Tabloid Frenzy Didn't 'Occur' to Letterman? Did Dave Just Move to NYC?

This story arrived straight out of central tabloid casting; no matter how upset or distracted Letterman was -- and no doubt he was both -- the man has too much media savvy not to know better.
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Last night, after a weekend of being battered by the press, David Letterman apologized on air to both his wife and his staff. Was it sincere? You can watch here and decide for yourself. Here's what struck me as utterly insincere and unbelievable: that he didn't see it coming.

And it did not occur to me last week when I was discussing having had sex with women who worked on this show, that then what would happen is reporters and newspaper people and radio and TV would start hounding the staff and saying, 'What do you say, are you, and this and that.' It was very, very unpleasant and I would just like to set the record straight, no, I'm not having sex with these women, those episodes are in the past.

Really? Really it did not occur to him that the tabloids would have a field day with this story and do their best to dig up all parties involved? Come on. Did David Letterman just move to New York City? Was this past weekend his first encounter with the morning newsstand tabloids? I've never met David Letterman but I'm pretty confident that the answer to both questions is no. A big resounding no.

This story arrived straight out of central tabloid casting; no matter how upset or distracted Letterman was -- and no doubt he was both -- the man has too much media savvy not to know better. You don't announce multi-million dollar extortion sex scandal on a national television program in the manner in which he did without some forethought. Anyway, the question now is how many more days can the papers stretch this story out as cover material (we're currently on day five - gallery below) and how completely will Stephanie Birkitt's life be ruined before a) this is over, or b) she pens a book deal to turn those infamous diaries into a proper book?


The Five Day Arc of a Tabloid Scandal - Day One


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