David Letterman on extortion attempt: 'I felt menaced by this'

David Letterman found himself in an unusual role Thursday night: the one offering the television confessional, instead of hearing it. In an extraordinary 10-minute-long narrative, Letterman described for his audience a three-week-long ordeal in which a man – later identified as an employee of the CBS news program “48 Hours” – tried to extort $2 million from the comedian in exchange for not revealing sexual liaisons Letterman had with members of his staff.

Letterman said the man first left a package in the back seat of his car, threatening to go public with “terrible, terrible things” that the “Late Show” host has done. “I just want to reiterate how terrifying this moment is,” he said. “Because there’s something very insidious about, is he standing down there, is he hiding under the car? Am I going to get a tap on the shoulder? Because I’m motivated by nothing but guilt. If you know anything about me, I am just a towering mass of Lutheran Midwestern guilt.”

During a subsequent meeting with Letterman’s attorney, the man said he planned to write a screenplay about Letterman unless he coughed up $2 million. After contacting the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Letterman arranged to give the man a fake check.

“This whole thing has been quite scary,” he said. “I had to go downtown to testify before the grand jury and I had to tell them how I was disturbed by this. I was worried for myself, I was worried for my family.  I felt menaced by this. And I had to tell them all of the creepy things that I have done.”

On Thursday afternoon, the man was arrested. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is set to hold a news conference about the matter this morning.

Letterman, who married his longtime girlfriend earlier this year, told his audience what the man had threatened to reveal: “The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who worked for me on this show.”

“Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would,” he said. “Especially for the women. But that’s a decision for them to make.… But what you don’t want is a guy saying, ‘I know you have sex with women so I would like $2 million or I’m going to make trouble for you.’”

“It’s been a very bizarre experience,” he concluded. “I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family, I need to protect myself, hope to protect my job and the friends, everybody, that has been very supportive through this.”

-- Matea Gold

Letterman Top 10 list: Extortion and sex scandal edition

Alleged Letterman extortionist said he needed to 'make a large chunk of money'

Letterman's blackmail scandal boosts ratings 22% 

This image rendered form video shows David Letterman as he tells his story during a taping of his late-night show Thursday Oct. 1, 2009 that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs, and CBS says an employee has been charged with attempted grand larceny in the case. (AP Photo / CBS)

Comments

[jan]

I don't remember him being ordained a priest or even voted in as a politician. Who cares unless they were underage at the time....even if he was supposedly in a committed relationship it's none of our business!

The blackmail is clearly against the law. That's the story here, not a single man's extracurricular activities.

[Nancy]

Wow. A lot of contempt prior to investigation going on here!

[David]

Yes, Letterman cheated. He cheated on the woman who was his girlfriend at the time. He married her just this year. We don't know when these affairs were, if his then-girlfriend knew, whether they were consensual or not, etc. For all we knew Letterman and his girlfriend already had the talk about these women and were trying to move past it when this leech Halderman tries to extort $2 mill. This whole thing is an internal HR matter for CBS, a private company, to decide. What matters is the law was broken, extortion was committed. The drama of Letterman and CBS will play out, but at least we should all semi-admire the guy for going straight to the cops to get this loser Halderman nailed.

[L. Nelson]

Mr. Letterman, thank you for your entertainment efforts all these years. You have made me laugh through many a dark hour.

It is my hope that you are not the kind of individual who would compromise someone (or visa versa) in order to have sex (or extort $$$).

It is my hope that you have faltered (possibly on numerous occassions / and may, very well, do so again) and will do your best to make things and keep things right (like everyone else around town).

It ain't easy being perfect. Good luck to you, your family, friends, and confidants.

Peace ...

[L. Nelson]

P.S. ~
Robert Joel Halderman, who are you, and WTF. NO RESPECT ... same goes for the folks making comments that equate throwing the first stone. Your just like Robert Halderman in my book.

[Laura]

I think anyone who believes that a woman could accuse David Letterman of sexual harassment and ever work in the "business" again is crazy.

Beyond that, they know he is rich enough to have lawyers squelch any attempt. It's clear that this was not a good work environment for women, and that's what bothers a lot of people. No matter how a man justifies it in his own minds, sleeping with your subordinates is sexual harassment and unacceptable, simply because they are your subordinates.

[Dee from Boston]

Artistically, I think David Letterman is brilliant, and I have been a big fan of his for years. As a woman, I find it distasteful that 1) as an employer, he allowed himself to get into this predicament, and 2) that he had to disclose his misbehavior because of threat of extortion. I still consider him brilliant and a comic genius, and I’ll be back to watch his show again. I feel compelled, however, to voice an opinion on two points of behavior regarding this type of situation that I continue to find very disturbing.

I believe that all any performer ever owes the public is a good performance. Nothing more, nothing less. Performers are not the general public’s friends or family, no matter how many years we’ve been watching them, or how nice or unpleasant we think they are. What I’d like to suggest here is that entertainers keep their personal lives private and out of the public eye. I know - what a concept in this day and age of ‘reality TV’. But when 'adults' behave negatively, we are an embarrassment to our children, our partners and/or spouses, our co-workers and friends. If we are behaving inappropriately, you can be sure that it will almost always come back and bite us in the butt, right? So, why tempt fate? We all make mistakes – God knows I have. I try to learn from my errors, and I keep making mistakes until I do learn. It is my hope that all the participants involved in this very public instance will learn from their mistakes, as well.

The other point regards the extortion effort. As a society, we've got to stop allowing ourselves to be so titillated by others' scandals and misfortunes! And we must stop believing that we have a financial right to benefit from other’s mistakes! Do we seriously have nothing better to do with our lives than to read about and relish the misfortunes of others, and then think we should capitalize on those misfortunes, ad nauseum? Is this part of what being an ‘entertainer’ in the 21st-century means? And is this the only kind of 'entertainment' that we can imagine and observe????? I don't think so. In fact, I know it’s not.

I consider myself a liberal independent, and cannot think of anyone more supportive of free speech. But we need to dial up more discretion and decorum, and tone down our libidos and our litigious natures. It's simply too offensive.

[Leslie]

whos business is it who the guy sleeps with? so he had sex with some women that worked for him!! instead of blaming letterman for "abusing his power," why isnt anyone pointing a finger at these women? its not like he raped them!! they are grown up & consenting women. who are probably after a whole lot more than a quick hook up with david letterman. more like a quick hook up with his pocketbook!!!

[mary ann dewes]

there is such a double standard here, it is unbelievable. Listen to how he describes how terrified he is. Remember, it does take 2 to tango, however, this is a most manipulative scenario. Letterman needs to step down as any good and decent person should when he has done something very wrong. I am not trivializing the blackmail attempt, but that has absolutely no bearing here. It does not in anyway make Letterman a victim. We need to teach all future generations a sense of 'right and wrong'.

[JUAN SALINAS]

I am still a big DAVID LETTERMAN fan, so he made a mistake who hasn't.He is still the KING of latenight. THE BEST TO HIS FAMILY...

[Eric]

Mr. Letterman did the right thing in not allowing this extortion to move forward. This should be a calling for all persons out there who think this is a means to get money because you are going through hard times.
Sincerely, Orphaned Children Now Adults

[frank carter]

What's taking so long in running this old guy out off town with his stupid jokes?