30 most shocking late night scandals

1. Letterman admits to cheating scandal to defeat his blackmailer

When it comes to “scandals” and “late night television”, I can’t think of a better example than this one. It’s a crazy story, and what separates it from other celebrity scandals is how it was revealed. The celebrity in question, David Letterman, would reveal his own horrible deeds on his own program, rather than having the press push it out to the public first.

Apparently, Letterman was getting frisky behind the scenes. The comedian was having sexual relationships with several different female members of his staff. One of his sexual partners was sharing a home with TV producer Joe Halderman, who caught wind of the affair. Halderman used this information to blackmail Letterman, asking for a $2 million dollar check to keep the story private.

Letterman wasn’t willing to play ball, so he secretly called the authorities. They set up a sting operation which saw Halderman arrested after trying to cash a phony check. After the arrest, the news of Letterman’s activities were becoming public knowledge, but he was ready for this.

On October 5, 2009, Letterman took to his show to talk about the situation personally. He revealed the entire story with the blackmailer, admitting that he was, in fact, cheating on his wife. Letterman then apologized to not only his wife, but his entire staff, live on the air.

Letterman, of course, faced some criticism, but he was for the most part forgiven. It seems his viewers were willing to accept his apology, because of the way he handled the situation. Letterman came clean and took responsibility, and he wouldn’t suffer any serious repercussions for the affairs.