Experts: Letterman Was Right to Come Clean

(CBS)  David Letterman admitting on his show Thursday night that he'd had sex with female staffers and revealing he was the subject of a related extortion try could help keep his image from being too tarnished, experts agree.

They said on "The Early Show" Friday Letterman was handling things well, and one said the star wouldn't be hurt by the revelations and might even be helped by them.

Watch Letterman's Remarks

The late-night host said on his show that someone tried to extort $2 million from him, threatening to make word of the sexual activities public. A veteran producer of "48 Hours", Joe Halderman, was arrested Thursday on charges of attempted grand larceny in the first degree.

Photos: David Letterman

CBS is cooperating fully with the authorities and the employee has been suspended pending the results of the investigation. CBS said in a statement it "believes his comments speak for themselves."

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On "The Early Show", veteran Hollywood publicist Michael Levine told substitute co-anchor Chris Wragge he doesn't think the developments will have much of a long-term impact on Letterman's reputation. "I think it was very important for him to get on offense, because nothing in this world is private any longer," said Levine, who's worked for stars such as Michael Jackson, Demi Moore and Sandra Bullock. "We're just living in a very different kind of world today than 10 or 20 years ago. And so I think the best defense is an offense, and the only offense is relentless. I think a lot of people also understand that extortion happens to many, many, many celebrities. It's become almost a new job category."

Separately, CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez she "absolutely" thinks Letterman "had to" take the route he did. "Once this matter went in front of a grand jury," as it has, Bloom remarked, "there's at least a dozen citizens who are getting wind of the allegations. Once it's in the district attorney's hands, there's always the possibility of leaks. So, he had to get out there first. He had to tell the story. He had to acknowledge his part in it. He had to acknowledge all of the allegations that he's making. I think he had to do what he did."

Bloom added she thinks prosecutors "have a pretty good case."

Will "Other Shoes" Drop for Letterman

She says she's "sure" Letterman is hoping the buzz around the extortion attempt fades quickly. "Clearly, as a major celebrity, his reputation is very important to him. So, by getting his allegations out first, on his own show, in his own way, he's hoping to control the sorry. I'm sure he's hoping it'll be a short story, a brief blip in the news cycle. We'll see, as the allegations unfold and as the facts unfold whether or not that's true, but I'm sure his reputation is very, very important to him."

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Levine observed that, "We're living in a culture in which a rumor unanswered in 24 answers becomes truth. And, if there any allegations are leaked, he has to and the district attorney will also have to make sure that their side of the story gets out and gets out forcefully."

"This would be far worse if he were a preacher or a politician," Levine continued. "I think that there is an extraordinarily close likeable relationship between David and his audience. I think he should be fine. I think this will a punch line (on) one of his Top-Ten lists a year from now."

Not only that, but, "One of the unique genius parts of David's personality is his capacity to be self-deprecating. So, I can see this, a year out, playing as a great kind of comedy advantage for him. In the short term, of course, it will create a lot of controversy -- and controversy is the gasoline that drives the engine of ratings success."

Two fans interviewed by CBS News on a Manhattan street already seem fine with the revelations, with one saying, "From watching his show every night, I would want the truth from him," and the other saying, "Honestly, it doesn't change my opinion of him, because I love his show."

[yabbababba]

Lucky Dave! Believe me, as a highly heterosexual female, no woman who wasn't trying to get ahead in her job would screw that decrepit dude, no matter how funny he is.

[winslowe1]

Letterman is a comedian?? People sure must be hard up for entertainment.

[JCSAtx71]

Wow! I would love to know just when all the posters on here who seem to think their views are the only ones that count are going to come down off their high horses?

[randal_saunders]

I commend David Letterman in his telling his viewers about his situation. Now so what he made mistakes. He did this because he didn't bow down to a criminal producer to take advantage of his past. David Letterman did this to save his marriage and family to protect like any man should. We as viewers do not walk in David Letterman's shoes and we should look at ourselves before we judge anyone. Judgement of someone's life is God's work not ours. RSaunders Missouri

[citizenusa-2009]

Look folks. Letterman was in a COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP for 20 years! A child was borne of that relationship. WHILE HE WAS IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, he BETRAYED his partner, EXACTLY LIKE JOHN EDWARDS DID. We have no sympathy for Edwards,so why should we have any for Letterman? Why???

[albiyanka]

It?s a sick reality of today that sexual discretion if not plain crimes by celebrities appear to have a different significance than if the same transgressions were committed by the ?man in the street.? The Hollywood-led outcry over Roman Polanski?s arrest earlier this week, followed by the seeming acceptance of David Letterman?s office dalliances, are a genuine source of alarm. Our sense of morality differs depending on the subject, his (heretofore ?clean?) popularity, status, or wealth. Media focus is concentrated on the extortion attempts on David Letterman; little attention is paid on Mr. Letterman?s coerced admission of sexual relations with members of the staff. ?The man in the street? would indeed find himself on the street. ?The man on The Late Show? gets a rating boost and gains in popularity. Long live the double standards.

[albiyanka]

It?s a sick reality of today that sexual discretion if not plain crimes by celebrities appear to have a different significance than if the same transgressions were committed by the ?man in the street.? The Hollywood-led outcry over Roman Polanski?s arrest earlier this week, followed by the seeming acceptance of David Letterman?s office dalliances, are a genuine source of alarm. Our sense of morality differs depending on the subject, his (heretofore ?clean?) popularity, status, or wealth. Media focus is concentrated on the extortion attempts on David Letterman; little attention is paid on Mr. Letterman?s coerced admission of sexual relations with members of the staff. ?The man in the street? would indeed find himself on the street. ?The man on The Late Show? gets a rating boost and gains in popularity. Long live the double standards.

[cameraphone]

I guess the recession has not only been bad for M&A, but for K&R and B&E.

Mergers and Acquisitions
Kidnapping and Ransom
Blackmail and Extortion

[unbiased]

I wonder if Letterman has figured out yet that he will never get another blow job at home. If he hasn't, I'm sure Bill Clinton will call him and tell him.

[JCSAtx71]

If you're going to continue making comments as tasteless as this, you might want to at least rename yourself something a bit closer to the truth.

[babsloft]

I agree with David acknowledging what had happened to him in the extortion case but I DO NOT AGREE with the comedic way in which he told it to us. He should have been more serious from the first laughter to point out that this was a serious matter instead of playing into the laughts. Being a comedian is one thing but it seemed to me that he was trivializing the whole thing.