Late-night hosts poke fun at Letterman

LATE-NIGHT hosts didn’t waste a moment poking fun at the troubles of one of their own, after a CBS newsman was charged with trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million (€1.37m) in a plot that forced the late-night comic toacknowledge having sex with some of the women who have worked for him.

The bizarre case has created a messy legal and professional problem for one of CBS’s most valuable personalities.

Robert J “Joe” Halderman, a producer for the true-crime show 48 Hours Mystery, pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court to one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors said Halderman, who was released after posting $200,000 bail, was desperate and deep in debt.

Jay Leno, Letterman’s longtime late-night rival, kicked off his monologue Friday on NBC: “If you came here tonight for sex with a talk show host, you’ve got the wrong studio.”

It remains to be seen whether Letterman will suffer damage to his career. Letterman has taken over as the king of late-night in the ratings this summer, and last week he beat NBC’s Tonight show host Conan O’Brien for the first time among young viewers.

Friday night’s Late Show was taped in advance on Thursday.

Halderman’s connection to Letterman was not immediately clear, but public records show that until August, he lived in Norwalk, Conn, with Stephanie Birkitt, a 34-year-old woman who works on the Late Show staff and used to work at 48 Hours.

Birkitt was an assistant to Letterman on the Late Show and frequently appeared on camera with the host in comedy bits. Last month, Birkitt moved to Manhattan.

It was unclear how many women were involved with Letterman, 62, who married longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003.

The affairs took place before Letterman’s marriage, said Tom Keaney, spokesman for Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants. Keaney said Letterman “is not in violation” of the company’s harassment policy “and no one has ever raised a complaint against him”.