Letterman Apologizes, Says He Has “His Work Cut Out” For Himself
Posted by: Wendy Atterberry
Filed in:
entertainment, video
8:30AM, Tuesday October 6th 2009
After last week’s admission that he’d been blackmailed for having sex with former “Late Show” employees, David Letterman issued a mea culpa on last night’s show, apologizing to his staff and to his wife, Regina Lasko. First he delivered a monologue that was funnier than it was awkward, in which he quipped: “Right now, I would give anything to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I get in the car this morning and the navigation lady wasn’t speaking to me. Ouch!” Then Letterman went on to say that he hadn’t thought out how his admission last week would affect his staffers and he apologized for the relentless harassment they’ve endured from the press for the last few days. “I would like to set the record straight,” he said. “No, I am not having sex with these women. Those episodes are in the past. My apologies for subjecting them to that vulnerability and to being browbeaten and humiliated.” This brings up an interesting point: How many current female staffers are now being accused of having a sexual relationship with Dave? How many women who have earned promotions throughout the years are now suspected of having climbed the ranks horizontally? And I wonder if any of them have had any ‘splainin’ to do to their partners at home.
Years ago, when I was in graduate school, I was one of two assistants for the head of my department (a male). During my first year as assistant, my boss began sleeping with the other assistant. Word got around and before long, I was fielding stares in the elevators and whispers when I passed groups of professors and other grad students congregating in the hallways. People heard rumors my boss was sleeping with one of his assistants and they assumed it was me (especially since the other assistant was still legally married when the affair started). It was awkward and embarrassing, and I couldn’t help but wonder if people thought I got special favors (the assistantship, for one, which paid my tuition and a monthly stipend, admission into the PhD program, etc.) because they imagined I was banging the boss. Lucky for me, the assistant he was banging got pregnant, he claimed responsibility, they got married and and five years later they have three children together. All of this is to say: I empathize with Letterman’s female staffers, and I can only imagine how unpleasant and awkward their experience must be under such a public microscope. Letterman was right to apologize to them.
Finally, after he made amends with his staff, Letterman turned the focus to his wife. He said he’s hurt her “horribly” and can only hope to eventually “fix things.” “Let me tell you folks,” he said directly to the camera, “I got my work cut out for me.” Here’s hoping he’s successful. Clip above.
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risatrix
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 07:49 am: [report]
I agree, at least Letterman did decent thing by trying to take the flak away from those who didn’t deserve it. Seems to me he’s doing a better job with the situation than Bill Clinton ever did!
retro chic
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 08:38 am: [report]
I’m sure he is having trouble with his wife, as he should be. While his disclosure and other apologies may have “played” brilliantly – he didn’t apologize to his wife – only about his dog-house status with her. Why couldn’t he just break character for one moment and be genuine and humble. No, that doesn’t play well; and that’s assuming that pseudo apology wasn’t contrived, either. Imo, this was just another selfish ploy for sympathy aimed to mitigate the shady details that are sure to follow. No wife likes to be humiliated – even for events of the past – just to have it be used for legal/professional fodder so publicly. There’s a huge PR machinery at work here folks; I’m sure I’m like many who are not beguiled by him.
Wendy Atterberry
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 10:04 am: [report]
Retro Chic, I don’t think his TV show was necessarily the right forum to apologize TO his wife. I’m sure he’s doing what he can to make amends with her in private as he should. I found him to absolutely be humbled and genuine in the public apology he made to his staff and the acknowledgment that he’s hurt his wife horribly and has his work cut out for him to “fix things.” Remember, it was certainly not his choice to drag his wife through the mud like this years and years after his indiscretions.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 10:09 am: [report]
String him up by his suspenders!
retro chic
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 10:47 am: [report]
Sorry, with all due respect, Wendy, and that’s a lot, he’s primarily all about himself and his vanity around his career. Of course he apologized in private, that goes without saying. Maybe an additional public apology to her would ring hollow or inappropriate to you, I get that. You probably think I’m the perennial house skeptic. Guilty.
And I’m sure he is sincere that he is sorry some of his past has caught up with him and hurt his family, however unwarranted, but unfortunately, it’s an occupational hazard after all. She has been warned for years, and maybe he succeeded briefly in quashing any prior threats, which might include cover-up lies to her. Remember a la Watergate: “It’s not the break-in, but the cover-up that followed.” That may be at the heart of any true discord at home.
What I’m also responding to is a) how any wife is naturally affected (remember, this comes on the heels of maaaannnny indiscretions, scandals and debacles, AND “that’s assuming that pseudo apology wasn’t contrived, either”); and b) how easily people are swayed by well-orchestrated highly crafted corporate/PR moves.
While he may own his own production company, he still has to follow orders from the network who also employs the Defendant. This stuff works for preemptive court appearances with a preconditioned jury drawn from a very public jury pool. He/CBS want a slam dunk with no other legally-damaging dirt to come out by summarily discrediting the Defendant.
I appreciate your belief in him, and I, in fact like his independent personality to take a stand, starting with his initial handling of this, but, there’s whole lot of liability afoot here, and I’m not moved much in these matters. I guess we’ll all stay tuned!... Keep the updates coming, Wendy!
Squidtermz
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 10:53 am: [report]
It is boosting ratings!
retro chic
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 11:16 am: [report]
Absolutely, Squidtermz: make a buck in the process. I forgot that one.