Letterman Reveals Affairs,
Shares Extortion Scheme;
'48 Hours' Employee Arrested

David Letterman, host of CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, revealed to his audience Thursday night that he has had affairs with employees and that he was the intended victim of a failed $2 million extortion scheme.

Letterman admitted to the affairs in the process of telling the story of how someone tried to blackmail him out of $2 million, threatening to make the affairs public if he didn't pay up, reports the Associated Press. The talk show host reported the crime to the Manhattan district attorney's office and - through a phony $2 million check and Letterman's help - the criminal was captured.

UPDATE - 7 a.m. Friday: A CBS News employee, who worked on the television show "48 Hours", was arrested for trying to extort Letterman. He has been suspended from his job. Allegedly, about a month ago, the man left a package in Letterman's car that said, "I know that you do some terrible, terrible things and that I can prove that you do some terrible things." The package contained proof of the affairs.

Not much at all has been revealed about the relationships - when they took place, how many, and so forth. "Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family," he told the audience.

Letterman is married to Regina Lasko. They married in March in Montana, where Letterman owns a home. They've been dating since 1986 and have a son, Henry.

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