David Letterman blackmailed over sleeping with staffers

wow. wonder if this happened after he was married...$2mm extortion plot

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...s-staffers-details-extortion/story?id=8728424

 

David Letterman told the audience of his late night talk show that he had sexual relationships with female members of his staff, and added he forked over a bogus $2 million check as part of an extortion plot on the matter
Letterman, 62, made the confessions to the audience during a taping of "The Late Show" for broadcast Thursday night, according to a statement by Worldwide Pants Inc., Letterman's production company.
"This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," Letterman told his audience, according to the statement. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury."
During that testimony, Letterman acknowledged unspecified sexual relationships with staff members, the Worldwide Pants statement said.

"My response to that [allegation of sexual relationships] is, 'Yes I have.' Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would," Letterman said. "I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family."
Earlier this year, Letterman announced on his show his marriage to his longtime girlfriend, Regina Lasko. The pair have a son, Harry Joseph Letterman, whose impending arrival Letterman announced on his show in 2003.
It's unclear from the Worldwide Pants statement when Letterman's sexual relations with his female staffers occurred.

But according to the statement, Letterman received a package three weeks ago containing a threat to reveal those indiscretions "if Letterman did not pay the individual a large sum of money" -- specified in a later communication as $2 million.
"Letterman said that he referred the matter to the Special Prosecution Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney's office," the Worldwide Pants statement said, "which Letterman said conducted an investigation, which included his issuing a "phony" $2 million check to the individual, and culminated in the individual's arrest earlier today."
Letterman was a longtime bachelor after his first marriage ended in divorce in 1977.
He has had at least one relationship with a co-worker in the past. Merrill Markoe, a comedian and author who was his longtime writer, was his girlfriend in the 1980s.
Even so, Letterman has joked about others' infidelities. Numerous jokes and at least two of Letterman's famous "top ten" lists highlighted South Carolina Gov. Rick Sanford's extramarital affair. Letterman included the "Top Ten Surprising Facts About Mark Sanford" and the "Top Ten Gov. Mark Sanford Excuses" during the days after the governor admitted to having an affair this June.

Letterman has been a fixture on late night network television since 1982 after a short stint with a morning show on NBC. As host of "Late Night" on NBC and then "The Late Show" on CBS, he is second only to Johnny Carson as the longest-running late night host.