@@everyonelovesmajima Nothing came of it because he was brutally honest about his mistakes. A scandal drags on when the accused denies, deflects or avoids confronting the truth. It causes more speculation and questions. Dave did the smart thing by putting it out there.
Paul's "oh no" was so sincere...He figured out this wasn't a bit way before the audience. I have never seen someone take the power away from someone like this. This an extremely unique moment in tv.
I would be very surprised if Dave didn't give his staff a heads-up that this was coming. I'm sure it wasn't a surprise to Paul. But I'd love to know what Dave was thinking when the audience continued to laugh about it. I actually laughed at home when he said, "Yes, I have" because duh... both his wife Regina & ex Merrill were his co-workers. I thought he was referring to them at the time.
I'm quite sure the entire crew knew this was coming and especially the on air people. These shows are rehearsed daily and this was no surprise to twinkle toes off to the side behind the keyboard.
honesty is a strange thing - even when your a bad person - it redeems you - this is something in life most will never grasp even after hearing seeing results like these - its like holy water to vampires for the vast majority of human beings - they will lie even when there is no reason to lie - its a hard coded anti god thing.... that shit runs deeper and older than recorded history ... make what you want of it but theres something solid there.... real magic...
Yeah I'll be honest I think Letterman's delivery with this was...weird. Not saying he should've gone full UA-camr apology but his dry sarcastic tone does make it seem like he's just joking the entire time and none of this is true
@@justdaffy Yeah the way he kept repeating "terrible things", made it seem like he was mocking what was in the package. He even said "embarrassing terrible things" to clarify at one point. As if they were blackmailing him over singing in the shower or something...
I remember hearing this on the radio when commuting to college. This was discussed maybe for a week and then everyone stopped caring and moved on. Why? Because he owned it. That's all you have to do. I like how he handled it. He did not try to side-step or anything.
I know you posted your comment a long while ago but you (and he, for that matter) could not have used better words - for a celebrity of his caliber to come out, so very eloquently, and admit on public television that he was unfaithful to his wife took tremendous courage - somewhat self-serving - but courageous nonetheless
I don’t buy it. His entire tone, body language, and how often he cracked jokes shows he didn’t really care. He’s legit cracking jokes about cheating on his wife after he admitted it hurt her... didn’t even apologize bro lol
@@rkoistheman You care about Dave's wife because? Oh right, you must be a close friend of him and that's why his mistake changed how you view it, right? Otherwise it'd make no sense to care abou this
I was in the audience at a Letterman show once. They tell you a thousand times before you go in to laugh out loud at every joke. People are so grilled to laugh that they start bursting out laughing everytime there is a pause. I doubt this audience knew what to do nor were they expecting such a serious announcement.
Dave's just naturally funny in his delivery since he's been doing it for so many years. Him saying "all the creepy things I had done" made me chuckle too.
I was at a Letterman show. The literally NEVER said laugh out loud. EVER, not once. They laughed here because the audience was used to Dave joking, and never had he ever done something like this particular event. So that's why..not because they are told to laugh. They were not told to laugh. Maybe you confused a Rosie tapping with a Dave tapping??? Dave's audiences just laughed.
@@Onigirli Not fair and not good advice. Nobody should have "carte blanch" to harm others. And far too many innocents make the mistake of apologizing, which often results in ruined reputations.
The convicted extortionist was Robert "Joe" Halderman, who was roomates with a woman having an affair with Letterman. He read her diary without permission learning about it. Even though the sentence for Grand Larceny could've been up to 15y in jail, he plead guilty, and got 6m in jail, plus probation. He served 4 months and was released. The funny part is, he was nominated for an Emmy whilst serving in prison! He didnt win. Shockingly this didnt blackball him from the industry as he was able to find work afterwards
Man... that crowd went through the whole thing thinking 'ah this is probably a bit' combined with 'this is a hilarious man who says hilarious things and therefore we must laugh at all he says'... they had no idea how to react.
maybe this is where woody first got the idea to cheat on his wife - in a threesome with a paparazzi, no less. maybe thought "hey i can do it and get some applause and laughs too!"
They're just doing their jobs, and Dave knows it but he's uncomfortable because they're laughing at a serious topic and he's not the only one affected by it.
So what do you think he should get? I mean, women who have an extra marital relationship with men usually get to destroy their families, alimony, victimization, the house, the car, the children and condolences...
@@johngalt60it’s so bizarre and cringeworthy to see these robots try to use this as an example of what regular people should do when faced with the same obstacle. Like they can’t understand the simpleness of having an insane power dynamic over everybody around you and a laugh track to follow you around after everything you say. “See guys! This is all you have to do!”..😂 grown adults by the way are the ones trying to use this as an example of how to do the right thing. The world is really insane and it’s so weird/interesting to see how influence/fame can make grown adults (who will really swear that they are intelligent!) act like little sheep robots.
It was an elaborate joke really, on Dave. Two million dollars to keep the joke to himself, who was he kidding. Not mention it can't exactly have been top secret that Dave was sleeping with female staffers, even if the blackmailer kept quiet it wouldn't have plugged all the holes. Coming out with it on TV was the best move. The smart play.
Pleistocene The audience comes off as insane during this. It's really a matter of context, though. When you tell someone that a person is a comedian, their expectation that the person is funny really does most of the work for the comedian. If people are in a mood to laugh, they will laugh. For most of the story they didn't know it was a serious thing that Dave was confessing and by the time it happened I think they didn't know how to process what just happened. But, yeah, they come off as obtuse and insane.
@@JazGalaxy It's like you say. The fact that his delivery is masterful and full of quips right up to the serious point also sets the tone for the audience, and like you say, his actual reveal is met by probably shock and confusion by an audience that doesn't know how to react.
If you have morals, fame would have no impact on sleeping with some old dude. Bring back people having principles. If it's that easy to break your moral code you didn't really have one to begin with!!!! Bunch of degenerates...@TonyEnglandUK
This is a masterclass on how important is to break a scandal yourself. Instead of the headlines being "Letterman allegedly coerces multiple employees into sex" it's "poor ol' Dave is being blackmailed, he almost lost $2M...but the perp got arrested!" - the focus is completely past him cheating on his wife of 20+ years. He handled this so excellently, being sincere but softening the blow, while unreservedly stating he allegations were true - whilst being self-depreciating and charming. It could not have gone any better. By the end, everyone's informed AND on his side. What a gangster!
Nothing to do with how he handled it, media just wasn’t near as big back then and culture was a lot closer to when “hitting women” was a lot more acceptable on tv.
5:22 - I love this moment when Dave tells the audience how much the blackmailer wanted, $2 million - Dave's reaction to the audience shocked reaction is brilliant "was that the foreigners?" - as most Americans would think Dave got a cheap deal, as most blackmailers would ask for a lot more. A lot of foreigners come to see Dave's show.
@@check2000 Even strangrer how creeps defend sexual predators. He wasn't just "sleeping around" you obviously haven't seen newer videos. Well, you probably have but will defend the behviour anyway. Get some dignity and stop defending these creeps.
@@check2000 Groping female co-workers without their permission isn't just sleeping around. You proved his point. \you will defend such behavior if its a celebrity guilty of it but explode when its happening in your daughter's workplace.
I read a book a while ago called “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” and the conclusion the author came to was exactly what Dave did here: If you simply stand up and say “Yeah, I did that, and I’m sorry” that’s really the only course that works every time.
oh shut up for gods sake, people are grown adults and when you spend 8to12 hours a day with people relationships can happen. i flirted with my manager, just because its fun and i ended up having 9 year relationship and moving in together. women dont have affairs and keep their mouths shut about them if they dont feel it was a totally mutual relationship.
Well, now that you're talking about abusing power, do you know what's really awful? That when women have an extra marital relationship, they completely destroy their families, they get alimony, they're awarded with the victim status, they get the house, the car, the children and the condolences and sympathies from friends and relatives because her bastard husband left her all alone while he was out working for her...
they were laughing because 1 they prob didn't expect it to be serious...and 2 he has this deadpan humor ALLLLL the time, everything he says always sounds as if he serious when hes talks BUT its funny
That's kind of how he'd need it to go, as well. It seems like he's handled this in the best way possible with this response (and he delivers it incredibly well in what must be very very hard to say in front of an audience and the nation, when he drops the bomb). I always liked Letterman but this has really impressed me. I only learnt about this today through stories on Jeff Bezos' stand against AMI's blackmailing practices, glad I saw this!
A Man can make a mistake,he can become attracted to a colleague,infatuated even, It can happen,but there was more than one or two women involved with Dave.If he was married to my sister,I would want to stick his head down a dirty toilet bowl. I have wondered,what if that despicable Blackmailer had asked for $20,000,what would Dave have done? Letterman was a super talk show host,but he betrayed his wife,his family more than once.
I think it would have been different if one of the women came forward, but i think a lot of people can empathize. What if someone tried to get money from you with threats of revealing embarrassing things about you? Also, why reward a criminal by making *him* the good guy for outting someone? There's a reason why extortion is against the law.
If he thought, he had to explain anything to the viewers, he could have made it short, straight to the point n serious rather than comic. How humiliating for his wife.
No not really. He clearly should of opened with a statement saying this is not a joke in anyway. The audience was laughing over and over. At no time did he mention this is serious . He knew if he said it the blackmailer would stop, but he clearly played up to the audience laughing so he could downplay It
@@blockchainshark1392 There is not much different he could do regarding the audience even if he would try his best. They are there to laugh. Most of them will take whatever he says as to be something more or less funny
@@blockchainshark1392 I don't think you understand the job of a late night host. His job is to entertain people. Ofc he peppered in jokes in a 9 min monolouge. Why would he tell people not to laugh when that's the entire point? He's try to keep them entertained while also explaining what happened, otherwise it would drag down the entire mood of the show. You can approach serious topics with some degree of levity without it being "downplayed." The two aren't mutually exclusive
Obviously but i dont care if a talkshoe host is cheating on his wife im not his wife, his friend, or his family im a viewer snd this does not matter to me
Sad that he never once mentioned cheating on his wife multiple times. Never apologized , played everyone for a sucker and got to be the victim.....And he was cheered for it. Anyone else in the world would be a cheating piece of crap! If you would cheat and lie to your wife , your one partner in life , you will do it to anyone. I do not feel sorry for that person. Everyone makes mistakes and does bad things , but to cheered for it on national television just shows how upside down this world really is..
But he's Dave and he's funny and lovable... How many times do you suppose he's lambasted people who have done lesser things, if not the same thing as him? He's a creep, he always has been.
To be fair he doesn’t have to apologize to you for cheating on his wife. You do understand that. He doesn’t have to apologize to us for cheating on his wife. He has to apologize to her; and the fact that they are still together leads me to believe he did just that. And that’s really the end of that.
Just Imagine sitting in the audience thinking it's a funny bit, or joke, and Dave is telling you the truth about his affair and a crime committed live on air.
My favorite reaction to this was that of his ex-partner and onetime head writer of Late Night, Merrill Markoe: “Aw, Dave, you said I was the only one you’d ever cheat on.”
I can't help thinking that things would have gone more smoothly if Letterman had begun by saying something like, "You know, ladies and gentlemen, night after night I sit up here, trying to make you laugh, and sometimes I actually succeed, but right now I have something totally serious that I think you need to know about..."
This reminds me of when Jerry Seinfeld, as Dave's guest, brought out Kramer after the whole racial episode that blew up on TMZ. Kramer came out and sat down and was visibly upset, and the first reaction of the audience was to start laughing, because they thought it was a sketch, and Seinfeld said, "Don't laugh, don't laugh."
What is amazing about a man who is in a corner and has no way out confessing to being a serial adulterer in order to save $2 million? He chose the lesser of two evils.
Dave's way of pitching this "story" is interesting, as he waited over 7 and a half minutes into the story before the finally revealed to a stunned audience both in the theater and at home of his affairs with female staff members who worked on his show.
It's amazing how many people seem to feel that it's so "odd" and "disturbing" that the audience kept laughing. They're at a live taping. They're instructed to laugh. Nobody in the audience had any clue how serious the matter was. They were probably expecting it to end with "soooo, long story short, I'll be mowing Paul's front yard for the next year and a half". Or something along those lines. I love the way he presented the matter. Comedically serious and sincere.
Exactly. Dave was making jokes about it, trying to keep it not so serious for his audience’s sake, because he’s a true comedian at heart and he knows they’re there for a good time, not to be brought down by his personal drama. He handled this perfectly just by being himself. So many times we see celebrities attempting to "come clean" for stuff and they will make a video that is so scripted/rehearsed that it only makes things worse for them because everyone knows they’re not being sincere. Dave didn’t fall into that trap. He said what needed to be said and everyone accepted it because it was sincere and real, and then we all moved on. He didn’t need to apologize to the public because he did nothing wrong to us. It was his family and the women he slept with that were owed apologies, and that isn’t something that needed to be done anywhere but in private. Any celebrity that ever finds themselves in a scandal of any kind could learn a lot from Dave here.
@@spiralentree737 For every "bad guy" being caught and brought down... There's 10 others that were just successful with women and/or were engaged in something called "flirtation", and thrown under the bus. The agenda is outlaw heterosexuality. That's the psyop.
@@spiralentree737 For every "bad guy" caught and brought down... There's 10 more guys that were just successful with women, and engaged in something called "flirting". For that crime, their lives were messed with, end even destroyed. Don't be fooled. The world is not better. It is infinitely worse. Even for women. The agenda is to demonize, and then criminalize heterosexuality. That's the psyop.
@@ROZAKRIU yea a real class act fucking young women interns as a dude in a massive position of power, cheating on his wife and family. Super classy. He's a fuckin dirtbag
' _owning up to_ ' *getting caught* , you mean - with his pants down, schlong hanging out, no less. What made it even more unseemly was that he was nightly selling and encouraging others to promote this image of himself as the hapless, somewhat nerdish, clown who never 'got the girl' _meanwhile_ , the creep is backstage porking the crap out of every intern and bitch on his staff who answers to him
this was awesome. finally a public figure who doesn’t try to bullshit their way through a scandal, he was upfront and admitted that he fucked up and he did it on his own.
And nine years ago you hadn’t had to listen to Trump denying demonstrable facts about him for seven years straight, and then trying to sue people for telling the truth (for free!).
Well, in consensual sex among adults, there's nothing for you or me to "condone" or "not condone". It belongs in the realm of the personal and private.
Dave: "I've had sex with co workers." Audience: HAHAHAHAHA Dave: Hey I'm serious Audience: HAHAHAHAHA Me: What the f.. why are you laughing you idiots. Audience: HAHAHAHAHA Me and Dave: Shut Up! Audience: HAHAHAHAHA Me and Dave: OK we're leaving now Audience: HAHAHAHAHA (Lights shut off, crew leaves too) Audience: HAHAHAHAHA (Dave comes into studio next morning) Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
billyfan8305 People laugh in uncertain situations. The audience on a comedic talkshow is primed to laugh at stuff. Also they laughed to ease tension and show support.
@@elputas Uh, not cool when the boss wants sex from the subordinates. The subordinates feel obligated to provide sex to the boss out of fear of losing their jobs. Isn't right, my friend.
Im not too sure what was funny either but Mr.Letterman couldnt have handled the situation any better. Was honest about it and kept it moving. People act like theyve never fucked up before.
I think Dave handled this situation masterfully, he used humor to frame his experience in a way people could identify and easily sympathize with. My sources say the blackmailer was Robert Halderman, a director on "48 hours". He probably used his investigative journalism skills and inside position at CBS to accumulate tons of moderately scandalous material. Dave's been dating that Lasko lady on and off forever. Any sexual details with staffers are bound to be slightly embarassing.
@@Brinta3 No you're actually right. This video was posted on Oct. 2nd 2009. The original comment cannot be from earlier than that. I can find a TMZ article posted on Oct. 1st 2009 saying Halderman was arrested for blackmailing him.
A blackmailer, or extortionist, is someone who finds out something about someone that that someone would rather not become the subject of idle speculation by strangers, and then decides to use said information TO DO SOMEONE HARM. That's why it is a crime. That's why it is evil.
I would be losing my shit if I was letterman, literally said he was being blackmailed for 2 million dollars and the audience applauded, kudos to him for keeping his composure
@@mariedewitt5033 Not really, many top lawyers could have easily constructed a legally binding contract, where Letterman would pay the man the money, but he would have to sign a deal saying he would not reveal the details. If he revealed it, or the details leaked, the man would be nabbed for millions of dollars. This is what top lawyers do, and remember Dave was worth back then around $400 million, he could afford the top lawyers to crush this blackmailer. So, no, it wouldn't have to come out at all.
" hey honey the recording is going just taking so long Im gonna be home late again dont wait for dinner" *clunk" "alright girls now I want you to lie down on each other and hold this banana, and scream cowboy Dave"
Remember that David and his apologists judged and condemned Bristol Palin for being a unwed teenage mother. Now they are telling us to not be judgmental.
Perhaps that's because Bristol Palin and her mother made it a point to lecture others about being intimate before marriage, and she had not one but TWO kids out of wedlock. With two different guys.
It’s clear to me when he’s joking and not, but it could just be because I already knew the situation before watching this and the audience probably didn’t
I cannot believe he turned his affair into a bit and people are applauding him when he basically was abusing his position of power to get sexual gratification. 2 million dollars is a lot but if he wrote a book he'd have made more. Two wrongs don't make a right. Nowadays hosts are cancelled for just being mean. Letterman is still considered a God. 😮💨
He never abused his power. What's interesting is you clearly have not nor has any media source really been concerned with getting opinions from the women involved in the relationships, and it's because none of them had anything impugning to say about the relationships. And also how many women in the industry have to vouch for this guy before people like you stop saying dumb misinformed bullshit it's absurd Julia Roberts, Tina Fey, Cher, Madonna, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Miley Cyrus, Malala Yousafzai and on and on and on I mean it's so stupid how confident you are in a matter you clearly just know absolutely nothing about. Do you just need to have a woke opinion for the sake of your own self-importance? The ironic thing is there are so many actual creeps in Hollywood but so many are jumping on the guy who unequivocally was not if you knew a single thing about the situation. Please do me a favor and have a nice cement sandwich, stop being so vain and toxically pretentious, and go chase that cement sandwich down with a nice tall glass of go fuck yourself
you never see real rawness like this anymore. he flat out said yup i did it so what. and wasnt being rude about it. just admitted it. it really stopped it dead in its tracks at that point.
When people screw up and admit their mistakes people accept it and move on. Shows character. The issue comes when you lie about it and we know you’re lying
A public apology to his wife would've been good, but only because her embarrassment was public. I'm confident he did the right thing by her in private. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Letterman for doing this. He owned it, just like anyone that messes up should. Too bad more celebrities don't have this much bravery. Bravo Mr. Letterman.
Tyler Universe Could you see how scared he was? The apprehension was obvious on his face and in his voice. Condemn him if you want but you cannot deny this took bravery to do on live television.
I'm a fan of Letterman -- I don't want this comment to be (mis)interpreted as spite or hatred -- but he only came forward and 'confessed' because was being blackmailed. In a parallel universe where the lady (Stephanie Birkitt) + her boyfriend (Robert Halderman) just blew it off, or otherwise handled it privately, instead of resorting to blackmail, I don't know that he ever would have faced or dealt with it. Regina (wife) was supposedly not pleased by this 'public apology,' and saw it as hammy schtick.
I think the audience didnt get that he was serious. Thats why the laughed. Cant blame them, who would have expected him exposing himself on his own show
Letterman said it best: I was worried for myself, my family. I felt menaced by this and I had to tell them all of the creepy things that I have done that are gonna be... Now why is that funny? Sometimes audiences need to learn the differences between seriousness and humor.
Well.. He didn't exactly make it serious himself now, did he? Throughout his speech he told it jokingly.. ofc people will laugh when they don't think it's real
Another extramarital affair. I have to admit I have lost count. PS: He handled it smoothly, even the audience did not take it seriously. Well, he is a comedian.
A true Comedic legend.. He can make light out of anything and he really turned the guilt around on the losers who need to get a fucking life and quit looking for dirt on people that are above themselves. Somehow they think it justifies their own flaws. Dave is the a living legend
If anybody wonders what happened, the guy served 4 months in jail, and he got back in show business, courtesy of the Discovery Channel as far as I know.
His constant attempt in making this light with continous jokes is so disrespectful to his wife/girlfriend. Just explain that you were caught CHEATING! And you are a scumbag!!
What a class act. For everyone who posts judgmental comments about him I say take a long hard look at your own life. Everyone has done things that they aren't too proud of doing. Just because you're a celebrity you have the additional burden of millions of people knowing about it. Thank you Dave for having the courage to prosecute.
Humans are robots. They like what they like and they'll defend it to the death. Look at the abortion situation. No remorse. Look at Nazi Germany. Same thing. Serial killers. Theives. People don't feel remorse because remorse hurts and people protect the people they love no matter what they do unless it affects them personally or social pressure becomes too strong against them. Then they change. But only through great personal pressure.
it's kinda scary how people continue laughing as David is closing in on his point, I know they tell you to laugh but at some point it's as creepy as what David is trying to say.
Y is everyone so mad? It ain't rape,it's sex. Ppl cheat everyday but he took a chance by admitting it on TV. Would u do that? I know I wouldn't have the guts to. Loosen up.
What a strange moment in TV history.
Agreed 100%… I can’t believe this isn’t more talked about when historic TV moments are mentioned.. (or maybe it is, I don’t know lol)
@@jasonbrady1464Nothing at all came of this. They were consensual relationships, one of them just happened to be the guy’s wife.
@@everyonelovesmajima Nothing came of it because he was brutally honest about his mistakes. A scandal drags on when the accused denies, deflects or avoids confronting the truth. It causes more speculation and questions. Dave did the smart thing by putting it out there.
Yeah no doubt. I don’t even remember it! And I was a fan of the show!
The Kramer apology was worse
Paul's "oh no" was so sincere...He figured out this wasn't a bit way before the audience. I have never seen someone take the power away from someone like this. This an extremely unique moment in tv.
Was just musing on this. Regardless of what you think of his behaviour, he handled this like a king.
I would be very surprised if Dave didn't give his staff a heads-up that this was coming. I'm sure it wasn't a surprise to Paul. But I'd love to know what Dave was thinking when the audience continued to laugh about it. I actually laughed at home when he said, "Yes, I have" because duh... both his wife Regina & ex Merrill were his co-workers. I thought he was referring to them at the time.
I'm quite sure the entire crew knew this was coming and especially the on air people. These shows are rehearsed daily and this was no surprise to twinkle toes off to the side behind the keyboard.
Paul obviously knew the jist of what David was going to say before the show. This is all rehersed beforehand.
01:40
I have cheated on my wife with multiple women
The audience clap
TF???
honesty is a strange thing - even when your a bad person - it redeems you - this is something in life most will never grasp even after hearing seeing results like these - its like holy water to vampires for the vast majority of human beings - they will lie even when there is no reason to lie - its a hard coded anti god thing.... that shit runs deeper and older than recorded history ... make what you want of it but theres something solid there.... real magic...
I think they still thought it was a bit
Yeah I'll be honest I think Letterman's delivery with this was...weird. Not saying he should've gone full UA-camr apology but his dry sarcastic tone does make it seem like he's just joking the entire time and none of this is true
@@justdaffy Yeah the way he kept repeating "terrible things", made it seem like he was mocking what was in the package. He even said "embarrassing terrible things" to clarify at one point. As if they were blackmailing him over singing in the shower or something...
Where did anyone say he had cheated on his wife?
I think the closest it came was one of the flings did occur while he was engaged, or something.
His impression of the blackmailer sounds just like his Jay Lenno impression.
it was Leno who tried to blackmail him.
@@enstigatorofficial Any proof of this?
Edit: It wasn't Jay, it was a CBS producer.
@@sleepoversnackies5663 a joke. they caught the guy and arrested for blackmail.
@@enstigatorofficial😢
The plot thickens
I remember hearing this on the radio when commuting to college. This was discussed maybe for a week and then everyone stopped caring and moved on. Why? Because he owned it. That's all you have to do. I like how he handled it. He did not try to side-step or anything.
Tom131 I mean and he didn’t rape anybody
I know you posted your comment a long while ago but you (and he, for that matter) could not have used better words - for a celebrity of his caliber to come out, so very eloquently, and admit on public television that he was unfaithful to his wife took tremendous courage - somewhat self-serving - but courageous nonetheless
This would not have been nearly as well received post Luar/Weinstein
I don’t buy it. His entire tone, body language, and how often he cracked jokes shows he didn’t really care. He’s legit cracking jokes about cheating on his wife after he admitted it hurt her... didn’t even apologize bro lol
@@rkoistheman You care about Dave's wife because? Oh right, you must be a close friend of him and that's why his mistake changed how you view it, right?
Otherwise it'd make no sense to care abou this
I was in the audience at a Letterman show once. They tell you a thousand times before you go in to laugh out loud at every joke. People are so grilled to laugh that they start bursting out laughing everytime there is a pause. I doubt this audience knew what to do nor were they expecting such a serious announcement.
I bet they prepared the audience the exact same way for this episode.
Dave's just naturally funny in his delivery since he's been doing it for so many years. Him saying "all the creepy things I had done" made me chuckle too.
Lotta shows do this with their audiences and it's so annoying. Let the moments happen naturally.
@@moccalouHe chose his words carefully. "Creepy" is a funny word and it is hyperbolic given the context.
I was at a Letterman show.
The literally NEVER said laugh out loud. EVER, not once.
They laughed here because the audience was used to Dave joking, and never had he ever done something like this particular event. So that's why..not because they are told to laugh. They were not told to laugh.
Maybe you confused a Rosie tapping with a Dave tapping??? Dave's audiences just laughed.
A simple rule for life: If you screw up, apologize sincerely. If you're accused of doing something wrong and are innocent, DO NOT apologize a bit.
No no no you have to apologize either way. But if you're innocent, you have carte blanche to do the deed you're accused of. Fair?
@@Onigirli Not fair and not good advice. Nobody should have "carte blanch" to harm others. And far too many innocents make the mistake of apologizing, which often results in ruined reputations.
Well, Dave screwed up but I didn't hear any apology in there.
@@jardbinkley3144 that might had happened in private
@@santiagoferrari1973 I was referring to a public one, of course.
The convicted extortionist was Robert "Joe" Halderman, who was roomates with a woman having an affair with Letterman. He read her diary without permission learning about it. Even though the sentence for Grand Larceny could've been up to 15y in jail, he plead guilty, and got 6m in jail, plus probation. He served 4 months and was released. The funny part is, he was nominated for an Emmy whilst serving in prison! He didnt win. Shockingly this didnt blackball him from the industry as he was able to find work afterwards
Man... that crowd went through the whole thing thinking 'ah this is probably a bit' combined with 'this is a hilarious man who says hilarious things and therefore we must laugh at all he says'... they had no idea how to react.
Its so painful to watch
Could see the frustration when he is putting all this out there and they treated it like a skit
Like a less serious version of when Redd Foxx had an actual heart attack and died in front of an audience who thought it was just a joke.
Probably an applause and laugh sign was used. The laughing was completely inappropriate though
I mean he was being purposefully funny throughout the whole story
Imagine being Woody Harrelson backstage, knowing that you had to follow that.
I remember watching this on tv when i was like 15 or something. Weird memory.
He was probably watching that thinking this was the most surreal thing ever
maybe this is where woody first got the idea to cheat on his wife - in a threesome with a paparazzi, no less. maybe thought "hey i can do it and get some applause and laughs too!"
Probably nobody better than woody to handle something like that. He's a wild personality himself.
@@Sharpstonedo😂oo😂poowlr
Only man to get a round of applause for explaining an extra marital relationship (or two).
They're just doing their jobs, and Dave knows it but he's uncomfortable because they're laughing at a serious topic and he's not the only one affected by it.
NPC audience.
Was he married at the time he slept with coworkers?
So what do you think he should get? I mean, women who have an extra marital relationship with men usually get to destroy their families, alimony, victimization, the house, the car, the children and condolences...
@mlouhig1536 He was NOT married. Check it out.
He admitted it right away, and this entire thing disappeared quicker than a bad cold.
Didn't hurt that he was a known liberal. The industry protects its own.
@@johngalt60LMAO what? Please explain your conspiracy concerns
@@johngalt60yes, it’s the liberals who are usually the ones with the scandals… *cough*
What?
@@johngalt60it’s so bizarre and cringeworthy to see these robots try to use this as an example of what regular people should do when faced with the same obstacle. Like they can’t understand the simpleness of having an insane power dynamic over everybody around you and a laugh track to follow you around after everything you say. “See guys! This is all you have to do!”..😂 grown adults by the way are the ones trying to use this as an example of how to do the right thing. The world is really insane and it’s so weird/interesting to see how influence/fame can make grown adults (who will really swear that they are intelligent!) act like little sheep robots.
The audience keep thinking it's all an elaborate joke because that's what they expect.
It was an elaborate joke really, on Dave. Two million dollars to keep the joke to himself, who was he kidding. Not mention it can't exactly have been top secret that Dave was sleeping with female staffers, even if the blackmailer kept quiet it wouldn't have plugged all the holes. Coming out with it on TV was the best move. The smart play.
"i am a towering mass of Lutherin midwestern guilt" *crowd applauds* ... ?
Alessandro Scuderi Lutheran. Crowd applauds because they knew he misspelled it.
Pleistocene The audience comes off as insane during this. It's really a matter of context, though. When you tell someone that a person is a comedian, their expectation that the person is funny really does most of the work for the comedian. If people are in a mood to laugh, they will laugh. For most of the story they didn't know it was a serious thing that Dave was confessing and by the time it happened I think they didn't know how to process what just happened. But, yeah, they come off as obtuse and insane.
@@JazGalaxy It's like you say. The fact that his delivery is masterful and full of quips right up to the serious point also sets the tone for the audience, and like you say, his actual reveal is met by probably shock and confusion by an audience that doesn't know how to react.
"Embarrassing...especially for the women." Like a boss
Amazing how fame allows creepy behaviour a free pass
@@TonyEnglandUK Having sex is creepy?
@@TonyEnglandUK You have no way of knowing whether it was creepy behavior. In fact, that was a creepy comment.
@@TheGreatHorseradish and you're defending creepy behaviou, I wonder why
If you have morals, fame would have no impact on sleeping with some old dude. Bring back people having principles. If it's that easy to break your moral code you didn't really have one to begin with!!!! Bunch of degenerates...@TonyEnglandUK
This is a masterclass on how important is to break a scandal yourself. Instead of the headlines being "Letterman allegedly coerces multiple employees into sex" it's "poor ol' Dave is being blackmailed, he almost lost $2M...but the perp got arrested!" - the focus is completely past him cheating on his wife of 20+ years.
He handled this so excellently, being sincere but softening the blow, while unreservedly stating he allegations were true - whilst being self-depreciating and charming. It could not have gone any better. By the end, everyone's informed AND on his side. What a gangster!
He was never married for more than 20 years
Hell he’s never been married close to 20 years
Yes !
You are a sophisticated individual !!
Thank you !
Would never have guessed that our algorithms were so aligned Jay. Was a good apology but needed more Paaauuull
Nothing to do with how he handled it, media just wasn’t near as big back then and culture was a lot closer to when “hitting women” was a lot more acceptable on tv.
5:22 - I love this moment when Dave tells the audience how much the blackmailer wanted, $2 million - Dave's reaction to the audience shocked reaction is brilliant "was that the foreigners?" - as most Americans would think Dave got a cheap deal, as most blackmailers would ask for a lot more. A lot of foreigners come to see Dave's show.
It's amazing how fame gives creepy, sexual predators a pass.
@@TonyEnglandUK Strange reaction to this video.
@@TonyEnglandUK people sleep around, it happens. get over it.
@@check2000 Even strangrer how creeps defend sexual predators. He wasn't just "sleeping around" you obviously haven't seen newer videos. Well, you probably have but will defend the behviour anyway. Get some dignity and stop defending these creeps.
@@check2000 Groping female co-workers without their permission isn't just sleeping around. You proved his point. \you will defend such behavior if its a celebrity guilty of it but explode when its happening in your daughter's workplace.
This man should be a PR specialist
You realize this is the result of PR crisis management. He had nothing to do with it. NBC took care of it and he read the script.
A crisis communicator.
I read a book a while ago called “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” and the conclusion the author came to was exactly what Dave did here: If you simply stand up and say “Yeah, I did that, and I’m sorry” that’s really the only course that works every time.
Being truthful was best move he made.
I’m glad he admitted it etc and the blackmailer was arrested. But it’s still really awful that he abused his power and hurt his family.
oh shut up for gods sake, people are grown adults and when you spend 8to12 hours a day with people relationships can happen. i flirted with my manager, just because its fun and i ended up having 9 year relationship and moving in together. women dont have affairs and keep their mouths shut about them if they dont feel it was a totally mutual relationship.
@@robinhooduk8255he cheated on his wife
Well, now that you're talking about abusing power, do you know what's really awful? That when women have an extra marital relationship, they completely destroy their families, they get alimony, they're awarded with the victim status, they get the house, the car, the children and the condolences and sympathies from friends and relatives because her bastard husband left her all alone while he was out working for her...
@@curtisholmes9988 It'd be interesting to see if his wife was also cheating on him...
@@wzxr7722 Exactly.
they were laughing because 1 they prob didn't expect it to be serious...and 2 he has this deadpan humor ALLLLL the time, everything he says always sounds as if he serious when hes talks BUT its funny
That's kind of how he'd need it to go, as well. It seems like he's handled this in the best way possible with this response (and he delivers it incredibly well in what must be very very hard to say in front of an audience and the nation, when he drops the bomb). I always liked Letterman but this has really impressed me. I only learnt about this today through stories on Jeff Bezos' stand against AMI's blackmailing practices, glad I saw this!
A Man can make a mistake,he can become attracted to a colleague,infatuated even,
It can happen,but there was more than one or two women involved with Dave.If he was married to my sister,I would want to stick his head down a dirty toilet bowl.
I have wondered,what if that despicable Blackmailer had asked for
$20,000,what would Dave have done?
Letterman was a super talk show host,but he betrayed his wife,his family more than once.
I think they thought the whole time that he was fucking with them and there'd be some funny punchline or something at the end
Yes !!! Brilliant!!!!
It takes some dude to get caught doing this and come out looking like a hero
It didn't come off as looking like a hero, it came off like a comedy bit.
I think it would have been different if one of the women came forward, but i think a lot of people can empathize. What if someone tried to get money from you with threats of revealing embarrassing things about you? Also, why reward a criminal by making *him* the good guy for outting someone? There's a reason why extortion is against the law.
A cheater is no hero of mine
@@saruhh why is this getting comments now after 4 years
If he thought, he had to explain anything to the viewers, he could have made it short, straight to the point n serious rather than comic.
How humiliating for his wife.
You’re projecting.
What a strange audience
Haha they prb made the audience laugh so the situation wouldnt be akward haha
smscandy Like a laugh sign that faces the audience and lights up.
they came expecting comedy so heard what he was saying through that filter.
I mean he was being pretty lighthearted about it at first so it’s pretty clear the audience thought it was a bit of some kind. Really not that deep
they are told when to laugh and applaud dumbfk
Dave handled this the best way possible for someone in his position.
No not really. He clearly should of opened with a statement saying this is not a joke in anyway.
The audience was laughing over and over. At no time did he mention this is serious .
He knew if he said it the blackmailer would stop, but he clearly played up to the audience laughing so he could downplay It
@@blockchainshark1392 There is not much different he could do regarding the audience even if he would try his best. They are there to laugh. Most of them will take whatever he says as to be something more or less funny
@@blockchainshark1392 I don't think you understand the job of a late night host. His job is to entertain people. Ofc he peppered in jokes in a 9 min monolouge. Why would he tell people not to laugh when that's the entire point? He's try to keep them entertained while also explaining what happened, otherwise it would drag down the entire mood of the show. You can approach serious topics with some degree of levity without it being "downplayed." The two aren't mutually exclusive
Lucky he missed the #metoo
Nahh, his job was to shill.
He only told it because he was caught and it would cost him either way
Great insight 🙄
Obviously but i dont care if a talkshoe host is cheating on his wife im not his wife, his friend, or his family im a viewer snd this does not matter to me
He's a sack of shiii and a shill
Yeah, and it was the right thing to do for All the reasons he stated here. 😂 what’s your fuckin point
why are people clapping at Dave having sex with subordinates? This is crazy.
Because they're dumb as 💩
Aesthetics of content, that’s just how it is.
He presented his case masterfully, so he slipped away like freshly cooked Okra.
It's actually not crazy. People have sex. Get over it.
Uhm, sub and dom are very common sexual dynamics. This isn’t a high school teacher banging a student.
@@joshuana514 yep, self righteous talk show pricks have sex with their employees all the time. Get over it!
Does anyone else think it was hilarious that WOODY was his guest that night?
Sad that he never once mentioned cheating on his wife multiple times. Never apologized , played everyone for a sucker and got to be the victim.....And he was cheered for it. Anyone else in the world would be a cheating piece of crap! If you would cheat and lie to your wife , your one partner in life , you will do it to anyone. I do not feel sorry for that person. Everyone makes mistakes and does bad things , but to cheered for it on national television just shows how upside down this world really is..
But he's Dave and he's funny and lovable...
How many times do you suppose he's lambasted people who have done lesser things, if not the same thing as him? He's a creep, he always has been.
To be fair he doesn’t have to apologize to you for cheating on his wife. You do understand that. He doesn’t have to apologize to us for cheating on his wife. He has to apologize to her; and the fact that they are still together leads me to believe he did just that. And that’s really the end of that.
Just Imagine sitting in the audience thinking it's a funny bit, or joke, and Dave is telling you the truth about his affair and a crime committed live on air.
My favorite reaction to this was that of his ex-partner and onetime head writer of Late Night, Merrill Markoe: “Aw, Dave, you said I was the only one you’d ever cheat on.”
I can't help thinking that things would have gone more smoothly if Letterman had begun by saying something like, "You know, ladies and gentlemen, night after night I sit up here, trying to make you laugh, and sometimes I actually succeed, but right now I have something totally serious that I think you need to know about..."
This reminds me of when Jerry Seinfeld, as Dave's guest, brought out Kramer after the whole racial episode that blew up on TMZ. Kramer came out and sat down and was visibly upset, and the first reaction of the audience was to start laughing, because they thought it was a sketch, and Seinfeld said, "Don't laugh, don't laugh."
That video is what brought me here actually
@@lukejap11 This comment is going to take me there now
"Stop laughing, it's not funny"...
Jerry is also a pedophile, so…
@@thisisnotachannelTook the words outta my mouth 😂😂😂
At least Letterman confessed when caught and took responsibility for being flawed vs. so many that deny what they've done.
I didn't know this was a real thing that had happened. And Dave's openness to share this was truly an amazing thing to see. So very well handled.
You respect a piece of 💩 because you are a piece of 💩
What is amazing about a man who is in a corner and has no way out confessing to being a serial adulterer in order to save $2 million? He chose the lesser of two evils.
@@tcudahey9550I agree
"Take the book and read along at the film" lol
Genius from Letterman. Completely fucked the guy who tried to blackmail him.
He also did the same to the women who work for him!
Dave's way of pitching this "story" is interesting, as he waited over 7 and a half minutes into the story before the finally revealed to a stunned audience both in the theater and at home of his affairs with female staff members who worked on his show.
"oh shit we laughed and clapped at this?"
Politicians should be half as transparent!!!
Good point. We all came to this site knowing what to expect and the severity of the matter. The audience had no idea that this was something serious.
It's amazing how many people seem to feel that it's so "odd" and "disturbing" that the audience kept laughing.
They're at a live taping. They're instructed to laugh. Nobody in the audience had any clue how serious the matter was.
They were probably expecting it to end with "soooo, long story short, I'll be mowing Paul's front yard for the next year and a half". Or something along those lines.
I love the way he presented the matter. Comedically serious and sincere.
He could have said at any point,
"Folks, please, this is serious".
He let them laugh.
Exactly. Dave was making jokes about it, trying to keep it not so serious for his audience’s sake, because he’s a true comedian at heart and he knows they’re there for a good time, not to be brought down by his personal drama. He handled this perfectly just by being himself. So many times we see celebrities attempting to "come clean" for stuff and they will make a video that is so scripted/rehearsed that it only makes things worse for them because everyone knows they’re not being sincere. Dave didn’t fall into that trap. He said what needed to be said and everyone accepted it because it was sincere and real, and then we all moved on. He didn’t need to apologize to the public because he did nothing wrong to us. It was his family and the women he slept with that were owed apologies, and that isn’t something that needed to be done anywhere but in private. Any celebrity that ever finds themselves in a scandal of any kind could learn a lot from Dave here.
To all the people berating the audience for laughing, to be fair, he's cracking gags all the way through, what do you expect them to do?
You gotta love Dave for not allowing this to control him. He confronted it dead on and people still respect him for it. Mans man shit.
Watching this in 2023. What a different world we live in today
For the worse.
@@SPaul-us9obfor the better kevin spacy, fox news ceo, bill cosby every guy that abused his power is getting caught
@@spiralentree737 For every "bad guy" being caught and brought down...
There's 10 others that were just successful with women and/or were engaged in something called "flirtation", and thrown under the bus.
The agenda is outlaw heterosexuality.
That's the psyop.
@@spiralentree737 For every "bad guy" caught and brought down...
There's 10 more guys that were just successful with women, and engaged in something called "flirting".
For that crime, their lives were messed with, end even destroyed.
Don't be fooled.
The world is not better.
It is infinitely worse.
Even for women.
The agenda is to demonize, and then criminalize heterosexuality.
That's the psyop.
@@spiralentree737Yet all free still... Not sure about the fox ceo actually.Also not saying they should be (at all).
Well, he's got my respect for publicly announcing it and owning up to his mistakes. I think he handled the entire situation very well.
Why dose its smelly bad?
Dave has always been a class act in my opinion
@@ROZAKRIU yea a real class act fucking young women interns as a dude in a massive position of power, cheating on his wife and family. Super classy. He's a fuckin dirtbag
Youre a joke. Dude is a piece of 💩. Admitting youre gutter trash means nothing. Hes still the same piece of 💩
' _owning up to_ ' *getting caught* , you mean - with his pants down, schlong hanging out, no less. What made it even more unseemly was that he was nightly selling and encouraging others to promote this image of himself as the hapless, somewhat nerdish, clown who never 'got the girl' _meanwhile_ , the creep is backstage porking the crap out of every intern and bitch on his staff who answers to him
this was awesome. finally a public figure who doesn’t try to bullshit their way through a scandal, he was upfront and admitted that he fucked up and he did it on his own.
And nine years ago you hadn’t had to listen to Trump denying demonstrable facts about him for seven years straight, and then trying to sue people for telling the truth (for free!).
He didn't admit it on his own..He was being blackmailed and had no choice. He is an asshat
Please. His abuse of staff and sorry, sordid life is hardly entertainment.
Plenty just do do it. Hes with the other gutter scum. Dudes a piece of 💩
@@mariedewitt5033ok Karen.
While I don’t condone David’s actions, he did take ownership and handled it real well
Well, in consensual sex among adults, there's nothing for you or me to "condone" or "not condone". It belongs in the realm of the personal and private.
His response was epic!!
I see no ring.
This is a living example of why honesty is always the best policy
Let’s not forget the funny delivery
Dave: "I've had sex with co workers."
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
Dave: Hey I'm serious
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
Me: What the f.. why are you laughing you idiots.
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
Me and Dave: Shut Up!
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
Me and Dave: OK we're leaving now
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
(Lights shut off, crew leaves too)
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
(Dave comes into studio next morning)
Audience: HAHAHAHAHA
wow......The audience must not believe him...That's the only way I can account for their response.
billyfan8305 People laugh in uncertain situations. The audience on a comedic talkshow is primed to laugh at stuff. Also they laughed to ease tension and show support.
+billyfan8305 He handled it with pure class.
+billyfan8305 Very similar to the appearance by Michael Richards after his infamous n-word incident. You don't know what is real and what is not.
They're uncomfortable and don't know what's actually jokes and what's serious
1. This was a weird way to present and talk about this situation.
2. Why are people applauding and laughing?
Unbelievable how the crowd applauds.
Well, why not. When you refer to CONSENSUAL SEX AMONG ADULTS as "terrible" or "nasty" that is very funny.
@@elputaswhy are you commenting at every single response similar to this? Chill
@@SkyscannerGuy Cause if feel like it. SO? What is it to you?
@@elputas Uh, not cool when the boss wants sex from the subordinates. The subordinates feel obligated to provide sex to the boss out of fear of losing their jobs. Isn't right, my friend.
@@SkyscannerGuywhy are you reading every comment ? Chill
Im not too sure what was funny either but Mr.Letterman couldnt have handled the situation any better. Was honest about it and kept it moving. People act like theyve never fucked up before.
When Paul Shaffer says “oh no” 🤣
I think Dave handled this situation masterfully, he used humor to frame his experience in a way people could identify and easily sympathize with.
My sources say the blackmailer was Robert Halderman, a director on "48 hours".
He probably used his investigative journalism skills and inside position at CBS to accumulate tons of moderately scandalous material. Dave's been dating that Lasko lady on and off forever. Any sexual details with staffers are bound to be slightly embarassing.
“My sources”
It’s not exactly a secret, it’s even on Halderman’s Wikipedia page.
@@Brinta3 You commented on a post from 13 years ago.
“my sources”
Lmaooo
@@ChaosZero.
You’re right, my comment was unfair. It may not have been public knowledge back then.
@@Brinta3 No you're actually right. This video was posted on Oct. 2nd 2009. The original comment cannot be from earlier than that. I can find a TMZ article posted on Oct. 1st 2009 saying Halderman was arrested for blackmailing him.
A blackmailer, or extortionist, is someone who finds out something about someone that that someone would rather not become the subject of idle speculation by strangers, and then decides to use said information TO DO SOMEONE HARM. That's why it is a crime. That's why it is evil.
That poor philanderer...
I would be losing my shit if I was letterman, literally said he was being blackmailed for 2 million dollars and the audience applauded, kudos to him for keeping his composure
David did well in admitting his mistakes.
He had to, didn't he?
@@mariedewitt5033 Not really, many top lawyers could have easily constructed a legally binding contract, where Letterman would pay the man the money, but he would have to sign a deal saying he would not reveal the details. If he revealed it, or the details leaked, the man would be nabbed for millions of dollars. This is what top lawyers do, and remember Dave was worth back then around $400 million, he could afford the top lawyers to crush this blackmailer. So, no, it wouldn't have to come out at all.
" hey honey the recording is going just taking so long Im gonna be home late again dont wait for dinner" *clunk"
"alright girls now I want you to lie down on each other and hold this banana, and scream cowboy Dave"
Yeah, but he dissipated the whole thing by saying it first and being comedic about it. Lessons in there...
That's what I was wondering. He never said it was while he was married.
Remember that David and his apologists judged and condemned Bristol Palin for being a unwed teenage mother.
Now they are telling us to not be judgmental.
Perhaps that's because Bristol Palin and her mother made it a point to lecture others about being intimate before marriage, and she had not one but TWO kids out of wedlock. With two different guys.
You can't get mad at three audience for laughing when he himself made jokes during the discussion. Either you want to be taken seriously or you don't
It’s clear to me when he’s joking and not, but it could just be because I already knew the situation before watching this and the audience probably didn’t
Fully agree with you - he could have made it clear from the start that it wasn't a joking matter.
I cannot believe he turned his affair into a bit and people are applauding him when he basically was abusing his position of power to get sexual gratification.
2 million dollars is a lot but if he wrote a book he'd have made more. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Nowadays hosts are cancelled for just being mean. Letterman is still considered a God. 😮💨
He never abused his power. What's interesting is you clearly have not nor has any media source really been concerned with getting opinions from the women involved in the relationships, and it's because none of them had anything impugning to say about the relationships. And also how many women in the industry have to vouch for this guy before people like you stop saying dumb misinformed bullshit it's absurd Julia Roberts, Tina Fey, Cher, Madonna, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Miley Cyrus, Malala Yousafzai and on and on and on I mean it's so stupid how confident you are in a matter you clearly just know absolutely nothing about. Do you just need to have a woke opinion for the sake of your own self-importance? The ironic thing is there are so many actual creeps in Hollywood but so many are jumping on the guy who unequivocally was not if you knew a single thing about the situation. Please do me a favor and have a nice cement sandwich, stop being so vain and toxically pretentious, and go chase that cement sandwich down with a nice tall glass of go fuck yourself
And you are mad why? Do you have it in your heart to destroy people for sport like so many in the current culture do? Are those really the good guys ?
you never see real rawness like this anymore. he flat out said yup i did it so what. and wasnt being rude about it. just admitted it. it really stopped it dead in its tracks at that point.
When people screw up and admit their mistakes people accept it and move on. Shows character. The issue comes when you lie about it and we know you’re lying
@@dillionoshea7535 yup totally agree
A public apology to his wife would've been good, but only because her embarrassment was public. I'm confident he did the right thing by her in private. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Letterman for doing this. He owned it, just like anyone that messes up should. Too bad more celebrities don't have this much bravery. Bravo Mr. Letterman.
mike112769
Bravery isn't cheating on your Wife and sorta owning up to it.
Tyler Universe Could you see how scared he was? The apprehension was obvious on his face and in his voice. Condemn him if you want but you cannot deny this took bravery to do on live television.
too bad that's bullshit..
mike112769 he wasn’t married then
I'm a fan of Letterman -- I don't want this comment to be (mis)interpreted as spite or hatred -- but he only came forward and 'confessed' because was being blackmailed. In a parallel universe where the lady (Stephanie Birkitt) + her boyfriend (Robert Halderman) just blew it off, or otherwise handled it privately, instead of resorting to blackmail, I don't know that he ever would have faced or dealt with it. Regina (wife) was supposedly not pleased by this 'public apology,' and saw it as hammy schtick.
I think the audience didnt get that he was serious. Thats why the laughed. Cant blame them, who would have expected him exposing himself on his own show
I know this must of been a horrible moment for him. He handled it well.
Poor piece of 💩
He caused it. Don't have extra marital affairs and you won't get POS's snooping around trying to blackmail you. Be a good husband.
Letterman said it best: I was worried for myself, my family. I felt menaced by this and I had to tell them all of the creepy things that I have done that are gonna be... Now why is that funny? Sometimes audiences need to learn the differences between seriousness and humor.
bigweezey it's how he said "creepy stuff" The entire thing seemed paced for laughs.
Well.. He didn't exactly make it serious himself now, did he? Throughout his speech he told it jokingly.. ofc people will laugh when they don't think it's real
So. The screenplay failed . ❤
Yes, applaud the man that cheated on his wife multiple times
Glad I’m not the only one who finds this whole sequence rather off…
If he'd asked for like 100 grand, he would have gotten it.
"especially for the women"
crowd: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
I'm glad I watched this today.
Another extramarital affair. I have to admit I have lost count.
PS: He handled it smoothly, even the audience did not take it seriously. Well, he is a comedian.
Not an extramarital affair. Quid pro quo with the staff is illegal..Dave should have been fired.
@@horacesheffield7367he had a serious girlfriend for 10 years
The music going to commercial was perfect 😂😂
A true Comedic legend.. He can make light out of anything and he really turned the guilt around on the losers who need to get a fucking life and quit looking for dirt on people that are above themselves. Somehow they think it justifies their own flaws. Dave is the a living legend
The thing I can appreciate is that he recognized that any of the women that participated have every right to talk about it.
If anybody wonders what happened, the guy served 4 months in jail, and he got back in show business, courtesy of the Discovery Channel as far as I know.
The guy was living and in a relationship with an assistant on the show who Letterman was porking on the side.
@@23HF23 wo it was all highschool drama revenge? that adds another layer to it.
Nope, he later worked for fellow convicted criminal James O'Keefe.
Masterclass in how to get in front of an explosive story.
This is disgusting. Why they are laughing
MiaMadeInChina Maybe it's because he's making jokes throughout it and he's a comedian?
MiaMadeInChina They are laughing because they must laugh. there is a sign that tell them when to laugh and when to applaud and when to say woooow
MiaMadeInChina whats disgusting? besides that fact that you let yourself get offended by nonsense
AlexRaGeAHoLiC Uh, no.
They thought it was joke dumbass. They didn't realize he was actually telling the truth
Dave went with the 8 Mile approach. Tell everything to take their power away.
He's talking to Paul Shaffer, the band leader.
What a great way of handling damage control
His constant attempt in making this light with continous jokes is so disrespectful to his wife/girlfriend. Just explain that you were caught CHEATING! And you are a scumbag!!
This is a beautiful speech! Thanks for posting.
What a class act. For everyone who posts judgmental comments about him I say take a long hard look at your own life. Everyone has done things that they aren't too proud of doing. Just because you're a celebrity you have the additional burden of millions of people knowing about it.
Thank you Dave for having the courage to prosecute.
The fact that his next guest is Woody Harrelson is oddly appropriate given the topic of conversation.
Excellent! I love the way he shut down the blackmailer,
This has gotta be a form of insecure laughter on parts of the audience. The other interpretation wouldn't be so flattering.
Humans are robots. They like what they like and they'll defend it to the death. Look at the abortion situation. No remorse. Look at Nazi Germany. Same thing. Serial killers. Theives. People don't feel remorse because remorse hurts and people protect the people they love no matter what they do unless it affects them personally or social pressure becomes too strong against them. Then they change. But only through great personal pressure.
Did you know that while serving his sentence at Rikers Island for larceny Letterman’s blackmailer received an Emmy nomination. 😮
it's kinda scary how people continue laughing as David is closing in on his point, I know they tell you to laugh but at some point it's as creepy as what David is trying to say.
I don't think people knew if he was being serious or not.
Creepy?
That’s the word you went with 😂?
The blackmailer underestimated how willing Dave was to turn his private life into a joke on TV.
I watched this show and thought it was a joke. Good for Dave standing up for himself. Everyone makes mistakes or uses poor judgement ..
Yes, Brian, everyone sleeps with a bunch of women who work for them. Matt Lauer and others were fired for this 🙄
Nah, hes gutter trash.
this was fkn insane
“It would be embarrassing, especially for the women”
Audience-HAHAHA clap clap clap
Amazing moment. I remember this. I was disgusted by his actions but I admired Dave for owning his errors.
Disgusted that a random rich guy you will never meet had sex with someone that wasn’t his wife?
Y is everyone so mad? It ain't rape,it's sex. Ppl cheat everyday but he took a chance by admitting it on TV. Would u do that? I know I wouldn't have the guts to. Loosen up.