David Letterman's confession tonight..

[sbell111]

So what's the big deal? If he had affairs with some women he worked with, why would the blackmailer think anyone other than his wife (who has been living with him over 20 years but hasn't been his wife all that long) would give a darn enough to make shaking the guy down for $2 million even nominally effective? Something else has to be going on here. Either that or the guy is so ticked off about Letterman having a long-term affair with his girlfriend that he just did something collossally stupid.

It's not so much that other people would care. He thought that Letterman would be so embarrassed by it that he would pay.

Of course, maybe he thought that Letterman would pay to keep his mom from finding out.

 

[lsyorke]

According to Huffington Post, their sexual relationship ended prior to Harry being born and long before Dave got married.

So basically he had a consensual sexual relationship with an adult female during a time when neither of them were in a committed relationship. Perhaps we should save our pitchforks for a better candidate.

Yeah, imagine, an adult male having consensual sex with an adult female and it becomes a "problem" for people.

 

[EMom]

If the guy had followed Letterman's career for any length of time, he'd have realized that Dave's "midwestern Lutheran guilt" complex aside, it goes against his grain to give in to people who are trying to strongarm him or his loved ones. I would have predicted ahead of time that even it embarrassed the crap out of him and wound up costing him viewers, it was not in him to give in to blackmail demands.

He's made no secret of the fact that he never wanted to marry again, half joking that he was such a dismal failure at it the first time. Harry was a huge surprise, but obviously a delight. My sneaking suspicion as to why he finally married the mother is that little Harry got to be school age and started asking when the big event would happen and THAT was Dave's achilles' heel. But that's JMHO.

Now, if he somehow pressured an employee, that's bad stuff. But unless it happened in the past 6 months, he wasn't married. I have no idea what kind of understanding he and Regina Lasko had, but personally, I wouldn't expect a heck of a lot from a man who made it clear for a few decades that there was no way he was going to marry me. He's long had commitment issues and he made no bones about it. If you expect faithfulness from a man who tells you flat out that he cannot and will not commit, then you're not being realistic.

For all we know, Regina was aware (to some degree) of what had happened and "accepted" it to some extent.....at least enough to stay in the realtionship. It happens all the time. I wouldn't put up with it, but that's me. Maybe he never claimed, "I'd never be with another woman," and she had no expectation of such. We have no idea.

Then again, if I'd been one of his employees, I wouldn't have slept with him, knowing he had a very longtime girlfriend. The odds that I'd take her place would be slim and none. Pretty poor odds.

The best thing about this is that maybe between this case and the John Travolta case, a few more blackmailers will hesitate to twist the arms of celebrities. Sometimes they twist back and the blackmailers end up in prison.

 

[Disney Doll]

Extortion is wrong. I must admit I am impressed with the fact the he chose to make this public at the risk of his reputation or job rather than give in to the extorionist.

Forcing an employee to have sex with you or risk losing their job is wrong, so if David Letterman did that to the woman in question, then he is wrong. I assume that his network will deal with that accordingly if that is the case.

Having affairs when you are in a relationship is wrong if one of the members of the relationship thinks it is monogamous. However, if he and his longtime partner/now wife were agreeable to being "open" in their relationship, then David Letterman pursuing other women would not be wrong. Similarly, his longtime partner/now wife pursuing other men would not be wrong, as long as both parties were aware of and agreeable to the rules. If David Letterman was telling his longtime partner/now wife that he was being monogamous/faithful when he was not, then he is wrong. I will leave it to her to decide what to do with the information.

I don't think he's a role model for too many young people these days, other than perhaps his son. He tends to "play" to a more adult audience, in general. now, explaining all this to his son someday may be a problem for him, but, it will be his problem.

 

[ckay87]

I have loved Dave since 1987 and love him even more this morning. You go man...don't take any crap from anyone! I don't believe for a minute that the mother of his child has any illusions that theirs has been a typical relationship. You don't set up house with a man like Dave and expect to be a typical family by any stretch of the imagination. He seems to live his life on his own terms, always.

 

[JessicaR]

If the guy had followed Letterman's career for any length of time, he'd have realized that Dave's "midwestern Lutheran guilt" complex aside, it goes against his grain to give in to people who are trying to strongarm him or his loved ones. I would have predicted ahead of time that even it embarrassed the crap out of him and wound up costing him viewers, it was not in him to give in to blackmail demands.

He's made no secret of the fact that he never wanted to marry again, half joking that he was such a dismal failure at it the first time. Harry was a huge surprise, but obviously a delight. My sneaking suspicion as to why he finally married the mother is that little Harry got to be school age and started asking when the big event would happen and THAT was Dave's achilles' heel. But that's JMHO.

Now, if he somehow pressured an employee, that's bad stuff. But unless it happened in the past 6 months, he wasn't married. I have no idea what kind of understanding he and Regina Lasko had, but personally, I wouldn't expect a heck of a lot from a man who made it clear for a few decades that there was no way he was going to marry me. He's long had commitment issues and he made no bones about it. If you expect faithfulness from a man who tells you flat out that he cannot and will not commit, then you're not being realistic.

For all we know, Regina was aware (to some degree) of what had happened and "accepted" it to some extent.....at least enough to stay in the realtionship. It happens all the time. I wouldn't put up with it, but that's me. Maybe he never claimed, "I'd never be with another woman," and she had no expectation of such. We have no idea.

Then again, if I'd been one of his employees, I wouldn't have slept with him, knowing he had a very longtime girlfriend. The odds that I'd take her place would be slim and none. Pretty poor odds.

The best thing about this is that maybe between this case and the John Travolta case, a few more blackmailers will hesitate to twist the arms of celebrities. Sometimes they twist back and the blackmailers end up in prison.

Great post! I agree with all of it. I hope it deters a few blackmailers too.

 

[sbell111]

now, explaining all this to his son someday may be a problem for him, but, it will be his problem.

I had relationships prior to being married to my wife. I'm not sure that these will ever come up in conversations with my daughter, but if they do, I don't see them as a big deal.

 

[JessicaR]

I had relationships prior to being married to my wife. I'm not sure that these will ever come up in conversations with my daughter, but if they do, I don't see them as a big deal.

You aren't on TV (I don't think?) and your relationships haven't been splayed all over every TV channel.

How old is harry now? I'm thinking old enough to hear 'something' and possibly ask about it.

 

[EMom]

I had relationships prior to being married to my wife. I'm not sure that these will ever come up in conversations with my daughter, but if they do, I don't see them as a big deal.

That's so weird.....That wasn't even my quote that you quoted.......

 

[sbell111]

You aren't on TV (I don't think?) and your relationships haven't been splayed all over every TV channel.

How old is harry now? I'm thinking old enough to hear 'something' and possibly ask about it.

It wouldn't be any different than any father explaining that they had 'girlfriends' prior to the child's mother.

That's so weird.....That wasn't even my quote that you quoted.......

That was weird. I went back and fixed it.

 

[LisaR]

What is the true definition of the word "affair?" In my mind, affair assumes at least one of the participants is married.

I watched Letterman last night and unless my memory is blanking, (which is possible) he never said he was having an affair. He said he had sex with women that worked on the show. Of course, all the headlines say, "Letterman admits to affairs." Maybe it is just semantics.

In any case, as long as he didn't force the females into anything and as long as he didn't use my tax dollars to jet them across the globe (like the politicians do), I don't really care what he does. He is a comedian that I enjoy. He is not my role model.

 

[NY Disney fan]

What is the true definition of the word "affair?" In my mind, affair assumes at least one of the participants is married.

I watched Letterman last night and unless my memory is blanking, (which is possible) he never said he was having an affair. He said he had sex with women that worked on the show. Of course, all the headlines say, "Letterman admits to affairs." Maybe it is just semantics.

Dave L. dated his wife for 23 years before he married her this past March. So unless its ok to cheat on your significant other, its considered an affair. ARTICLE: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267488,00.html

 

[Aisling]

Dave L. dated his wife for 23 years before he married her this past March. So unless its ok to cheat on your significant other, its considered an affair. ARTICLE: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267488,00.html

Would sex with prostitutes be considered affairs? My point is, when he said he had sex with the women, I didn't think of it as "affairs" per se. I see it as cheating on your SO. My definition of affair may not be correct, but I thought it meant something ongoing, not just casual sex with this one and then that one.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Would sex with prostitutes be considered affairs? My point is, when he said he had sex with the women, I didn't think of it as "affairs" per se. I see it as cheating on your SO. My definition of affair may not be correct, but I thought it meant something ongoing, not just casual sex with this one and then that one.

Guess you've never been cheated on. If your boyfriend or husband cheated with a (or many) prostitute would that be considered an affair? I guess only you can answer that one.

 

[TDC Nala]

Personally I don't think it's such a huge stigma to be doing what it's said he did unless you're married. Okay, they're affairs in that he was apparently just hooking up with people while he had a girlfriend of 20 years or more. But I don't see the stigma unless he was married at the time or he knew the women he fooled around with were.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Personally I don't think it's such a huge stigma to be doing what it's said he did unless you're married. Okay, they're affairs in that he was apparently just hooking up with people while he had a girlfriend of 20 years or more. But I don't see the stigma unless he was married at the time or he knew the women he fooled around with were.

So only married couples are worthy of respect? People who are dating/living together (and has kids) are considered "less than" compared to a married couple?

 

[Allison]

Dave L. dated his wife for 23 years before he married her this past March. So unless its ok to cheat on your significant other, its considered an affair. ARTICLE: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267488,00.html

But you have no idea what the details of their relationship were prior to getting married. How do you know he wasn't perfectly up front with her about what to expect from him?

 

[Aisling]

Guess you've never been cheated on. If your boyfriend or husband cheated with a (or many) prostitute would that be considered an affair? I guess only you can answer that one.

I'm fortunate that I haven't been cheated on (that I know of), but I thought affair meant some kind of emotional involvement. A prostitute, or staff members on one night stands, I think of as cheating without an affair.

Either way, I'd be heartbroken if my DH did this to me.

 

[RadioNate]

Dave L. dated his wife for 23 years before he married her this past March. So unless its ok to cheat on your significant other, its considered an affair. ARTICLE: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267488,00.html

I do think sleeping around is cheating BUT we also don't know what his agreement with Regina Lasko was. Were they exclusive? Were they just 'dating.' I get 23 years is a long time but we really aren't privy to his relationship status.

I didn't hear his confession but it seems to be one woman in particular that is at the center of this.

Sure, cheating on your significant other is sleazy but he isn't my significant other so whatever.

I think extortion and blackmail are pretty sleazy too.

 

[sbell111]

Dave L. dated his wife for 23 years before he married her this past March. So unless its ok to cheat on your significant other, its considered an affair.

Whether it was cheating is totally dependant on the relationship he had at the time with Regina Lasko. If, at the time, he had not agreed to be exclusive, it would certainly not be cheating if he saw other women.