Will Stupid Human Tricks Turn Off Letterman's Fans?
David Letterman
David Letterman got out ahead of an embarrassing sex scandal by breaking the news himself  telling viewers Thursday that he did in fact have sexual relations with those women  who  by the way  happened to work for him. And while the CBS host is clearly the victim of a bizarre extortion plot  he has also instantly become a 62-year-old married man with an image problem.
 "Every time he cracks one of those jokes " says former CBS and NBC producer Steve Friedman  "you'll look at him in a different way  won't you?"
 Letterman  who has been doing late-night comedy since 1982  has never marketed himself as a choirboy  but admitting he had sex with subordinates leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions. He was awkward on Thursday's show  veering between angst and subdued humor  as he described the "scary" ordeal of trying to protect himself  his family  the other women -- and his job.
 Ken Sunshine  a veteran public-relations specialist  minimizes the professional fallout for Letterman: "He didn't murder anybody. He was extorted. It's consenting adults. Nobody's accusing him of rape. This is shoplifting  maybe. ... Unless someone accuses him of using his position to forcibly come on to some of the women  to me  it's none of my damn business."
 But the puzzle still has missing pieces. Did 34-year-old Stephanie Birkitt  a Letterman assistant who later moved in with Halderman  get a prominent on-air role because of a relationship with the comedian? Who are the other women? Did any of them feel pressured by Letterman?
 "He's being treated differently because he's a favorite of the press " says Tobe Berkovitz  an associate professor of communication at Boston University. The liberal-leaning media  Berkowitz says  "are cutting him slack they wouldn't if it was a CEO or a senator. It's still abusing your role as a boss." While there may be some sympathy for Letterman because of the extortion scheme  he added  "he's being blackmailed for something he really did do."
 Radio host Don Imus struck a harsher note  telling Fox News that Letterman is "an angry  mean-spirited jerk."
 CBS News began reporting the story online and on the radio Thursday night  including details that had not been confirmed by the parent company. The Letterman saga led Friday's "Early Show" as well as the other network morning shows.
 Letterman's nightly platform requires viewers to see him as a fair-minded jokester. He recently poked fun at South Carolina's governor  saying: "Mark Sanford didn't really enjoy this year's Fourth of July. He left his favorite firecracker in Argentina." In 1997  even before the Monica Lewinsky scandal  Letterman joked about a near-collision involving Air Force One: "Thank God no one was injured  though a flight attendant was thrown from President Clinton's lap."
 And sometimes Letterman goes too far. In June  he apologized to Sarah Palin for a joke about her daughter getting "knocked up" by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. After hesitating for several days  Letterman said: "I told a joke that was beyond flawed  and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception."
Letterman joked about a near-collision involving Air Force One: "Thank God no one was injured  though a flight attendant was thrown from President Clinton's lap."
 And sometimes Letterman goes too far. In June  he apologized to Sarah Palin for a joke about her daughter getting "knocked up" by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. After hesitating for several days  Letterman said: "I told a joke that was beyond flawed  and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception."
 Letterman has been more openly political  and tilted more to the left  in the past year. He savaged John McCain during the campaign for canceling an interview with him and said that Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly "doesn't really care much about telling the truth." Last month  by contrast  he conducted a remarkably friendly interview with President Obama.
 What happens next depends on the course of the investigation  Letterman's handling of new revelations and whether other comics lay off their comrade. CBS clearly has a great deal invested in its late-night star. But it's not hard to come up with a Top Ten List of reasons why Letterman needs to tread carefully.
[TGT] got out ahead of an embarrassing sex scandal by breaking the news [TGT]  telling viewers Thursday that [TGT] did in fact have sexual relations with those women  who  by the way  happened to work for [TGT]. And while the CBS host is clearly the victim of a bizarre extortion plot  [TGT] has also instantly become a 62-year-old married man with an image problem.
 "Every time [TGT] cracks one of those jokes " says former CBS and NBC producer Steve Friedman  "you'll look at [TGT] in a different way  won't you?"
 Letterman  who has been doing late-night comedy since 1982  has never marketed [TGT] as a choirboy  but admitting [TGT] had sex with subordinates leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions. [TGT] was awkward on Thursday's show  veering between angst and subdued humor  as [TGT] described the "scary" ordeal of trying to protect himself  his family  the other women -- and his job.
 Ken Sunshine  a veteran public-relations specialist  minimizes the professional fallout for Letterman: "[TGT] didn't murder anybody. [TGT] was extorted. It's consenting adults. Nobody's accusing [TGT] of rape. This is shoplifting  maybe. ... Unless someone accuses him of using his position to forcibly come on to some of the women  to me  it's none of my damn business."
 But the puzzle still has missing pieces. Did 34-year-old Stephanie Birkitt  a Letterman assistant who later moved in with Halderman  get a prominent on-air role because of a relationship with the comedian? Who are the other women? Did any of them feel pressured by Letterman?
 "He's being treated differently because he's a favorite of the press " says Tobe Berkovitz  an associate professor of communication at Boston University. The liberal-leaning media  Berkowitz says  "are cutting him slack they wouldn't if it was a CEO or a senator. It's still abusing your role as a boss." While there may be some sympathy for Letterman because of the extortion scheme  he added  "he's being blackmailed for something he really did do."
 Radio host Don Imus struck a harsher note  telling Fox News that Letterman is "an angry  mean-spirited jerk."
 CBS News began reporting the story online and on the radio Thursday night  including details that had not been confirmed by the parent company. The Letterman saga led Friday's "Early Show" as well as the other network morning shows.
 Letterman's nightly platform requires viewers to see him as a fair-minded jokester. He recently poked fun at South Carolina's governor  saying: "Mark Sanford didn't really enjoy this year's Fourth of July. He left his favorite firecracker in Argentina." In 1997  even before the Monica Lewinsky scandal  Letterman joked about a near-collision involving Air Force One: "Thank God no one was injured  though a flight attendant was thrown from President Clinton's lap."
 And sometimes Letterman goes too far. In June  he apologized to Sarah Palin for a joke about her daughter getting "knocked up" by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. After hesitating for several days  Letterman said: "I told a joke that was beyond flawed  and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception."
Letterman joked about a near-collision involving Air Force One: "Thank God no one was injured  though a flight attendant was thrown from President Clinton's lap."
 And sometimes Letterman goes too far. In June  he apologized to Sarah Palin for a joke about her daughter getting "knocked up" by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. After hesitating for several days  Letterman said: "I told a joke that was beyond flawed  and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception."
 Letterman has been more openly political  and tilted more to the left  in the past year. He savaged John McCain during the campaign for canceling an interview with him and said that Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly "doesn't really care much about telling the truth." Last month  by contrast  he conducted a remarkably friendly interview with President Obama.
 What happens next depends on the course of the investigation  Letterman's handling of new revelations and whether other comics lay off their comrade. CBS clearly has a great deal invested in its late-night star. But it's not hard to come up with a Top Ten List of reasons why Letterman needs to tread carefully.