Over the past week or so I’ve been watching the David Letterman extortion/scandal on television. I applaud his moxie in going public with the extortion attempt. Extortionists are unreliable liars. If you give in to their demands they may go away after many payments or they may bleed you dry. They may even release the information, pictures or videos or whatever it is they are using to extort. So for this, I say, “kudos to you Dave.”
Not Joke Appropriate
I realize that David Letterman is a comedian and he has made a very good living writing for and producing comedies. He is quite adept at making jokes and poking fun at people and situations. However, the infidelity issues surrounding Letterman and his staff are not joke appropriate – at least not by him. Here’s my problem with Letterman and this whole scenario:
Infidelity is not a joke and it’s certainly not funny to the spouse. While Letterman was doing his routine about the women on his staff with whom he had sex, I’m sure his wife was embarrassed and hurt. At first it was said that Letterman was not married when these office affairs happened and that may or may not be so; however, he has been in a relationship with Regina Lasko for more than 20 years, so at the very least he’s a cheater.
Sex with the boss raises all sorts of red flags and questions. Was it really consensual? Was it sexual harassment? Were any of the women worried about losing their jobs before, during or after their affairs? Were any of the women involved given undeserved raises, bonuses or promotions as a result of being intimate with Letterman.
That Lame Public Apology to His Wife
I don’t know what kind of apology Letterman made to his wife in the privacy of their home. But, the public apology he made was lame, pathetic and unconvincing. There are several problems with his so called apology:
- What woman wants a public apology between jokes. Where’s the sincerity (real or not), where’s the contrition?
- The first two minutes of his “apology” was directed to his staff. Letterman said it never occurred to him that his staff would be brow beaten and humiliated about his behavior. Why was it important for him to apologize to the staff first? Are they more important than his wife?
- The second apology, the one to his wife, was all of 26 seconds: “She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it.” That’s it? That kind of groveling won’t get him far. If he thought it was cold at home before this public apology, I’ll bet he had a reality check when he got home after the apology. His apologies illustrate where his priorities are.
I am well aware that this whole thing is supposed to be about the extortion. But just like a movie, sometimes the side story is more interesting than the main story. It is apparent to me that Letterman has little to no respect for women, especially his wife. His public apology comes off as an after thought. Dave has a lot to learn about women.
