Zeus has written before about late night talk show host David Letterman. Regardless of how one might feel about some of the bad taste jokes that have found their way from the keyboards of writers onto the airwaves via Dave’s mouth, the talk show host’s latest problem, and how he has handled it, deserve real consideration.
Allegedly, nothing having been proven in court, a CBS employee tried to extort money from Mr. Letterman in exchange for keeping quiet about the laugh man’s liaisons with female employees on the staff of his show. Mr. Letterman went to the police, cooperated in the police investigation and someone is now in custody.
David Letterman did exactly the right thing — something that one rarely sees with the likes of politicians or clerics to be sure — and he’s set a remarkably good example for others. Mr. Letterman didn’t capitulate to an extortionist’s demands. He placed the matter into the hands of law enforcement and let the System do the work.
Dave’s morals aside (really of no importance), this is exactly what anyone should do when approached with threats of any kind. Frankly, any scandal associated with Mr. Letterman’s behind the stage-curtain antics is laughable compared to the very real crime of extortion.
October 3, 2009 at 06:03
I never liked Letterman. He struck me as smug and self-important. Who deserves the 2 million? the employees he screwed. I guess it never occurred to him that he might be caught in sexual misconduct with employees. This guy should be fired. I wonder what wonderful paths of advancement he insinuated would be available if they slept with him. Geesh, the extortionist is merely a mirror of this a**hole. They all ought to be punished.
Psykl
October 3, 2009 at 16:39
So far, there seems to be no evidence of an, ahem, “play for pay” scandal here. There may or not be such a thing going on.
What clearly did happen is that the guy, “smug and self important” seem like a good description to me too, did go to the cops rather than give into a criminal demand. That is exactly what he should have done. We have, over the last many years, seen plenty of others in high positions simply contribute to the criminal atmosphere by going along with the criminal demands rather than go to the cops.
October 3, 2009 at 13:52
I find it interesting that neither the news articles or the news on TV did NOT mention WHEN these so-called sexual dalliances happened! Much to their discredit, I find the familiar phrase “all the news that’s fit to print” is what it all boils down to…..gossip and/or lack of story lines to fill the page or air. Who cares whether David had other flings…..so did the Kennedys while they were married and hundreds of other celebrities and people that we hold in high esteem. The only thing that would matter is if he did this while still living with his girlfriend who is now his wife. What does it matter….it is no ones business and we should not think any less of him for doing this. I admire David for the way he handled it publicly on air and the book should be closed on that chapter.
October 4, 2009 at 00:01
“A representative for Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants, said, “All the relationships David Letterman was referencing when discussing the matter on the ‘Late Show’ predated his marriage to Regina” in March.”
The above is the last paragraph from the current online CNN story that one can get to from this posting.
October 3, 2009 at 14:22
Dave needs to realize that the consequence of breaking God’s moral laws is much graver than breaking the laws of the state (as he has piously chides his accuser of doing). “Don’t fear man, who can take you to court and lock you up, but fear God, who has the power to save you or send you to eternal torment.”
October 3, 2009 at 16:33
“The purpose of justice is absolution” is a belief at the very heart of Christian thinking about law and order. In fact, it is a quote from “The Institutes of Justinian” (J.B. Moyle translation), a law book promulgated by perhaps the greatest Christian lawgiver and author of a law code that remains a part of the foundation of the Western Legal tradition.
Mr. Letterman’s morals can be changed, his salvation can be effected by a loving God (not His law, but Him). The point made in this posting is that Mr. Letterman could have allowed himself to become a crime victim, and could have allowed a criminal to commit a crime. To Dave Letterman’s credit, he went to law enforcement and cooperated fully with their investigation.
If Mr. Letterman, through this mess, is given to some reflection and actually makes an effort to clean up his morals too that would be good. God can easily use a bad situation as well as a good one to help bring about repentance.
If you are under the grace rather than the law, please don’t throw God’s Law at someone. Rather, offer up your prayers for another’s salvation. Such occasions are an opportunity for the believer. It is hard, but it is what a believer is called to do.
October 3, 2009 at 14:32
Hey Dave you wife isn’t good enough for you that you have to have an affair. If wanted to have an affair you should have never got married.
October 3, 2009 at 14:33
Oh I forgot one thing you are one big POS.
October 3, 2009 at 16:53
Don’t hold back Ernie! Tell us how you feel about the guy.
October 3, 2009 at 16:33
Why are we devoting media time to such a topic? He has to live with himself and the choices that he has made. The issue isn’t just about the extortion plot.
October 3, 2009 at 16:44
Actually, it is about the extortion plot. Extortion is a very serious crime and it is a gateway to other crimes (for instance, it emboldens the criminal if he gets away with it, or the victim may resort to crime to keep making payments).
Letterman did the right thing and went to the cops. He will not be subject to further blackmail. He also alerted and helped lead law enforcement to an alleged criminal.
October 3, 2009 at 16:56
Extortion IS a very real crime – a felony even! However, there is NOTHING laughable about the “behind the stage-curtain antics” of sleeping with the employees, even if there is no harassment or favoritism, explicit or implied. That kind of behavior is severely frowned upon in MOST enterprises, including the U.S. military, for a very good reason. It does not matter that all these liaisons occurred before his marriage last year to his “long-term” companion and mother of his illegitimate child. Stephanie is just the public face of those “creepy” sleeping with the boss to curry favor liaisons. (Now we know for sure why Dave gave the young novice employee so much face time on his show!) His wife was another employee. I wonder what the other women got for sleeping with their boss. So, in the midst of feeling sorry for Dave for falling prey to an extortionist’s plot and celebrating him for handling it so well, let’s not forget the sordid details of what brought Dave to this place. Perhaps now, at the very least, CBS will put an anti-fraternization clause into his contract. It looks like Dave will get away with his sleazy behavior with hardly even a slap on the wrist!
October 3, 2009 at 17:02
Good response. Thanks.
There seems to be no evidence of any rewards for fooling around here. That would be another round of legal wrangling for another day. As for revamping the CBS employee handbook, that is something that might be a very good idea, but is separate and apart from the issue at hand. As you rightly say, extortion is a felony.
As for Mr. Letterman’s morals, they may have helped make him vulnerable to an extortionist (provided of course that this case proves true and holds up in court), but the issue here is that the man did the right thing and went to the cops rather than let himself become a crime victim.
October 3, 2009 at 17:09
I’m glad Dave got the guy who did this nailed to the wall! I like David Letterman! Always have. What a person does in their private life is their own business as long as no one is harmed, its all good. I have no right to call out a moral judgement on the man, not without looking into a mirror myself, and that isnt going to happen publically either! Lol “Great Going” David Letterman! Best of luck!
October 3, 2009 at 17:47
He’s not a politician in charge of our money and rights. You’d have to take a long minute to find one who can keep it in their pants. Now, who wants to start a list of all the celebrities who have been unfaithful. Someone who’s only job is to make us laugh?
October 3, 2009 at 20:08
I don’t have enough disk space to keep a list that long. I also don’t have the money to pay all the data entry workers I’d need to keep the list current.
You might have hit upon an interesting point here. Consider how celebrities like Mr. Letterman, people who are meant to entertain seem to have the status of statesmen. Consider too how statesmen (and women) seem to seek the celebrity status of actors and entertainers.
When an actor gives himself over to license that seems to actually heighten his popularity with a degree of notoriety the number of hits I’ve gotten on this one posting would suggest that people will devote a lot of time and interest to such people and their scandals. But actors don’t write laws and regulations. When actors behave badly, we can pity, laugh, or both but the actors will not leave us fleeced of our liberties. Crooked politicians can do this.
Confusing the failings of an actor, though the same, with those of a politician (and other officials) is a dangerous thing to do. One can do little harm to our freedoms; the other can do great damage.
October 3, 2009 at 22:04
I also forgot to mention that no one had a problem whe he was publicly dating Merrill Marko, a staff writer for quite a few years.
October 5, 2009 at 12:13
I agree. Dave did it right. And even though I personally think he is a bit of a pompous turd, as you quite rightly say, that wasn’t the topic of this post. Nor was the moral judgement of his behaviour.
Nice to see the law working so effectively.
October 14, 2009 at 05:42
I have mixed feelings about Letterman’s handling of the affair, so to speak.
One one hand I feel it showed some balls.
On the other hand, perhaps he should have handled this privately to avoid humiliating his family.