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Margo Howard | 10/09/2009 2:00 pm

A Letterman Update: More Information, More Thoughts, by Margo Howard

Editor’s Note: A longtime journalist, Margo Howard went into the family business (her mother was the fabled Ann Landers) in the 1990s as Dear Prudence. Her broad experience and understanding of human nature provide answers for the troubled — and entertainment for everyone else. Margo’s advice column, Dear Margo, appears twice a week — on Thursdays and Fridays — on wowOwow.com.

Well, now I think Dave has real trouble. It has come to light that the young assistant at the center of the Letterman/Halderman drama was being paid $200,000 a year and was sent to law school, courtesy of Letterman, with the promise that she would become his personal attorney. A guy can always be in the company of his attorney, right? Then it appears she was taken on trips “with the family,” with Regina none the wiser.

Now my guess is the humiliation is too overwhelming to overlook. My earlier thought was that the Lettermans would work it out, but now I ain’t so sure. I still think young Harry is the glue in that marriage, but he wouldn’t be the first kid to go between Mommy’s house and Daddy’s house. Were Regina to write me, I would encourage her to opt out of this humiliating arrangement and, as they say, take the money and run. I have no idea what their prenup says, but he is loaded, and given what’s gone on, her life would continue as lavishly as before. The guilty party is quite evident here … plus, the mother gets the kid, no question.

There is just so much a girl can put up with, and with each revelation he is looking more like a skunk. I wrote my previous piece with the information I had. Knowing what I know now, I am no longer sympathetic. It is quite clear that Dave, like many another middle-aged guy, cannot resist the chase and, alas, 20-some years with one woman has become totally boring to him. A pity. I believe that in any real sense he has already lost the cozy family of three, and if more drek comes out, he may lose his show. Stay tuned.

116 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Lym BO
I dunno. They’re gone along with politicians who don’t have a closet full of skeletons. I watched George Lopez while nursing my last baby & he is funny, but hub said he watched him doing a comedy show & he was foul mouthed. Too bad…
By Lym BO on 10/10/2009 3:35 pm
C jay
Lym - someone was just in my home, and said that exactly! He also mentioned Ferguson, too. Seems were not far off track - because this person who was here, and I, rarely agree! ;-))
By C jay on 10/10/2009 5:32 pm
Frank Somsel

C: Jay Leno is the only good TV comic and host (latenight). Letterman is horrible, Conan, is horrioble, Ferguson is ridiculous. I like Jimmy Kimmel, but never stay up to watch him. Maher and Stewart are loser comics that make a living off bashing Bush. Olberman, Maddow, Mr. Ed, and others at MSLSD are completely in the tank with Obama.

Jay Leno at 10PM just doesn’t blow my skirt up. If he hired new producers and refigured the format, it would have a chance.

If some of you are wondering why I didn’t mention Fox, well they are successful. Just look at these ratings. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/

The old stuff is always better than the new. Johnny Carson, rock n roll, automobiles made out of metal, and parenting.

 

By Frank Somsel on 10/12/2009 12:56 pm
Sally K
I have two words to say:  Jimmy Kimmel.  He’s funny, cute and has great guests.   And,  his ‘security guard/sidekick,Guillermo, is just adorable.  Chubby little cheeks that cry out to be pinched.    OK, that’s more than two words.  Shoot me. 
By Sally K on 10/09/2009 3:13 pm
Anne McElvain
My ex-husband looks a lot like Dave Letterman.  And now, I can see that these two men have a whole lot more in common than their looks.  Infidelity is not a crime in this country, but David will have a big price to pay, just as my husband did.  The blackmailer, however, deserves the punishment that’s coming to him.  Trying to squeeze money out of a guy to keep his secrets is reprehensible. I’m glad Dave chose to go through the firestorm and scandal of the "secrets" rather than spend the rest of his life paying off a worm like that producer.
By Anne McElvain on 10/09/2009 3:19 pm
elaine s
Yes, paying off a worm for the rest of his life would have been a big mistake.  Still, Letterman will likely end up divorced and certainly end up with countless turned off viewers, who will no longer view him.  He said it best…he is a creep.
By elaine s on 10/09/2009 3:32 pm
Patricia Sprofera
I was a fan of David Letterman and attended a taping of "Late Night," in the late 1990’s.  I stopped watching the program after his disrespectful remarks about our former New York Governor’s spouse, Silda Spitzer.  As I was turning of my television set, I remember thinking, "what goes around, comes around."
By Patricia Sprofera on 10/09/2009 3:49 pm
Lee Harrison
I’m not defending Dave…he’s indefensible.  But what’s with these women?  I have no problem with live-in arrangements…but they come with risks.  And what kind of a girl would have the nerve to travel with the guy’s family while she’s the "other woman?"  Either he has magic appeal or they’re gold diggers.
By Lee Harrison on 10/09/2009 3:53 pm
elaine s
The kind of girl who would travel with the guy’s family while she’s the other woman, or who would keep a diary of the affair in her live in boyfrined’s house, or who would have Letterman drive her home, to the live in boyfriend’s home, and neck in the driveway with Dave, must be  a real thrill seeker, somewhat sadistic, and ultimately very self destructive. 
By elaine s on 10/09/2009 4:12 pm
Laura Ward
No wonder the extortionist was mad when he found out the woman he lived with was having an affair with her boss. Regina was hurt thinking this was a business relationship. But Regina still should have known having known Letterman for 20 years because she met him at work too. Only Regina can figure out if she can live like this. Depends on how much she loves Letterman. She sure waited long enough for him. Me? I’d dump Letterman, make him pay, take my son and find a better guy. No need to live with someone who’ll probably do it again. Regina only had seven months where she thought she had a marriage.
By Laura Ward on 10/09/2009 4:29 pm
C jay
"Sounds like … " and it all bring the man more fame - during his dropping ratings. It’s beyond me, now.
By C jay on 10/10/2009 5:34 pm
Kathy Lee
I just think this is totally hilarious.  If it is Davey boy’s business, then stop joking about it on the air to get a few laughs.  It’s not funny, wonder if he would laugh if the shoe was on the other foot and someone has done him wrong.  A great quote above "what goes around comes around".  Maybe it’s time Davey boy stops being such a hypocrite, let’s see just how funny he is now when he tries to tell jokes about other men who have done the same as he now!  I hope Sarah Palin is laughing her "you know what" off!  Ouch!
By Kathy Lee on 10/09/2009 4:33 pm
C jay

Kathy, what always seems to surprise me, as I AGE, is how much alike people are who slam one another - almost as if one despised oneself - thus what that perceived mirror-image popped up, WHAM.

In the case of comedians (or whatever they view themselves as on paper), it may be sick writers, but their masters are not puppets.

By C jay on 10/10/2009 5:38 pm
Kathy Lee

C Jay,

I couldn’t agree with you more, how do you stand in front of an audience and bash someone who is doing the same as you?  Do you think he ever thought that maybe I shouldn’t say this because I’m doing it too?  Evidently not.  It will be interesting now how his writers will have to change their writings and not ridicule men or women having affairs.  Gee, what will he joke about now?  I don’t watch Davey, so I really probably shouldn’t be commenting, but from just the clips I have heard on TV and the two or three threads on Wow, I see him as one big slimy, creepy,  hypocrite.  :-)

By Kathy Lee on 10/10/2009 9:15 pm
C jay

Kathy, sociopaths are all around us, increasingly so in fact. They’re adept at being the supreme moralists, and bashing their own images - without a consicience; dangerous people. The writers are not much different when they perpetuate sickness for money.

Letterman slid into the coal bin with me in the late 90s - he’s aged terribly in that regard, almost desperate to prove himself - on the tube and to others (himself?). That is not what I want from any communication medium, thus, I agree with you - but remember, people like him are everywhere, and the numbers are growing the past 10 years in America.

By C jay on 10/11/2009 10:15 am