David Letterman Exposes Extortion Plot, Staffer Sex to Late Show Audience
David Letterman took to the air last night to share details of the latest extortion plot against him, an alleged $2 million scheme by a fellow CBS employee to bury details of Letterman's sexual dalliances with women on the Late Show staff. It was both a preemptive PR coup and the groundwork for what will no doubt be another torrent of abuse from the American right, but first and foremost, it was riveting television. More details, along with video of the segment (while it lasts), after the jump.
Letterman tells the story better than anyone around here can, but CBS hasn't made available the 10-minute clip (or even an abridged version) as of this morning. In a nutshell, the host recounted the early morning three weeks ago when he found a package and a threat in the back seat of his car. According to Letterman, the mystery sender said that he'd write a screenplay about "bad things" Letterman had done unless they struck a deal of some sort. After consulting his lawyer and the New York City district attorney's office, Letterman arranged to meet the sender, who demanded $2 million in hush money. Letterman eventually gave the accused blackmailer a fake check for the sum, prompting his own grand jury testimony and the man's arrest Thursday around noon EDT. The host didn't name the suspect, but reports this morning name him as Robert Halderman, a 51-year-old Emmy-wining producer at 48 Hours.
Letterman could have stopped there, but he continued: What were these bad things whose burial was apparently worth $2 million? He said the man threatened to expose his sexual trysts with female staffers, to which Letterman responded on the air: "I have had sex with women who work on this show. [...] Would it be embarrassing? Perhaps it would, especially for the women."
Like much of the rest of the story, told in Letterman's typically droll, self-deprecating style ("I am a towering mass of Lutheran, Midwestern guilt," he also added), the admission drew laughs and support from the Late Show crowd. I'm not sure how it was taken at home, where his longtime girlfriend and recent bride Regina Lasko may or may not have watched while their 6-year-old son slept (a previous extortion attempt threatened his kidnapping and a $5 million ransom), or among conservative opponents he's tweaked repeatedly with jokes of sexual and moral improprieties, but we're sure to find out.
Watch for yourself, and check Movieline for follow-ups as they're available. And Conan, if you're listening? You're clearly going to have to come up with something better than fighting Newark, N.J., if you want to trump this one.
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Comments
I'm not convinced it's actually extortion. If Robert Halderman told Dave he'd gotten these reports from female staffers and they wanted an expose' written in order for them to sue him for sexual harrasment, then this story isn't about extortion. It would be about Letterman trying to cover his rear and flipping the script on Halderman.
This story in print is worth alot more than two million dollars.
The pay-out for the sexual harrassment charges, all depending on the number of years it's been happening and number of women involved, it would cost the network 10's of millions of dollars. If the network knew this was happening and did nothing to stop it, the CHA-ching$$$, the money would have rolled out, Dave would lose advertisers and the old grey mare would be put out to pasture. This is a pre-emptive strike by Letterman and his network. They have the most to lose, so I'll consider them liars from the start; now, lets hear from the ladies and Halderman.
The Grand Jury is involved. There was a sting. The BLACKMAILER took the EXTORTION money. What did you miss about this??
STING!? What sting? "A press conference from the Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau revealed that three meetings had occurred between Halderman and Letterman’s LAWYERS; at the end of the third, a bogus check for $2 million was handed over." Were the two LAWYERS working for the DA office or Halderman and Letterman? EXTORTION NEVER INVOLVES LAWYERS.
Lawyers are involved to INSURE that what traspires in LEGAL. Otherwise they put their own license to practice at risk. If the transaction was ILLEGAL, then the LAWYERS should also be CHARGED for taking part in the extortion. They took part in the crime and got paid for doing so. In the end I think it's going to cost Letterman and the network alot more. Just because we're on the other side of the tube and we watch the tube, it doesn't mean we're idiots to the obvious.
Try googling "Letterman extortion sting". Read a bit. Enjoy.
Sorry, but why the assumption it HAS to be harrassment on his part? And the shady nature of this guy sneaking a package into the back of his car in the middle of the night? SOunds like extortion. If he was engaging in consensual sex with staffers, as icky as it sounds, it's not illegal, as far as I know. I"m sure plenty of people sleep with someone rich and/or famous and see it as an opportunity to squeeze some cash out of them. Good for Dave for turning the tables. Unless more to this story comes to light, I'm on Dave's side.
Video gone. Apparently, Youtube reads Movieline.
The female staffers wanted Haldermann to write a screenplay detailing their harassment and make a ton of cash for himself? Yes, I suppose if I'd been harassed by my boss, I'd want it to benefit a third party also.
Hey, love happens in the work place. It's only "creepy" when it's not consensual.
look out, IRONY ALERT!
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