Can we run a couple of things by you guys?'
"So we took the stuff down there and they said, 'Well, hello, this is blackmail,'" he said. The lawyer set up two subsequent meetings and gave Halderman a phony check for $2 million.
What followed was a "bizarre" and "terrifying few weeks," Letterman said, culminating in a grand jury appearance Thursday morning, followed by Halderman's arrest.
An insider at the "Late Show" told the Daily News last night that Letterman "did talk with Regina before he went on the air, and every indication is that they're still together."
All the women Letterman bedded "were consenting adults." The insider didn't know how many affairs Letterman had or when they took place.
Most of Letterman's staff was unaware that he was going to make an announcement until the last minute, the source said.
"This is consistent with how he has handled every major moment in his life," the source said. "He's rarely had a press conference. He feels he has this show and he uses it to tell what matters to him."
Letterman married Lasko, his longtime girlfriend, in March - and announced it on-air. "I had avoided getting married pretty good for, like, 23 years," he said. "I secretly felt that men who were married admired me - like I was the last of the real gunslingers."
Letterman was married once before - to his college sweetheart, Michele Cook, from 1969 to 1977. He dated comedienne Merrill Markoe after that, and started dating Lasko in 1986.
"I knew he was being blackmailed and that someone was arrested today," Letterman's beloved mother and semiregular guest, Dorothy Mengering, told The News last night from her home in Indiana hours before the show aired.
"So far, that's all I know," said Mengering, who said she heard the news from Letterman's wife, with whom he has a son, 5-year-old Harry.
"I have not talked to him. I heard it from Regina. I'm looking forward to seeing the show to see what he has to say. I really just found out today."
Hey, you're clever - never realised you could link to IPlayer with a specific playback start time reference? Is that new or am I just slow? Can you capture the reference or do you just edit the /?t=NNmNNs ?
Hi - thanks. It's quite a new feature - think it's been around a few months now though.
You just need to add ?t=00m00s (whatever you want it to start at) after the URL manually.
Well a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and cute girl next door as she is, bagging DL et al is hitting the ball out of the park, Monika Lewinsky stylee for a smalltown intern!
Quite how stellar either lady's career is though??
For God's sake. "I may have to start watching Conan now". If I didn't disagree with using that horrible 'rolly-eyes' smiley, I'd have used it there.
He hasn't killed anyone. He has had consensual affairs with women, of above legal age, who work on his show. There's no evidence that he coerced anyone, or that's he's a sex pest. In fact, Stephanie (alleged to be one of the women concerned) is said to be mortified about the whole thing, and is obviously still on good terms with Dave as the affair ended in 2003 (before his son, Harry, was born) and she still works on the show.
It's nobody's business apart from Dave's and Regina's. It doesn't affect his ability to do his job in my opinion. It's not like he's Roman Polanski who raped a 13 year old and apparently has half of Hollywood calling for his release on the basis that it was a long time ago and he's made some good films.
If Letterman does lose his job over this, then it's an absolute disgrace, and those people who say they're off to watch Conan or Jay Leno instead - fine, do it! Your loss, frankly.
For God's sake. "I may have to start watching Conan now". If I didn't disagree with using that horrible 'rolly-eyes' smiley, I'd have used it there.
If Letterman does lose his job over this, then it's an absolute disgrace, and those people who say they're off to watch Conan or Jay Leno instead - fine, do it! Your loss, frankly.
You're right. Conan isn't such a great choice. I'll try Craig Ferguson instead.
Correction, it wasn't, then he broadcast it to the entire world..
Of course he did. He testified in front of a Grand Jury. It was then always going to come out. Better that it came 'straight from the horses' mouth' than reported in tabloids. What I meant was I don't understand people taking the moral high ground and saying that they're refusing to watch Letterman's shows anymore. He had an affair, or a few affairs. He's not broken the law. I fail to see exactly how this impacts on his ability to do his job.
I can understand people saying they'd never listen to a Gary Glitter record again. Or people railing against Roman Polanski. But Letterman? He's a talk show host. He's not a politician who's preached family values (cf Senator Larry Craig) or a Governor who, when he was an attorney, launched a moral crusade against prostitution who was later found out to be using prostitutes. These people are worthy of scorn. As indeed is the man who's stolen private documents from his girlfriend and used them to start an extortion attempt.
The showbiz thread is a false prophet-We're the real deal!!!
How did someone manage to break into Daves car and leave a package?
Surely after his obsessed stalker and kidnap plot against Harry, this is an appalling lapse in security?
I watched the Bill Clinton episode earlier - another fantastic show.
Unfortunately, there are no 16:9 versions available of this specific edition of the Late Show in all the
usual places, bar one source with only 2 seeds, so I'm downloading this at less than dial-up speed!
The download (currently pootling along at 0.7Kbps) is due to finish in 6 days time!
I might as well not bother and give this one a miss!
EDIT:
No wonder it's going at the pace of comatose snail ... it's one from September 2008!
To hell with it ... this download is going bye-bye!
Comments
Perhaps it's due to the startling nature of this news but these reactions are leaping to conclusions. "Used his position and power"? "Shocking and inexcusable"? We are not talking about underage high school "interns" nor are we talking about a politician or a clergyman who abuses a position of trust. Letterman is an entertainer. I fail to see what is shocking about the discovery that a celebrity has had relations with younger women who work for him. How many celebrities are dating their personal assistants and/or employees at their production companies or on the set of their movies or TV shows? Isn't that how half the relationships in Hollywood start, a celebrity meets someone at work? Yes, these kinds of relationship are inherently fraught with the specter of coercion, sexual harassment and legal liability, especially in America, and perhaps the risk adverse would avoid them. But there is nothing illegal, even in America, about dating your boss. It may be the subject of office gossip but it is not legally, morally or ethically prohibited. It's not Polanski having sex with a 13-year-old.
Unless and until there is a suggestion that these women were coerced into sleeping with Letterman to keep or get their jobs, I don't think this is anything other than a personal mess that is best left to Letterman and his longtime girlfriend now wife to sort out. He has a lot of questions to answer but it's not from the audience.
Fair enough but we don't know when he had these relations, if they stopped or continued after his marriage so we have no facts to say he committed infidelity. Obviously, this is embarrassing and not a proud moment in anyone's life but let's reserve judgment until or if more facts come out.
Except Clinton was President if the US, and Letterman is a chat show host. Get a sense of perspective.
so there! good on Dave!
Kudos to Ms Birkett then for not selling out.
Adults in high tension work situations bonding to predictable conclusion :rolleyes:
Hurt feelings for Regina(?) if in her timeframe but a) she had the choice to to marry or not DAVID LETTERMAN who she presumably had some handle on personality-wise before deciding. b) Big picture, shagging is just what it is, and marriage isn't that. c) They sustain (-ed?) a functioning 21st century family unit, let's be grown ups, this is life...
No one died.
how does this affect your need for humour and US chat show or great interviews?
so what the man slept around and may have cheated on his wife?
the worst part is that someone was blackmailing him! anyone these days would do anything for money, if its accuse michael jackson of child molesting, claiming they were raped (jordan) or extorting money of a colleague they have information about
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a180256/man-pleads-not-guilty-to-letterman-plot.html
Thank you for voting.
Does the revelation of David Letterman's affairs with staff members change your view of the TV host?
Yes, his squeeky-clean persona is gone. 26%
No, I still think he's funny. 57%
I like Conan better anyway. 17%
HA HA HA
Dave still does and will always rule
as for Stephanie, careerist!
Hey, you're clever - never realised you could link to IPlayer with a specific playback start time reference? Is that new or am I just slow? Can you capture the reference or do you just edit the /?t=NNmNNs ?
The "Late Show" host revealed the stunning plot on last night's broadcast in an extraordinary confession to viewers - and admitted he had indeed slept with several women who work at the show.
"I'm glad you folks are here tonight, and I'm glad you folks are in such a pleasant mood, because I have a story I'd like to tell you and the home viewers as well," he said, appearing to set up a comedy bit.
He went on to explain that a man identified by police as Robert Halderman, a 51-year-old Emmy Award-winning producer, found out that he was sleeping with several staff members.
Halderman allegedly threatened to expose the 62-year-old Letterman, who married his girlfriend, Regina Lasko, of 23 years in March, unless he forked over a staggering $2 million.
"This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," Letterman told viewers. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury.
"This whole thing has been quite scary," he said. "I had to tell them how I was disturbed by this. I was scared for my family. I felt menaced by this man."
Then, Letterman added, "I had to tell them all the creepy things I had done."
The audience roared with laughter.
"Now why is that funny?" Letterman asked.
"Now of course we get to what was it was - we get to all the creepy stuff," Letterman said, taking a more serious tone.
"I have had sex with women who work for me on this show."
The audience was silent.
Letterman said the grand jury asked if the accusations were true.
"Yes, I have," was his answer.
"Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would - especially for the women," he joked.
"But that's a decision for them, if they want to go public and talk.
"It's been a very bizarre experience," Letterman added. "I feel like I need to protect my family. I need to protect myself and I hope to protect my job."
CBS said in a statement that it was "made aware of" an ongoing police investigation involving David Letterman and an employee at '48 Hours'," one of the network's news magazine shows.
"Mr. Letterman addressed the issue during the show's broadcast this evening, and we believe his comments speak for themselves," the CBS statement read.
Halderman, who was being held on attempted grand larceny charges, has directed dozens of "48 Hours" documentaries, from the Winter Olympics to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
A "Late Show" staffer, 31-year-old Stephanie Birkitt, once lived with Halderman, according to public records.
Letterman said the shakedown started three weeks ago - when he found a package in his car.
"I don't usually receive packages at 6 in the morning in the backseat of my car," he joked.
"So I get to looking through it, and there's letters in the package and it says, 'I know that you do some terrible, terrible things, and I can prove that you do those terrible things.'
"And sure enough, there was some stuff in the pages that proved I did those terrible things," he said.
The audience continued to laugh, not knowing the shocking secrets Letterman was about to reveal.
"What this is, is a guy is going to write a screenplay about me ... and he's going to take all the terrible stuff he knows about my life, and there seems to be quite a lot of terrible stuff he knows about, and he's going to put it in a movie unless I give him some money.
"That's a little hinky," Letterman said was his first reaction - followed by a rush of fear. "I just want to reiterate how terrifying this moment is."
Letterman called his lawyer, and the two men set up a meeting with Halderman, who told them he was dead serious.
Letterman and his lawyer called the Manhattan district attorney's office, "And we say, 'Can we run a couple of things by you guys?'
"So we took the stuff down there and they said, 'Well, hello, this is blackmail,'" he said. The lawyer set up two subsequent meetings and gave Halderman a phony check for $2 million.
What followed was a "bizarre" and "terrifying few weeks," Letterman said, culminating in a grand jury appearance Thursday morning, followed by Halderman's arrest.
An insider at the "Late Show" told the Daily News last night that Letterman "did talk with Regina before he went on the air, and every indication is that they're still together."
All the women Letterman bedded "were consenting adults." The insider didn't know how many affairs Letterman had or when they took place.
Most of Letterman's staff was unaware that he was going to make an announcement until the last minute, the source said.
"This is consistent with how he has handled every major moment in his life," the source said. "He's rarely had a press conference. He feels he has this show and he uses it to tell what matters to him."
Letterman married Lasko, his longtime girlfriend, in March - and announced it on-air. "I had avoided getting married pretty good for, like, 23 years," he said. "I secretly felt that men who were married admired me - like I was the last of the real gunslingers."
Letterman was married once before - to his college sweetheart, Michele Cook, from 1969 to 1977. He dated comedienne Merrill Markoe after that, and started dating Lasko in 1986.
"I knew he was being blackmailed and that someone was arrested today," Letterman's beloved mother and semiregular guest, Dorothy Mengering, told The News last night from her home in Indiana hours before the show aired.
"So far, that's all I know," said Mengering, who said she heard the news from Letterman's wife, with whom he has a son, 5-year-old Harry.
"I have not talked to him. I heard it from Regina. I'm looking forward to seeing the show to see what he has to say. I really just found out today."
R
You just need to add ?t=00m00s (whatever you want it to start at) after the URL manually.
Well a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and cute girl next door as she is, bagging DL et al is hitting the ball out of the park, Monika Lewinsky stylee for a smalltown intern!
Quite how stellar either lady's career is though??
He hasn't killed anyone. He has had consensual affairs with women, of above legal age, who work on his show. There's no evidence that he coerced anyone, or that's he's a sex pest. In fact, Stephanie (alleged to be one of the women concerned) is said to be mortified about the whole thing, and is obviously still on good terms with Dave as the affair ended in 2003 (before his son, Harry, was born) and she still works on the show.
It's nobody's business apart from Dave's and Regina's. It doesn't affect his ability to do his job in my opinion. It's not like he's Roman Polanski who raped a 13 year old and apparently has half of Hollywood calling for his release on the basis that it was a long time ago and he's made some good films.
If Letterman does lose his job over this, then it's an absolute disgrace, and those people who say they're off to watch Conan or Jay Leno instead - fine, do it! Your loss, frankly.
It's one small Iplayer tip for a man, one giant Iplayer tip for mankind. This has actually made my day, thankyou.
Correction, it wasn't, then he broadcast it to the entire world.
These things always have a habit of coming out in the end. It's regrettable perhaps that Dave's had to come to light in such a public manner.
Fair enough. i like Craig. Don't think he's as good as Dave, but different strokes and all that.
Of course he did. He testified in front of a Grand Jury. It was then always going to come out. Better that it came 'straight from the horses' mouth' than reported in tabloids. What I meant was I don't understand people taking the moral high ground and saying that they're refusing to watch Letterman's shows anymore. He had an affair, or a few affairs. He's not broken the law. I fail to see exactly how this impacts on his ability to do his job.
I can understand people saying they'd never listen to a Gary Glitter record again. Or people railing against Roman Polanski. But Letterman? He's a talk show host. He's not a politician who's preached family values (cf Senator Larry Craig) or a Governor who, when he was an attorney, launched a moral crusade against prostitution who was later found out to be using prostitutes. These people are worthy of scorn. As indeed is the man who's stolen private documents from his girlfriend and used them to start an extortion attempt.
Sorry if this is rambling, I've been to the pub.
:eek: Eek, the showbiz forum! That place scares me!
How did someone manage to break into Daves car and leave a package?
Surely after his obsessed stalker and kidnap plot against Harry, this is an appalling lapse in security?
usual places, bar one source with only 2 seeds, so I'm downloading this at less than dial-up speed!
The download (currently pootling along at 0.7Kbps) is due to finish in 6 days time!
I might as well not bother and give this one a miss!
EDIT:
No wonder it's going at the pace of comatose snail ... it's one from September 2008!
To hell with it ... this download is going bye-bye!