Among the many bits of motherly advice I’ve given my children over the years is included the following injunction: ‘Don’t do anything that will result in you becoming a joke on David Letterman.’ This bit of wisdom was handed down about the time that we all found out just what Monica Lewinski’s internship duties at the Clinton White House entailed.
This week, it came out that David had done what I had warned my children about: He found himself in the unenviable position of being an embarrassing joke on his own show. Faced with a threat from a CBS employee that the world would find out about the incredibly ‘creepy’ things he had done during his tenure as host of a late night talk show, David decided to break the story himself, pulling his audience in w/ a ‘little story’ in which he not only detailed the attempted blackmail attempt, but admitted to sexual liaisons with several female employees during an unnamed point in time.
While I admire David’s honesty (and the clever way he used it) in coming forward and admitting to his misdeeds before someone else could expose him as a lecherous employer, I also have to admit to being extremely disappointed in the behavior that made it necessary. He, of all people, should have known better. And I will have another bit of advice for my daughters: If the opportunity should ever arise, think twice before accepting a job with David Letterman. No one really wants to work with a lecher.
In the meantime, I offer my sympathy to David’s mother on her son’s behavior which resulted in him being a joke on Late Night with David Letterman. If she needs to commiserate with someone who understands how it feels, I suggest that she call Monica’s parents.
