Letterman Deserves Our Understanding

CLEVELAND - David Letterman had consensual sex with several females on his The Late Show staff over time while engaged to the woman who became his wife. This fact became the genesis of a blackmail scheme authored by a vengeful CBS News producer to extract $2 million from the comic.

Wow.

I'm not saying that Letterman is an innocent and pure victim that deserves endless streams of our sympathy. I'm also not suggesting that it was acceptable to cheat on his girlfriend because she was not yet his wife. But in the five days since his stunning and dramatic revelation of this sordid tale, the media and general public have alternately vilified and defended Letterman for several things and inspired national discussions about the acceptability of sex in the workplace.

Robert "Joe" Halderman, a CBS producer on the show 48 Hours, is the man that threatened to go public with Letterman's sexual escapades in the form of a proposed screenplay which was to highlight the talk-show host's sexual affairs if Letterman didn't pay up. He was soon arrested for extortion and released on bail.

I know we live in a very hypocritical world where everyone acts as though they are perfect. Letterman certainly isn't, as this is only the latest in a stream of gaffes that the 62-year old celebrity has gotten himself involved with. He apologized to his staff and particularly his wife on last night's telecast of his show and seemed sincere and contrite while mastering the fine act of self-deprecation, one of his trademarks.

We need to understand that Letterman didn't sexually assault anyone, nor did he commit adultery. He did cheat on his long-term girlfriend and may have benefited from his position of power to attract young women who wanted to move up the ranks in the entertainment industry. He hasn't been accused of abusing his high rank for sexual favors and he truly seems to regret the hurt he's caused to his colleagues and wife. Taking all these facts together, Letterman shouldn't be repudiated or castigated. He's a human being and as such, he's susceptible to making mistakes and making bad judgments. And let's not forget, Letterman is the one that had the crime committed against him by Halderman. Crazy as it seems, he is a victim.

At least, let's hear all the facts before we stone the man.

Letterman-Palin Story Is Grossly Overblown

CLEVELAND - In today's media-filled, Internet everywhere world, everything gets over reported, mega sensationalized and overreacted to. The current public outcry against comedian and talk-show host David Letterman is no different.

Will this story please go away?

Letterman, 62 has been under a maelstrom of controversy for over a week now as a result of a "tasteless" joke he told about Governor Sarah Palin's daughter last week during one of his opening monologues on The Late Show with David Letterman. In the joke, the legendary host referenced a New York Yankees game that the governor attended with her daughter.

Letterman joked that Palin's daughter got knocked up during the game by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, a comment that has since appalled and disgusted many. As it turns out, Palin was at the game with her 14-year old daughter Willow as opposed to her 18-year old daughter Bristol, who recently gave birth to a child out of wedlock. Letterman apologized, tongue-in-cheek twice last week, then gave a long and more serious mea culpa last night on his show. He has maintained that he incorrectly believed he was telling the joke about the older daughter as opposed to the minor child.

Of course, the holier-than-thou mentality of Sarah Palin has taken center stage since the incident. She has repudiated, denounced and vilified Letterman in the press and has insinuated that he perpetuates sexual abuse of children. She's accused him of making a crude and perverted joke about a child on purpose and has said he's "not to be trusted" around her daughter.

Um, okay.

Palin's righteous indignation is sickening. As a parent, I totally understand her anger and outrage and even though I cross the line into crude and immoral territory constantly on my web series, songs and books, I get that Letterman's humor was over-the-line in this case. It isn't cause to label him as being morally corrupt or a dangerous child sexual predator. It was an error in judgement by a man who has made his living as a comic for some 30 years. In all that time, anyone is bound to have a few foot-in-the-mouth moments.

One of CBS' sponsors have pulled their advertising. There are organizations in place that are calling for Letterman to be fired from his 27-year hosting gig. Really? This is truly not that serious; Don Imus' 2007 misstep was in-line with who he had been for decades. It represented his character and public persona.

This incident is in no way representative of Letterman's character. It doesn't make it right, but it should count for a lot. The man apologized and his offense was certainly not egregious.

Let's be done with this and move on.