Letterman was blackmailed (for $2 Million)

[Turborama]

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES - DAVID Letterman acknowledged on Thursday's show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort him over the affairs.

During the taping of his CBS late-night show in New York, Letterman discussed receiving a threat to either pay US$2 million (S$2.82 million) or risk the relationships being made public.

In a release from the show's producer, Letterman said he referred the matter to the Manhattan district attorney's office and that an investigation ended in an arrest Thursday. Letterman did not identify the person he said was arrested.

As part of the case, Letterman said in a release that he testified before a grand jury and acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff.

CBS spokesman Chris Ender says 'Letterman's comments on the broadcast tonight speak for themselves.'

Read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_437146.html

[Ian David]

1. The Top 10 List of Things David Letterman Has Been Extorted for.

Sorry.

[rayofreason]

107. Another Top 10

Vicious, but funny

http://jimtreacher.com/archives/002126.html

[Arrowhead2k1]

2. Oh my, this is somewhat shocking.

I was just at a taping for one of his shows last spring. Front row. He's a great guy on the set.

[Control-Z]

32. Shocking?

I think it would be shocking to learn he'd had no affairs.

[Dr Fate]

3. At least he handled it correctly once it got to this point.

He did the right thing- go ahead & own up b/f they get you by the balls.

[mucifer]

4. yeah you know the right wingers want to see him go down in flames. It's not gonna happen

[glinda]

9. Leno probably sent the guy....

[Cha]

28. He's withstood palin protesters raging for his firing..

Olive Garden(or did they?) dropping him and now affaires with members of his staff. Not just one mind you.

This must be more over the years.

[earcandle]

5. non-uptight consensual adults do have sex. and it is fun.

[Arrowhead2k1]

6. I just wonder if his wife knew and how long ago all of this was.

Really sucks to have this downer come out on the same day that the Late Show posts their record ratings.

Oh well, it's his personal life. He didn't do anything illegal. The guy trying to extort him is the one behind bars. Letterman really pwned that asshole. :rofl:

[earcandle]

8. is he currently married? if so, uh oh, but like Hillary and Bill, it is personal and their business

[Hansel]

122. He's been married for 6 1/2 months

This probably happened before he was married. Also, his wife is or was on his staff and they have had an on again off again relationship for a few years. Their son is 6 yrs old.

[oberliner]

52. Any thoughts on the power dynamic here?

If Letterman slept with women whom he had the power to fire or demote would there be any potential problem?

[bettyellen]

60. no unless he fired or demoted them, or threatened to

[noiretextatique]

118. yes, there is the potential for abuse

when you are sleeping with someone you supervise. a bit mistake.

[Hansel]

123. Letterman owns the company so

there would be a power dynamic here. But it is not uncommon for there to be consensual sex among co-workers, even bosses and employees, that are not based on the power structure but just two adults engaged in mutually consentual relations. There are likely even some woman who are attracted to him because he is the owner and is a wealthy and powerful man. Kind of a "turn on" for them if you will.

Unless it is determined that any of the woman who slept with him felt that their job was in jeopardy in some way if they did not, or unless they were abused or coerced in some way, I would put this in the category of stupid and chancy behavior on both parties' part, but not illegal.

At least one of the staff woman he slept with is now his wife so the power dynamic for that relationship is moot.

The company that he owns is World Pants Incorporated and he only contracts with CBS to air the show so he is THE boss.

[oberliner]

133. What if he gave preferential treatment to those women he was sleeping with?

Wouldn't the interns who he was not sleeping with have a right to complain of a hostile work environment?

[rayofreason]

108. I've got no problem...

...with whatever 2 consenting adults do. If his wife has a problem, it is her business.

[heliarc]

130. +1 nt

[Endangered Specie]

7. Well... at least it wasn't with one of Palin's Daughters!

:evilgrin: sorry, I had to

[marshall]

58. And it does put another spin on his fascination with Palin

I'm sure he's bracing for the jokes from his colleagues.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. What goes on between two consenting adults isn't my bussiness.

Who cares.

[WriteDown]

13. I care if its sexual harassment.

Boss and employee can be a tenuous relationship.

[Ozymanithrax]

16. The only crime so far is blackmail.

Not all dangerous liasons or spring and autumn romances are harrassment, even if they are inappropriae.

[WriteDown]

20. Older male boss and young ingenue....

almost always are. Could not be, but will be interesting to see.

[Ozymanithrax]

34. There is still no evidence of anythng but a consensual arrangment.

It is not the first time in history that such a realtionship occured. It does not mean that there was quid pro quo.

[marshall]

39. Who says it's an ingenue?

The stuff I've read has been careful to exclude references to gender of the person arrested--only that he's dallied with females in the past. Perhaps that was something the blackmailer thought would make the payoff easier.

[noiretextatique]

119. i agree...really stupid to sleep with people you have that kind of power over

but...rich, powerful people do it all the time.

[Demeter]

105. True. Stupidity Is Not a Crime

But Darwin points out that Natural Selection has the last word.

[targetpractice]

17. Perhaps, you can relax...

The Manhattan district attorney is convinced this "boss and employee" relationship involves the employee attempting extort the boss for $2M by having sex with him.

I agree it's harassment, but not like you imply.

[WriteDown]

21. That could be it...

If that's the case, then he's just making bad decisions. Not that I haven't been there before :).

[tomm2thumbs]

29. I can't find news saying the extortionist was involved with him, just that there was one

re your comment: 'The Manhattan district attorney is convinced this "boss and employee" relationship involves the employee attempting extort the boss for $2M by having sex with him.'

Did the person extorting the money actually sleep with him like you said or was it just that they KNEW he was sleeping around. If you can send a link to that info that would be great. I can only find otherwise. I have this from CNN... ''CNN reported that Letterman told his audience during the taping of CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," that he received a package three weeks ago from a person who claimed to have information about his sexual activities and demanded $2 million to avoid going public.''

[targetpractice]

64. My apologies...

You are right... I didn't have all the information before posting.

[girl gone mad]

40. The extortionist isn't one of the employees.

There may be a connection, but that hasn't been made clear yet.

[shadowknows69]

31. Consensual is consensual. If this person had a harassment case I'm sure they would have gone for it.

[Catherine Vincent]

11. Palin lovers out there are loving this

On the USA Today board there were about 10 messages and most were against Letterman. Half of those mentioned Palin. :eyes:

[Xenotime]

71. Palin pugs just need to shut up. They have no room to talk.

[WriteDown]

12. I'm curious what the ages of these women were...

This smacks of sexual harassment.

[targetpractice]

14. It "smacks" of extortion.

That's what the evidence leads law enforcement to believe.

How do you know differently? Enlighten us.

[WriteDown]

18. What was the extortion about?

Generally, a normal relationship is not a good candidate for extortion.

[targetpractice]

22. Sorry, but are you suggesting that the employee is harassing the boss?

And, extortion is part of that harassment?

If so, I apologize for misunderstanding you... And, I agree this is a case of sexual harassment in the workplace involving an employe extorting their boss.

[WriteDown]

23. Could be either way....

Impossible to tell w/o more details.

[Stinky The Clown]

45. You posted in this one thread some of the most moumentally stupid shit I've seen in a while

Almost as stupid as some of the shit I write. But I have to work at being stupid. You seem to have the gift.

[WriteDown]

61. "This one thread...."???

:rofl:

[RobinA]

65. I Reject Your Assumption

that women are incapable of consenting to sex. I had a boss come on to me back in the day. I liked him, but he was married and I have no interest in married men. Had he NOT been married I probably would have run with it. And it would have been 100% consentual. I was 23 at the time and perfectly able to think and decide for myself. Not to say all my decisions at the time would have been good ones, but all my decisions at 51 aren't good ones either.

[WriteDown]

69. And there is the problem....

A LOT of women like the boss. There is an attraction to power and a lot of men can use that to their advantage.

[Warren Stupidity]

15. Way to find the absolutely stupidest angle on this.

And I am an authority on stupid.

[troubledamerican]

33. I'm curious what the political affiliation of the women were...

and if someone was trying to "Jan Schakowsky" Letterman.

[WeekendWarrior]

46. I think that's a pretty irresponsible thing to say

when you only know the barest of details.

[2Design]

48. have you read the articles - or are you just looking to find a place for that hammer of yours or

looking to put out misinformation based on your speculations -

[WriteDown]

62. I have....

Very few details. That's why I merely said I am curious.

[Flaneur]

116. Sex = sexual harassment?

You're reaching.

[liquid diamond]

19. Isn't he married?

What a shame. I had a lot of respect for him. I could never picture Letterman doing something like this. And saying it's consensual or none of my business doesn't change the fact that this guy is an adulterer. Why are people here so lenient when it comes to that shit?

[Arrowhead2k1]

27. Because aldultery isn't a crime. It's between him and his wife.

Besides, he only became officially married earlier this year. I wonder how recent these affairs were.

[liquid diamond]

35. One doesn't have to break the law to commit a fucked up act.

If that's your justification, hey. Didn't Ensign say the same fucking thing about his affair?

[glinda]

50. We don't even know when this was for pete's sake and who cares.....

[Lone_Star_Dem]

37. We have no way of knowing what goes on between he and his mate

I've known couples before who were fine with having sex with other partners. Who am I to say theirs isn't one of those relationships? Not that it's any of my business if it is.

[Hansel]

124. Yes, for 6 months.

It probably happened before that and they were in an on and off again relationship. So I'm not sure adultery is even a issues. Also, she is one of the staff he slept with.

[tomm2thumbs]

24. i do not want to envision his staff-grabbing antics - definitely unworthy of his stature

with his millions in salary, and power and statue at the network, if he can't find another place to dip his pen than the company ink, he needs to leave

un-funny is the only thing this looks like. plain un-funny.

[Hansel]

125. He owns the company so it would be a little hard to leave it.

World Pants Incorporated contracts with CBS to air the David Letterman show. Dave owns it.

[edbermac]

25. Conan strikes!

He's tanking in the ratings and obviously wanted to blackmail Dave and Dave tried to whack him with that 'stunt-gone-wrong' hit job.

But seriously, you're making Palin daughter jokes while bonking your staff members? :wtf:

Maybe you can go on Leno like Hugh Grant did.

[bullwinkle428]

43. Was Dave running around inisting everyone engage in abstinence?

[liberalmuse]

26. This might be shocking to some, but...

humans, even married humans have been known to engage in sex with many partners. The only thing that surprises me is not that Letterman engaged in numerous affairs with some of the people he saw the most during the day, but that he is as cool as I thought he was by fessing up to it and nipping the extortion in the bud. Time to move out of the Puritan age, people. Sex. SEX!!!

[WriteDown]

38. And those people tend to do things like....

bring std's home to their wives. :eyes:

[uncle ray]

81. well, good thing you're not married to Letterman.

you really dodged a bullet there!

[WriteDown]

121. Did not know we could not be concerned about other people...

:eyes:

[girl gone mad]

41. Not shocking, but I definitely lost any respect I had for him.

It's unprofessional and unbecoming of a boss to have sex with the paid staff. A total abuse of authority. I'll be watching Conan from now on. :(

[Algorem]

30. No more Clinton jokes?

[earth mom]

36. Yikes. Love Letterman, but this takes him down several notches in my book.

I wonder if he chased these women around the office like some gnarly old lech.

He should know better and behave better than that! :puke:

[glinda]

49. C'mon. I have worked at lots of places where people have dated. Geeeze.

[2Design]

42. Wow - interesting DU comments - jumping to conclusions based on no facts

There are no facts to say when, how, or where, or why these relationships happened yet there are people on here just hammering away like Republicans - oh well - go watch some other show - the other women could come forward if they want to - who knows they may have moved on 15 or 20 years ago. We have no idea.

[WeekendWarrior]

47. Seems to me this happens all the time around here

Been to a director who shall not be named post lately?

[EFerrari]

51. Too bad Skinner can't cash gratuitous self-righteousness.

He could retire!

lol

[ronnie624]

78. Nothing makes a reactionary more uncomfortable

than thinking about human sexuality.

[EFerrari]

115. That's probably very true. n/t

[Hansel]

126. Seems to be becoming the norm around here.

Pathetic.

[jmondine]

44. Next you'll be telling me that Mick Jagger wasn't monogamous when he was married

[truthisfreedom]

53. Most interesting and entertaining handling of an affair/extortion in history.

I hope he stays married. I hope his fans don't abandon him.

We're sexual people, folks. Shit happens.

[Blandocyte]

54. That's some spendy sex. Hope it rocked his world.

Amazing to what extent the male organ seems to act as a divining rod to sense and move toward situations that will imperil the man it's attached to.

:shrug:

[and-justice-for-all]

55. Oh noes!!! Letterman had Sex!!!1 Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

:eyes:

[FreedomTrain]

113. Yes, with subordinates who depend on him for salary

While his wife was waiting at home. Way to downplay a contemptible act. :eyes:

[Hansel]

127. You have no idea if he was married when this happened

For one thing he has only been married for 6 months. For another, his wife was one of the woman on his staff that he slept with. Clearly before they were married since their son is 6 years old. So it is far more likely that he wasn't married and that he was just dating these woman, just like he was dating his wife before they were married.

Also, their relationship was an on and off again relationship so there might not have been any issue regarding his commitment to his now wife whatsoever.

There is not enough facts out there to draw the conclusions you have drawn.

[and-justice-for-all]

129. PS: I do not give a shit who he had sex with or when...

irrelevant matter...

Now about that health care.

[Buzz Clik]

56. I'm curious about selecting the Singapore Times for this reference....

Not that it's wrong, just odd.

[Turborama]

57. It was the only article about this available on Google News at the time

I saw them reporting it on AC360, made a search on Google News and this came up.

Mystery solved. ;-)

[Buzz Clik]

59. Thanks.

There have been some vague references to this story on DU this morning, and I had no idea what was happening. I searched DU, and this thread popped up first. It was a head-scratcher that a sex scandal involving a late night TV host would be news in Singapore and that this was article of choice.

However, I know how it goes when looking for a solid reference online.

Again, thanks.

[twitomy]

63. What a pig...

Screwing around with subordinates. How many of us would have a job if we did such? Must of taken his cue from Clinton.

[RobinA]

67. Again on This Thread

the assumption that women are just mindless twits who can't think for themselves. Maybe these women WANTED TO HAVE SEX with this very smart, very funny man. Maybe they just wanted a notch in their bedpost with the big guy's name on it. Whatever, women can and do chose to have sex with men who are older, younger, richer, poorer, that they work for, that work for them, who are appropriate, who are inappropriate, for the right reasons, for the wrong reasons...

[twitomy]

68. Your right,

I guess the women are pigs too..

[ronnie624]

73. Not pigs, humans,

and like all humans, women are much more sexual than pigs.

[WriteDown]

75. Not sure about that...

Pigs have huge litters and do it often :).

[ronnie624]

82. Few species are as promiscuous as humans, and the pig is not one of them.

Your disagreement with other posters seems purely gratuitous. You should read more.

[WriteDown]

97. Ah, but you didn't say promiscuous...

you said "sexual."

[ronnie624]

99. I said exactly what I meant.

sexual:

1. Of, relating to, involving, or characteristic of sex, sexuality, the sexes, or the sex organs and their functions.
2. Implying or symbolizing erotic desires or activity.
3. Relating to, produced by, or involving reproduction characterized by the union of male and female gametes: sexual reproduction.

<http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=you%20said%20%22sexual.%22%20%20&fw=2&fc=3&gwp=16>

[WriteDown]

100. Answers.com????

I prefer Merriam Webster

Main Entry: sex·u·al
Pronunciation: \ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl, ˈsek-shəl\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Late Latin sexualis, from Latin sexus sex
Date: 1651
1 : of, relating to, or associated with sex or the sexes <sexual differentiation> <sexual conflict>
2 : having or involving sex <sexual reproduction>


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sexual

Pigs seem to beat us in reproduction. :)

[ronnie624]

101. Answers.com has a more complete definition than Merriam Webster,

but they are essentially the same. From your link:

2 : having or involving sex

[WriteDown]

102. You left out this part

1 : of, relating to, or associated with sex or the sexes <sexual differentiation> <sexual conflict>

Considering how often men are called pigs in relation to sex, then it seems aprapos.

[ronnie624]

103. No, I was using the second definition. I can do that, you know. n/t

[WriteDown]

117. And I used the first definition. Fun times. nt.

[rayofreason]

109. Actually...

...both species of Chimps put us to shame.

[ronnie624]

112. Actually, that is why I said:

"Few species are as promiscuous as humans"

And they don't necessarily put us to shame, they are just more open about it. Cultural and social constrictions usually force humans to wait until no one is looking.

[rayofreason]

120. It is not just cultural

Bonobos have a certain sexual behaviors that is present in all Bonobo groups, and not found in Pan Troglodytes or Humans (who can be seen as the Third Chimpanzee - See Jared Diamond's book). That makes it species-specific behavior. Just like the human behaviors of private sex, art, and cooking food. It is part of our hard wiring, and not cultural, which is quite changeable.

[Xenotime]

72. have you no respect for what Letterman represents?

Who is to say he did anything wrong?

[WriteDown]

74. This one has me scratching my head....

A fatcat with a very large salary? A man with dental problems?

[MissMillie]

66. Since I can't begin to know what happened between Letterman and the women involved

I will say nothing about it.

But the extortion... that's bad news. I love that they got the guy by giving him a fake check.

[cbdo2007]

70. Updates from TMZ - woman involved was his former assistant

www.tmz.com

[WriteDown]

76. Interesting. nt

[uncle ray]

83. interesting

that it appears the extortionist was fucking the girl letterman was fucking, probably causing his own divorce in which he owes child support. but you no doubt have no problem with that guy's choices.

[WriteDown]

98. Even more interesting...

Maybe that is the reason for the blackmail. Maybe he needed child support money.

[xchrom]

77. shocking -- people who work together have affairs.

:eyes:

[bitchkitty]

79. He has a penis?

I'm shocked and disappointed. I used to like him, but now to find out that he not only has a penis, he uses his penis - I've lost all respect for him.

[KansDem]

80. Hey, David! Anyone ever tell you? "Keep your penis out of the payroll"

It's bad enough when folks who work together on a lateral level have affairs, but it's quite a different matter when your objects d'amore are employees that work for you!

[WriteDown]

84. CBS News Producer Accused of Trying to Extort $2M From David Letterman

Source: Fox News

A longtime CBS News producer is accused of attempting to extort $2 million from late night comedian David Letterman, a move that forced the “Late Show” host to confess to his studio audience and millions of viewers that he had engaged in sexual relationships with his female employees for years.

The alleged blackmailer is Robert (Joe) Halderman, a producer of the true-crime show “48 Hours,” current and former staffers of the program told FOXNews.com Friday. Authorities have not yet released the suspect’s name, but network officials confirm that he has been arrested.

“Everyone there has worked with him,” staffers told FOXNews.com of Halderman. “He’s a big deal there. He’s directed news specials that the CBS documentary team has produced, 9/11 stuff, Olympics, just about every big story."

Sources tell FOXNews.com that the nature of Halderman’s assignments would likely have given him access to loads of sensitive information over the years.

Phone calls to Halderman were not returned Friday.

According to a report from MyFOXNY, the woman at the center of the scandal is Halderman's girlfriend and Letterman's former assistant, Stephanie Birkitt. The details of the alleged affair — which reportedly went on for years — were outlined in her diary and through personal correspondence, MyFOXNY reports.....

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559005,00.html?test=faces

---

Now it is getting interesting. Looks like this guy didn't need the money. More vengeance oriented.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

85. Was Stephanie the one who used to shout from off-stage?

[Common Sense Party]

87. I think so.

Wikipedia:

Birkitt started as an intern on the show during spring 1996.<3> After graduation, she worked as a page for CBS News, 48 Hours, and the Late Show, eventually becoming an associate producer on segments for correspondent Erin Moriarty.<3> Deciding she wasn't "much of a news hound", she was hired as a Letterman office worker, helping to handle his charities and his Indy car racing team.<3>

Working with Letterman in this capacity led to her first appearances on The Late Show, in which Letterman would call her in her office during the show. These phone calls eventually led to her interviewing Survivor castoffs, asking them "Did you see or touch any monkeys?" much to the feigned displeasure of Letterman. Birkitt appeared during the "CBS Mailbag" segment numerous times donning costumes, sometimes related to a specific ongoing festival or event.

As herself, she gave on-air reports from the sites of the Winter Olympics in 2002 and in 2006.

In addition to her appearances on the Late Show With David Letterman, Birkitt co-hosts The Tony Mendez Show on the Late Show website.

[wtmusic]

88. Yes - some clips

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/stephanie-birkitt-letterm_n_307558.html

[Poll_Blind]

86. Six months to two years in the slammah is my guess. n/t

PB

[Alcibiades]

89. What a stupid man

Letterman could have paid him off. Or he could have pretended to go along and send this asshole to prison. He never seemed to think that blackmail is a crime for which he could go to prison, and "payback" isn't worth that.

[Dover]

92. Seems like the tabloids would have paid that amount of money for the story.

It is strange that this guy went for the blackmail route. Probably just wanted to see Dave
squirm and grovel.

[Raschel]

93. He just couldn't let it go. That's what happens when your ego gets in the way of common sense.

[Dover]

90. Huffington Post story

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/stephanie-birkitt-letterm_n_307558.html

[robcon]

91. It's disgusting that the blackmailer knew Letterman.

Could you imagine working with a guy who stole $2 million from you?

[hmorehead]

94. 'specialy cuz I ain't got the $2 mil.

[tonekat]

95. Halderman? Wonder if there's any relation

to H.R. "Bob" Halderman (not to be confused with Doug Neidermayer)

[goclark]

96. My thoughts exactly , good old Bob H. nt

[rayofreason]

106. Here is the ABC News version

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/cbs-producer-robert-halderman-allegedly-blackmail-david-letterman/story?id=8730770

Same story. and on CBS

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/02/entertainment/main5358649.shtml?tag=stack

Yep.

Got to triple check, you know.

CBS - News you can trust

[Demeter]

104. What a Dickhead

and I've NEVER used that word before.

[rayofreason]

110. No pun intended? n/t

[Demeter]

111. Sure, Why Not?

[eauclaireliberal]

114. What's really funny is that the producer fcked himself

Adultery isn't a crime, but blackmail and extortion on the other hand...

Dude just put himself out of the business permanently. Dumbass.

[lpbk2713]

128. No matter what any court rules ...

his TV career is over. Faux might pay for a couple of appearances as a 'contributor' but that's about it.

[AsahinaKimi]

131. This may put his ratings though the roof...

:shrug:
just sayin'..

[BrightKnight]

132. I respect that he dealt with the situation directly and

he appears to have changed since he was married. I don't see how it is anybody's business who he slept with before he was married. After he was married it is between Mr. Letterman and his wife.