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Letterman is likely to survive sex scandal

CBS

Dave Letterman remains the center of tabloid attention and moral outrage after he acknowledged he had affairs with employees.

By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2009

Updated: 10/07/2009 10:37 am

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A powerful and charming 62-year-old boss has sex with young women in his office. Sounds like one of the storylines from "Mad Men."

No, it's the plot of the current real-life drama "Behind the Scenes at the Late Show with David Letterman."

The late-night talk show host's career will probably survive, but it's going to get ugly. Letterman remains the center of tabloid attention and moral outrage from those who see him as a dirty old man.

"I've got my work cut out for me," a self-deprecating Letterman told his supportive studio audience Monday.

Forced to come clean about sexual affairs because a producer for CBS News has been charged with trying to blackmail him for $2 million, Letterman is trying to get his fans in his corner - and he appears to be succeeding so far.

He has defused the tension with humor and apologized for his sins. On Monday, he joked that he might be the first talk show host to be impeached.

Indeed, some conservative columnists, bloggers and pundits are calling for his head. And conservative media research groups such as the Culture and Media Institute are complaining that CBS is letting him off too easy.

Those complaining the loudest aren't Letterman fans. Some haven't forgiven him for Sarah Palin jokes that were in bad taste.

SERIOUS PROBLEM: Having sex with subordinates is a serious transgression for Letterman but all the facts aren't in yet.

The man accused of blackmail, Joe Halderman, 51, an Emmy award-winning producer for "48 Hours," has pleaded not guilty. Letterman has admitted to sex with an undisclosed number of female staff members before his marriage to longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko.

At least two staffers have been romantically linked to Letterman, including Halderman's ex-girlfriend Stephanie Birkitt, who interned on the "Late Show" in 1996 and became Dave's assistant. Another former "Late Show" intern, Holly Hester, told the tabloid gossip site TMZ.com that she had a fling with him in the early 1990s.

Odds of survival appear to be in Letterman's favor. His fans still love him. Even before the scandal he was enjoying his best ratings ever.

And he is a celebrity who never claimed to be virtuous. He is not an elected official who has fallen from grace, such as John Edwards.

SCANDAL SURVIVORS: The public can be forgiving of celebrities caught in sex scandals. Here are three who survived:

• Hugh Grant: In 1995, the charming British film star was busted by cops in Los Angeles for hooking up with hooker Divine Brown. He went on Jay Leno's show and apologized.

• Bill O'Reilly: In 2004, the conservative Fox News star was sued for sexual harassment by a Fox News producer who claimed O'Reilly tried to have weird phone sex with her.

O'Reilly countersued, claiming the case was politically motivated. The case was settled out of court.

• Rob Lowe: In 1988, the current co-star of ABC's "Brothers and Sisters" was caught on a sex tape with two young women, one of whom was 16. Lowe said he met them at a bar (during the Democratic National Convention) and that they lied about their ages.