A former female Late Show intern who spoke to EW exclusively said that David Letterman was “a good boss” and that the latenight show was a “great place to work.” The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she never saw any inappropriate behavior from Letterman toward female staff members. “Dave was pretty regimented in his work day,” the woman said of her three-month stint. “He came in late and then left later after the show. You never saw much of him.”
She continued, “I’ve talked to other former interns and we all discussed how loyal everyone is to Dave. Since I was an intern there, the staff turnover has been minimal. Every single person I worked with there is still there. Working there is a privilege, because it’s Dave out there every single night, and he’s the face of the show. Everyone wants to do their very best for him, whether they saw him on a daily basis. No one was harder on the show than Dave himself.”
Though the former intern was “disappointed” to hear about Letterman’s indiscretions with staff members (“You never want to hear about the skeletons in someone’s closet”), she said she wasn’t surprised by his decision to go public with the affairs. “It was keeping in line with who he is and how he’s handled many situations over the years, from his heart surgery to the birth of his child,” she said. ” He sees his show as a forum to air whatever is going on his life and whatever he’s feeling. It’s weird to say that a man who just admitted to having multiple affairs with employees has maintained some integrity, but I feel he has.”
For more about Letterman, pick up the current issue of EW.
Comments (1-15) of 108 Add your comment
well, i’m sure dave didn’t sleep with all of his interns lol
Hell, I would sleep with his interns
Memo to maiv: Ya never know . . .
Hey, at least he’s not President!
hahahahah maybe this Intern wasn’t good enough or didn’t look good.
Interns keep it rolling and continue on sleeping with Dave. He is darn funny though and his show rocks…
Only uneducated OLD people think Letterman is funny.
Well I’m 16, and I think he’s hilarious. (Along with several people I know– also my age)
No-the uneducated ones go for Leno.
I’m neither uneducated nor old, and Dave’s been my favorite late night host since I WAS uneducated (and obviously still not old). So what now?
I think he’s funny so I’ll try not to take this as an insult *wink*
“They don’t give these shows to chimps”..nor unfunny people (oh wait, Jay’s got a show). Dave was funny when he started, funny 10 years ago and funny as hell now. He’s been at this for 30 years and still going strong. He’s a legend among his peers. I’d like to know if the people you consider funny has a legacy that comes close.
I’m 29, not old, and I’m educated and I love David Letterman. I think he’s funny.
Nina – that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen on an EW comment page. And I’ve read American Idol comment pages…Hope you enjoy Leno’s cutting edge, razor sharp wit!
Dave was a single celebrity doing what they do. I doubt anyone with any fame does not from time to time bask in the adulation and affection of a fan/co-worker/friend.
He has tried to be honorable in this silly mess, and now apparently is playing it for the farce it is.
His wife is the only one who has any right to be upset (she is), ON THE OTHER HAND: She used to work on the show! That’s how he met his wife! So, while NOW wants to brand Dave a hostile employer (while no one has EVER filed a complaint against him) they may want to check the facts. Boys and girls like to have sex. Girls really like famous boys, and boys really like famous girls. All talk of harassment is coming from puritanical nut bags or the alleged extortionists lawyer.
One thing is for sure: you can bet Dave won’t poach on another guys girlfriend (who was originally his girlfriend) again.
Amen to that…
Yup I really wonder why NOW or anybody else for that matter didn’t make a stink when Dave married Merill Markoe back during the days of his old NBC show and recently when he married Regina.
I’ll tell ya why. These pinheads don’t have the capacity to think for themselves so they need trashy headlines to form opinions for them. It’s simple really..all these trashy tabloid shows and media outlets won’t focus on what really is the heart of this story, which is extortion, because it isn’t dirty enough so they have to find a more sensational angle by putting the focus on the transgressions of the most famous person involved. They paint a picture of Dave based purely on conjecture and speculation because really what else do they have to go on? Other than Dave’s admittance of sex with co-workers there has been no facts released to suggest sexual harassment or anything worse. And people with no minds take it as news. It’s alarming how many gullible people there are in the world.
He never married Merill Markoe.
well spoken fritz
PS: we do our job BECAUSE of that adulation and affection !
Who cares who he slept with? It is his business. It was only his business before his marriage, however it would have been better it he had not slept with another person while living with his now wife, that may have been one reason that he was not married at the time! But it is only his and now his wife’s business, no one elses! What man honestly has not had the desire to have sex with some other woman outside of his home life? I honestly don’t beleive that there is any man (with the exception of the late Rev. Billy Graham) who has not had some desire (and almost all have acted on those desires) outside their home life.
Normally, I would say “who cares?” too, but this is a case of a guy sleeping with people *who work for him*. That’s an abuse of power.
It’s not an abuse of power, though; if the woman approaches him, it’s consensual, and it’s on their ‘own time’ and not at work.
This is not an abuse of power. It is a history of inter-office consensual relationships. Stop assuming you know anything personal as to what transpired.
It is abuse of power because this women got better jobs than other women at work because they slept with him. He was unfaithful to his wife, married or not married he has no moral values. Maybe he is an excellent comedian, showmaker, whatever but come on women! The message here is that he can get an harem just because he is famous.
The last I knew, Billy Graham was still alive.
Is it just me, or does this situation with Letterman remind you of Tim Allen from Home Improvement? Always bringing up situations from home on the show.
This whole thing is nobody’s business but David’s and his wife’s. As long as he’ll keep on making me laugh on his show, that’s all that matters to me.
well stated
I guess Sarah Palin was right after all when she said you wouldn’t want your daughter around Letterman.
Sarah Palin’s daughter? Ha ha ha… didn’t she get knocked up by a guy named Levi while they were still in highschool? Those Palin women are such sound judges of character – don’t worry – they are safe. Hypocrisy is a comfortable barrier for them.
She was completely right!
Umm… Given Palin’s sordid family history, she’s hardly one to talk. Agreed with Annie, “Hypocrisy” is probably Palin’s middle name.
james he stopped being funny years ago. Just a bitter, bitter little man.
Little? And YOU’RE so big?
Funny, all of these comments must be written by folks who do not begin to understand commitment, honesty and trust – typical Dems.
What the hell does politics have to do with this? And Republicans cornered the market on honesty and trust???? Get real and pull your head out of your a$$!! What a moronic comment!!!
EJ, are you serious??? The Republicans have had more sex scandals in the past couple of years: Sen. Larry Craig, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Mike Duvall, Paul Stanley, Mark Foley, Alan David Berlin…just to name a few.
Sorry EJ I’m democrat and I do not support Letterman’s behavior.
The Republican party is rife with sexual scandals, are you kidding me?
Not that the Dems are any better!
=)
The lesson here is all humans, regardless of power, politics, religion, needs some flesh pounding. Is that a crime?? I mean really, come on!!!
Wasn’t Bill Clinton lauded a world hero just a few months ago?
Karen, there’s no way a Democrat would give Palin credit for being right. Methinks you’re a liar.
Coyote, who are you the judge what’s true from someone you don’t know? As for giving Palin credit, for what?? Her family proves she’s a hypocrite for condemning Letterman. While we’re at it, I’m a Democrat, a lifelong Dave fan (I’ve been watching him since about 1983 on NBC), and I am incredibly disappointed to hear about Dave’s behavior. It’s really an issue between him, his wife, and his people working for him (and CBS, for that matter), but I’m disappointed. I only watch him occasionally now (I’m not a night owl anymore), and I haven’t since the news broke. Not sure if I’ll go back or not.
Right. Because we all know that Republicans never have affairs, and always tell us the truth. ‘Cause Richard Nixon never lied to us, Mark Sanford has been faithful to his wife, and David Vitter never slept with any hookers.
Typical GOP: Mark Sanford
Why don’t the women involved get any mention of blame. It takes two to tango. They’re just as guilty. You know they are not doing it for his looks or because he would make a great father. Can anyone say…MONEY? Sounds like some girls have been a bit prostituted. They’re almost half your age, Dave. With the morals he has and girls half his age ready and willing, should we be surprised? Is anyone surprised? I’d rather stop hearing about it myself.
I think his fame is part of it too.
Why does anyone have to be blamed … except the extortionist who no one seems to want to talk about?
“Who cares who he slept with? It is his business.”
The girls who didn’t sleep with him and didn’t get on the special Letterman career advancement track.
How do you know? My God, he may have had relations with a handful of women over the course of 20+ years. You creepy pervs make it seem like every other female on the staff got intimate with Dave and received super special perks. If you watched the Late Show, you can tell that Stephanie didn’t particularly want to be on the show, so I doubt she would have considered this a major benefit.
So many people walking the crazy Palin line and mouthing off about things they have no knowledge of. Please crawl back under your collective rocks.
Except that no one has made any such allegations. No one has complained of harassment; no one has complained that they were denied career advancement because of Letterman’s affairs.
No one is denying that the potential for abuse is there. But you cannot presume special treatment in the absence of any evidence.
Don, I’ve watched his show practically every night since his days with NBC back in the early 80’s. He’s as funny and entertaining now as he was then. I watch his show to get a laugh every night before turning over and not for moral guidance (much the same reason I watch sports and listen to rock music) and Dave delivers like nobody else. That’s all I care about. Oh, and other than the fact that he made a couple of mistakes that’s really nobody’s business but his and his family’s, he’s just so happens to be a pretty damn decent human being.
I still like Dave and love his wit and comedy. The news people shouldn’t make such a big deal of it in the first place. It is between him and his wife. It is no one else’s business.