On October 1, 2009, David Letterman, host of the Late Show on CBS, told his audience that he had had affairs with Late Show employees and that he was the target of an extortion scheme. Here is a timeline of events leading up to and after that revelation.
- Sept. 9, 2009: Letterman discovers a package inside his car at his Manhattan home. Inside the package is a "one-page screenplay" that details Letterman's sexual affairs and demands a "a large chunk of money." At one point, the letter reads: ""I know that you do some terrible, terrible things and that I can prove you do some terrible things,""
- Soon After: Letterman approaches the New York District Attorney's office. They confirm for Letterman, in no uncertain terms, that he is being blackmailed.
- Mid-September: Letterman and his lawyer allegedly meet with the suspect, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer for CBS's 48 Hours Mystery.
- Mid-September: Letterman, his lawyer and Halderman meet for a second time. During this visit, Letterman's lawyer tapes the conversation and prosecutors from the D.A.'s office listen in.
- Late-September: Letterman, his lawyer and Halderman meet for the last time. Again, the conversation is taped and prosecutors listen in. During this visit, Halderman is given a phony check for $2 million.
- End of September: Halderman allegedly tries to cash the check. He is soon arrested.
- October 1; Letterman decides to reveal the affairs and the extortion plot to his audience.
- October 2: Halderman arrives in court, where he pleads "not guilty" to charges of one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years in prison.
- October 2, Late Night: The polish wears off the apology almost immediately, as rival talk show hosts Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon skewer Letterman with jokes. Conan O'Brien makes no comment - even when prodded by comedian Drew Carey - during The Tonight Show.
- October 3: Halderman refuses to speak to reporters and threatens to call police if they don't leave his property.
- October 6: Letterman apologies again to wife and staff on first day back after revelations. Scores big ratings - 5.7 million viewers - crushing Leno and The Tonight Show.
- October 27: A former writer for Late Night with David Letterman describes in an article for Vanity Fair online how she found the Late Night work environment hostile - even one in which female staffers who had sexual affairs with male employees received preferential treatment.
- November 11: Halderman asks the court to drop his case because, he claims, he was onlytrying to sell a script to Letterman.
What don't we know?:
- The full story, of course, which will slowly be revealed during court proceedings.
- The motive. News reports suggest that Halderman was "desperate" and in "deep debt." Halderman says he is not guilty of the charges.
- How many affairs Letterman had. One? Two? Ten? Does it even matter, regardless of whether you support or oppose Letterman's personal decisions? There is a suggestion that one of the women might be Stephanie Birkitt, a woman who works on the Late Show staff and used to work on 48 Hours. This only because Birkitt lived for some time with Halderman. Birkitt isn't talking, but TMZ.com, that bastion of journalistic integrity, is saying Halderman was in possession of Birkitt's diary and other personal possessions. RadarOnline reported that Birkitt told a friend she is "mortified Halderman is using her fling with Letterman to blackmail her boss."
