David Letterman Late Show Shockers: The Top Ten List

The media world - and just about everyone else for that matter - is all abuzz this morning over David Letterman's revelation last night that he was being extorted for $2 million over the fact he'd had sex with women who'd worked for him. It is perhaps a measure of how well his viewers felt they knew him, and how successfully he portrays himself as an everyman that people were apparently shocked at this disclosure. Since at the end of the day (so far) all the story is is that Letterman -- who was only married last March...to a woman who had worked for him at one time -- had sex with women who worked for him. This is vastly different than, say, if Letterman was married and/or facing sexual harassment charges. As Donny Deutsch so aptly put it on Morning Joe this morning: "Do you think as you go around this newsroom there aren't people having productive personal relationships?" On the scale of the sex scandals that have been recently dominating the headlines -- Polanski, Ensign, Sanford -- this is pretty tame. Anyway, what Letterman's disclosure did make for was some serious must-see TV. Also, hello ratings! But it's certainly not the first time Letterman has grabbed the morning after spotlight due to shocking behavior. Here's a look at our Top Ten Most Shocking Late Night Moments. The Swearers Back in the mid-nineties (and before!) it was enough to drop a few f-bombs on (pre-recorded) TV to get yourself in the next day's top news (and the day after that, and the day after that). Madonna managed to drop so many during her infamous 1994 appearance there's an entire wikipedia page devoted to the event. That said, Letterman's introduction of her as someone "who had slept with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry" was sort of begging for a comeback, and boy did he get one! Andy Kaufman's explosion on Letterman in 1982 has by now reached iconic television moment status. And for good reason, it is hysterical. >>>NEXT: Women who strip for Letterman! The Strippers For reasons which remain somewhat unclear David Letterman has enjoyed his fair share of topless women guests. Drew Barrymore cemented her wild child status (and left Letterman speechless) when she flashed him in 1995. Courtney Love attempted to follow suit in 2004, but by then the move (and she) were less shocking than just plain weird. >>>NEXT: Farrah and Joaquin, high on Letterman, literally The Dreamers It took Farrah Fawcett many years to live down her spaced out, confused, rambling 1997 Letterman appearance. Many. Whether Joaquin Pheonix's equally strange spot earlier this year will do permanent damage remains to be seen. >>>NEXT: John McCain will never suspend anything ever again, Sarah Palin's daughter is too young for Letterman. The Politicos Letterman has never been afraid to go after politicians and their bad behavior; his one-liners during the Lewinsky-Clinton debacle are infamous, and plenty of people are wondering whether his own sex life revealed will result in curtailed jokes on this front. It's doubtful. However last year Letterman's sharp, relentless ridicule of John McCain "suspending" his campaign to save the economy marked a turning point in the McCain-Palin campaign. Then this spring Letterman got himself in some pretty serious hot water for making off-color jokes about Sarah Palin's underage daughter. >>>NEXT: Letterman on Letterman and 9/11 Letterman on Letterman Last night was technically no the first time Letterman had revealed surprise information about his personal life. Earlier this year he announced his marriage to long-time girlfriend, and mother of his son, Regina Lasko. Also, just as a reminder of how good Letterman can be in the most difficult moments, here his cold open from Sept 17, 2001, the first show back after the 9/11 attacks.

David Letterman Late Show Shockers: The Top Ten List

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David Letterman Late Show Shockers: The Top Ten List

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