David Letterman | Scandal, Ratings, Divorce?

Dave Letterman has come a long way since his early days in AM talk radio during the late 60's and early 70's. The face that many could have envisioned being in radio for eternity ended up on TV screens across the country from his early game show and sitcom appearances to a more widespread audience as a guest on the Johny Carson Show in the late 70's. After his marriage to his college sweetheart ended in 1977 Letterman's career slowly started to take shape.

His sarcastic sense of humor and observational comedy was a hit, which eventually lead to his own morning comedy show in 1980 titled The David Letterman Show. That eventually led to the Late Night with David Letterman on NBC following the Johny Carson show. In 1992 when Carson retired, Letterman was overlooked by executives and Jay Leno was given the coveted Tonight Show spot. This led to Letterman defecting to CBS for a lucrative deal and thus in 1993 the Late Show with David Letterman was born.

Since then, some 15+ years later Letterman has never stopped doing what he does best, making people laugh. But increasingly the laughs have become quite uneasy. Below is a clip of David Letterman's apology to his wife Regina (Lasko) and a brief explanation of his conduct to Late Show fans. What prompted such an apology? Well extortion might do the trick.

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Extortion is bad, Letterman makes a great point in that respect, but only in Hollywood does that need to be made clear. Robert Joel Halderman the CBS producer and writer who lived with Letterman's secret lover Stephanie Birkitt allegedly attempted to extort Letterman for 2 million dollars to cover up the affairs. And get this, he may have tried to cash a fake check from Letterman thanks to the help of the FBI. Letterman has made a career over the last 30 years of making fun of people in similar situations, the term "bonehead" comes to mind. His "Top 10" lists are famous for lampooning politicians, celebrities and national figures the world over.

Now that the tables have turned very little has changed, well besides the fact that Letterman will have to hold off on messing around with interns and staffers at least until the divorce rumors subside. There is however some good news, Letterman's rating have really spiked. But like any upturn in rating, such as the reality show John and Kate Plus 8, there is often a steady decline once the smoke clears. J&K+8 saw its ratings nearly double with close to 10 million viewers in its 5th season opener early this year because of the hype surrounding possible affairs and fighting. Which serves as a reminder that entertainment isn't always about quality, at least not in the short term.

Late night talk shows aren't exactly reality TV shows, people tune in to laugh, yet the boost in ratings does indicate that viewers are still intrigued by the hype which continues to surround Letterman. After all, the names of the women he was fooling around with continue to surface. Perhaps a half a dozen women or more may have been subjected to David's overwhelming personality and charm. I mean, Bill Clinton wasn't exactly George Clooney either now was he?

Not that its a major factor or anything but Letterman has only been married since March of this year. Yet his relationship with Regina Lasko as a couple dates back to 1986. The two have a 6 year old son named Harry. At age 62, perhaps Letterman is finally read to settle down, looks like the secret bachelor pad above the Sullivan Theater in which the set of the Late Show resides may have to be boarded up. Or at the very least, let Paul Shaffer have his own "rec room" for those late night benders with the "The World's Most Dangerous Band."