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VIDEO: David Letterman, in His Own Words, on Having Sex With His Employees and Facing Extortion for $2 Million.

Oct 2, 2009  •  Post A Comment

TV Critic Aaron Barhart and some others have commented on the odd way the audience reacts to Letterman’s telling of this. As you’ll see, they are reacting to more how it’s told than what’s being told. Hence the laughter and applause. And Letterman waits until the end of the story to tell the audience the reason he was allegedly being extorted–so for the audience it’s the classic structure of one of Letteman’s funny stories; the build-up to the punch line.

This clip, one of the choices on our Viral Video e-newsletter on Friday,  begins where Letterman has given the extortionist a phony check for $2 million. Click here.

–Chuck Ross

7 Comments

  1. It was interesting how he decided to present it. He threw some humor into a serious situation. At any rate, I am glad that he took what was probably the harder road and didn’t let this guy get away with extorting him.

  2. Making no apologies for Letterman’s personal peccadillos, I have to say that his abilities as a broadcaster never cease to amaze. The way he worked through this narrative, with a mix of humor and seriousness, reminds me of his first show back after 9/11, or his first show back after his heart surgery. The gentleman’s storytelling skills are superlative.

  3. Personal pecadilloes? I think you would be singing a different song if you were a member of Dave’s staff and saw these women getting special treatment because they were sleeping with the boss. Special treatment to which you had no access because you’re not sleeping with the boss because he’s just not that into you. Think about it, Matt. That’s what this story is really about. Not Dave’s moral failings or people being all judge-y about Dave’s personal life. It’s about Dave creating a hostile work environment and trading special treatment for sexual favors.

  4. First of all, I said up front that I was making no apologies for him or how he comports himself. The thrust of my post was only to offer my admiration for his abilities as a talk-show host.
    Second, I don’t work at CBS, or on the Letterman show, or for its production company, Worldwide Pants, so I can not speak to whether or not any staffers, female or otherwise, were getting any kind of preferential treatment because of any relationship they might have had with their boss. If they were, it wouldn’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last.

  5. It’s clear by reading some of the responses on this and other blogs what the Defense team’s strategy will be: Letterman is guilty of illicit behavior and deserved to be blackmailed.
    The crime that has been committed is extortion…not sex.
    What crime has Letterman been charged with? No one knows the circumstances of his relationships with the co-workers in question…except Letterman and the co-workers. The only thing Letterman is guilty of so far is questionable judgement.

  6. Agreed Myke25! Joe Halderman committed the crime — a big, stupid one. Do we really care about Letterman’s sex life? No one on his staff seems to be complaining.

  7. What a release to notice a article that may perhaps be present finally actually meaning reading! I’ve been looking for all-around in relation to this matter but men and women now put garbage posts, or brief worthless posts. I have viewed a couple vids on youtube but it’s now the equal as reading a good article.

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