# Letterman can't keep his pants zipped. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314 "2009-10-02T03:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/221 "2009-10-06T19:28:12Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > …the many people over the years (many of whom have just been tourists and people on the street) that he’s acted like a jerk to or made fun of and caused to look like rubes and dolts just for the sake of getting a laugh… How about a cite for this part? I’ve been a fan of Letterman practically since his first Late Night show, and although I recall him being a bit more abrasive in the NBC show, I honestly don’t recall him being as much of a jerk as you seem to think he is. If he’s that bad, there must be some YouTube clips you can show me. Are you sure you’re not thinking of Jay Leno, whose “Jaywalking” segments always made me cringe? I admit Jay mainly let those people expose their own idiocy, and wasn’t especially nasty about it, but he was always pretty damn smug. And there’s something rather unpleasant about holding up people as village idiots on national TV, even if they agreed to it. What has Dave done that’s worse than that? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/222 "2009-10-06T19:51:03Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > For any lawyers out there, what are the chances that Letterman will drop the charges against Halderman if he thinks making the diary entries public could further damage his reputation? I’m not a lawyer, but the NYT discusses this as a likely reason for a plea bargain - but not one for dropping the charges. There’s no reason for Letterman to drop the charges at this point since the biggest potential revelation is already public. > [@](#): > > And I have to say, as laughable as it first sounded, I could almost see a jury being convinced that Halderman really was trying to sell a screenplay to Letterman. How? The guy delivered pictures and a diary entry and demanded money in return for not making details of Letterman’s life public. The fact that the details were written up in a screenplay instead of a note made up of letters cut out from a magazine wouldn’t convince anybody. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/223 "2009-10-06T20:05:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > . The fact that the details were written up in a screenplay instead of a note made up of letters cut out from a magazine wouldn’t convince anybody. Depends how good the screenplay is. 😃 By the way, who reported that there were pictures involved? I don’t think I’ve read that anywhere. And, more importantly, how, ahem, “private” were the photos? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/224 "2009-10-06T20:26:34Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > How about a cite for this part? > > I’ve been a fan of Letterman practically since his first Late Night show, and although I recall him being a bit more abrasive in the NBC show, I honestly don’t recall him being as much of a jerk as you seem to think he is. If he’s that bad, there must be some YouTube clips you can show me. > > Are you sure you’re not thinking of Jay Leno, whose “Jaywalking” segments always made me cringe? I admit Jay mainly let those people expose their own idiocy, and wasn’t especially nasty about it, but he was always pretty damn smug. And there’s something rather unpleasant about holding up people as village idiots on national TV, even if they agreed to it. > > What has Dave done that’s worse than that? No, I don’t have cites. These are just things I remember from watching his show occasionally over the years. They were pretty much the same kind of thing that you spoke of with Leno, only in a more cruel vein. Remember how Cher told Letterman she’d avoided his show for so long because she thought he was an asshole? There are reasons why he’s regarded this way, and it is those reasons that I’m talking about. The occasions I’m talking about have generally been times when he felt his guest was being dull and chose to make them look bad in order to make the segment more entertaining, or with tourists and people on the street. I wouldn’t have any idea what to search for on Youtube to find them though. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/225 "2009-10-06T21:14:37Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > By the way, who reported that there were pictures involved? You said the Post had it. And the New York Times had it. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/226 "2009-10-06T21:21:01Z")
Whichever way it goes, Letterman should toss together a screenplay himself. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/227 "2009-10-06T23:29:30Z")
> [@Gotterfunken](#): > > That being said, I’m not sure how he’ll handle the reaction to the blackmail story, since it deals with far more personal and sensitive topics than any of these other stories from Dave’s life. It will be interesting to see how far Letterman is willing to go with his self-deprecating character shtick, which has been a consistent part of his comedy from the beginning. **Mahaloth** ’s link in #209 should answer that. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/228 "2009-10-07T04:03:30Z")
Mixed emotions here, because a **lot** of people may be hurt, but I think some certain politicians could learn a lesson from this. Yeah, I **know** he confessed because of the alleged extortion threat, but still, if ya effed up, OWN it! Thanks, Q ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/229 "2009-10-07T14:16:13Z")
I don’t recall Dave being especially mean to tourists and others in his schtick. Do you mean when they pick someone from the crowd to go into Rupert’s deli to play “name that sandwich” or some stupid thing? Is that being mean? At least they get a deli platter out of the deal (though it’s a much diminished deli platter than it used to be.) … There was one time Dave sent Rupert, wearing an earpiece, out into the streets, and Rupert was to repeat whatever Dave was saying in his ear. So he walked around sounding like an unmedicated schizophrenic and accosting people, asking really idiotic questions, and I had to turn it off. I was actually fearing for Rupert’s safety! But that was years ago, they don’t do that kind of Jackass-thing any more! … And what all this has to do with an extortion plot is beyond me, but I felt I had to put my two cents in about “mean cruel Dave”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/230 "2010-03-10T15:47:27Z")
[Bumping this because the accused blackmailer copped a plea and is looking at six months in prison, along with probation and community service.](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/nyregion/10letterman.html) > [@](#): > > "I attempted to extort $2 million from David Letterman by threatening to disclose personal and private information about him, whether true or false. […] “This so-called [screenplay] treatment was just a thinly veiled threat to ruin Mr. Letterman if he did not pay me a lot of money.” ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/231 "2010-03-10T19:31:22Z")
… **this** came to mind, when I read that, **Marley23**. Y’all enjoy!😉 [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98cjUdHq1Hw) Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314/232 "2010-03-10T21:18:59Z")
Looks like someone gave this thread viagra. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letterman-cant-keep-his-pants-zipped/512314.md?page=11)