The Chris Moeller Archives

Just a little more Dave

There's a modicum of outrage in the national media and in internet comment threads (my favorite medium) about David Letterman's having sex with Late Show staffers (at least one) prior to his wedding in March. I would put that percentage of outraged news consumers at a very unscientific 20% or so. The other 80 seems to be yawning-- from a moral standpoint, even if they find the details of the affairs and especially the extortion plot, moderately to wildly interesting. I call bogus on my own statistical estimates. Somebody needs to say this: That 20% would be down to probably just 4 or 5% if we subtracted all of the people in definitionally-monogamous relationships who have to feign outrage so that their significant other doesn't think they're cheating themselves.

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If you think that Letterman, a late night comedian, must be held to the same ethical standards as a public employee/politician to avoid being labeled a hypocrite, then you're just not getting it. A TV comedy host is not there to provide moral leadership to the nation. He or she is not paid in tax dollars. (The Worldwide Pants production company hasn't even applied for a federal bailout.) Dave did not ride to his Late Show hosting gig in 1993 atop a family values platform. His job is not to save our souls. His job is to be funny on television.

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It would be hypocritical for me to condemn Dave for dating co-workers over the years, as I have done it on two different occasions, and have pursued it numerous other times (without success). Dating a superior or employee may make things even more complicated, but any criticisms from Dave's Late Show staff (even from former lovers) have still not been forthcoming after almost a week since the public disclosure. If you didn't know that Dave dated staffers, you haven't been paying attention or watching the show. Twenty-seven years ago, he was publicly involved with his first head writer, now-noted author Merrill Markoe, when he began the "Late Night" show on NBC in 1982. I refuse to believe that having a sexual relationship or encounter with an employee or an employer is, in and of itself, a crime or even an ethical breach. This goes beyond the restriction of any workplace conduct code into the protective realm of basic human rights. The heart wants what it wants.

posted by CM @ 4:34 PM