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David Letterman

I'm a fan of Dave. Especially back when he was at NBC. In light of his recent admission (on his show) about his actions with other employees. Do you
think this will hurt his ratings? If this gets blown out of proportion will CBS stand by him, or pull the plug?
 
If you think about the event related to Jay Leno's overtaking Dave as most-watched late night host (Hugh Grant appearing as a guest following his prostitution ordeal), it may not be that big of a deal.
 
Team America said:
I'm a fan of Dave. Especially back when he was at NBC. In light of his recent admission (on his show) about his actions with other employees. Do you
think this will hurt his ratings? If this gets blown out of proportion will CBS stand by him, or pull the plug?

The issue is the perfectly proper and acceptable manner in which he handled blackmail attempts against him, not his infidelities which, granted, were not the best idea that he had all day. Whether CBS stands by him or pulls the plug is also pretty much a non-issue. I'm no Letterman fan, but he did what he had to do when push came to shove. I would not want to be person who decided to play clever little cryptic games with him.
 
Ok, I am a Letterman fan: He did the right thing in making it public. He deprived all the sleazy media of a great story. I think most Americans don't care about his sexual habits as long as they are legal. Otherwise it is a family matter. If you liked Dave before you're still gonna like him. If you didn't like him you're not going to like him now, but you may respect him for his honesty.
By the way, didn't his wife work for him?
 
Humping the help has been going on since time began. I'm thinking there were no harassment suits or assault charges, so unless a true crime was committed, I hope this "producer" gets the full sentence.

I'm not sure how this reflects on society or me in general, but why is it after watching Lettermans mea culpa, I come off trusting him more than I do some of my elected officials?
 
therealjm12 said:
I think most Americans don't care about his sexual habits as long as they are legal.

I agree but this is the kicker, were they legal? Was it sexual harassment? If so I can see how a woman could be pushed into a situation where she'd try something like this. Now that doesn't mean she's innocent. Oh no she'd guilty as hell, but so it is Letterman IF it wasn't consenting.

Unfortunately this woman's behaviour is awful for others. Supposes Letterman used his position to get sex out of others. Now he comes across as a total victim and anyone else he may have harassed are screwed.

Now I'm not saying it was sexual harassment, I don't know, but it needs to be looked into.

You can't just say "I used my position to get sex from my staff, but it's fine if that worker is a scum who proved it by blackmailing me."

If it was sexual harassment, he should be fired. In every company I worked for Quid Pro Quo sexual harassment means immediate dismissal.

Now if it was a consenting relationship, well fine that's between the parties involved.

It always amazes me a man of Letterman's fame, means and money can't find someone outside of the workplace have sex or a side relationship with.

So I'm not saying Letterman is at fault, but I don't think he should be cleared till we know if this was an abuse of his position
 
just imagine how this would be handled if it happened in "Your" workplace.... somehow, he will get by with it. people like him are held to a "Different Standard" then the rest of us.
he made "Clinton jokes" for years and jokes about EVERYONE who had sexual affairs so, i guess i'm enjoying the hypocracy the most.
i wonder IF the other "Late Night" shows will have the "guts" to do jokes about Letterman? can you say "Karma".
 
People that work together sometimes sleep with each other.
What a shocking revelation!

In other breaking news, water is wet and the sun rises from the East.
 
Robnoxious said:
People that work together sometimes sleep with each other.
What a shocking revelation!

In other breaking news, water is wet and the sun rises from the East.

This isn't just coworkers. Letterman was sleeping with people that worked for him. When one is a supervisor of the other, it has always been considered inappropriate, and as I said in the Leno thread where this topic has also come up, in the 1990s, NOW nearly succeeded in having such behavior labeled as sexual harassment because it creates a hostile work environment for those not involved in the relationship.
 
I am not a huge David Letterman fan. However, I thought he was extremely honest with the audience and his viewers. It took a lot of guts to tell his story. One could see how really nervous he was. I guess only time will tell what is going to happen next. I am really glad he did not give into the extortionist and exposed him for what a bottom feeder he actually is. This may be a loose comparison, Bob Barker (also CBS) seemed to always do well and bounce back.

Hats off to Dave!

Thanks,
Stuart Greenberg Chapel Hill, North Carolina
 
Sorry, I'm leaving MY hat ON!

Stuart said; "It took a lot of guts to tell his story. "

He HAD to tell it, because if the news got out about this - he would look like the lecherous creep he is.
 
Dave handled it really well on air. He turned a potential tragedy into a humorous story filled with honesty. I can think of no better way to handle this than the way Dave did. Yes he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar (like so many others have). But unlike the others... "Bob Barker and Bill Clinton" come to mind, Dave fessed up. He didn't deny a damn thing. He went on the air and said YES, I've had sex with staff members. No matter what you think of Dave, you've got to at least respect his total honesty.
 
I guess that since 'those people' are in power, it will be covered up and the victims will be villified, as usual. Sympathy for the prepetrator. I am not and have never been a late night show fan of any host/star/moron. If he is so rich and powerful, why would he place himself into such situations?
 
Yes....I respect his honesty. But, w/0 the threat of being blackmailed, do you really believe this would have seen the light of day? Of course not.

Dave needs to go...pure & simple.
 
This whole incident has the potential to be "What- If" to death. What if Paul or other band members knew something was going on that could
of violated CBS Company Policy. But didn't say anything, out of loyalty to Dave. Same goes for Biff, Alan, & other behind the scenes employees.
Now if this does go to trial. All the dirty laundry will be aired for everyone to see. And more than likely will force CBS Management to comment.
 
I used to like Letterman. But in recent years, he has become a crusty old man. The brouhaha over the Sarah Palin jokes brought it all home for me. He has joked about her incessantly since then. Granted, Palin can be "flighty" at times, but Letterman's constant attacks on her are becoming mean-spirited. And I'm not one to use terms like "mean-spirited" very often. And the associated jokes about "fire David Letterman" rallies got old, too. Need a new schtick, Dave. Oh, yeah, you've got one now. People will be watching to see what a trainwreck your show will now become.
 
Actually, the show has been doing great in the ratings, well above Conan, and I think Dave is better than ever myself. He'll easily get by this...it was consensual sex, before he was married. Also, the CBS rules for employees don't apply here. The show is owned by Worldwide Pants, which doesn't have any policy on similar employee behavior, according to the article in today's New York Times.
 
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