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David Letterman Tells Audience He Had Sexual Relations With Staffers, Resulting in an Attempted $2 Million Extortion Scheme

Oct 2, 2009  •  Post A Comment

David Letterman dropped a bombshell at Thursday’s taping: He said he had had sexual relations with female staff members, which resulted in an attempted $2 million extortion in exchange for keeping the relationships quiet, the Associated Press reports.

Letterman said he referred the monetary demand to the Manhattan district attorney’s office and that an unnamed person was arrested, after he issued a fake $2 million check.

The network said the person who was arrested is an employee of CBS’ "48 Hours" and has been suspended. A person with knowledge of the investigation told the AP that the suspect is Robert J. Halderman.

Letterman, who in March married his longtime girlfriend, Regina Lasko, who is the mother of his son, said he testified about the matter Thursday before a grand jury.

–Elizabeth Jensen

5 Comments

  1. David did the right thing and proved his strength as a man of character. Having involvement with adult, willing partners is of no one’s business other than those immediately involved. (Assuming no marital partners at said times).
    David’s a stand up guy as a person and a comic.
    The apparent criminal had a great job and has now screwed himself every which way possible.
    Carry on Dave.
    Peter Bright

  2. Stand up thing for Dave to do.
    However, a ‘Boss’ who has sex with his employeeS may have a lot more troubles down the road besides extortion … Sexual Harassment.

  3. People who have sex with their bosses are usually do under duress. They justify it to keep their jobs — the boss simply enjoys the evil power. The blackmail may very well be a ploy to flush out his pompous actions. He looked pretty glib to me while focusing on the blackmail. Hell, the audience didn’t get it at all — they applauded. Better men than him have fallen on their swords for less. Wake up, already. Letterman thinks he can get away with anything.

  4. Here’s the thing that you Dave admirers don’t seem to understand. Whether or not these women were consenting adults, as long as he is/was their boss any relationship he had with them is wildly inappropriate. They could have received advancement in their careers (and apparently Stephanie Burkitt got law school tuition) or other special treatment/favoritism not made available to other women on the staff who didn’t exchange their ‘favors’ with Dave or other men who didn’t (because Dave is apparently straight). This is the essence of a hostile work environment. It is so not OK. That is the point. Not whether or not Dave was married or they were married. That is a moral issue and really a private matter. But once you start having sex with your boss, then when you advance at work, if you advance at work, it all comes under the microscope. That is the real issue here.

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