A week ago, if you talked about late night talkshow host David Letterman being in the middle of a war, you'd likely have been referring to his new 11:35 opponent, Conan O'Brien.
But thanks to a few off-color jokes about the Palin family, Letterman is instead in the middle of his very own "lipstick on a pig" culture war (he currently seems to be winning his timeslot war against Conan, by the way).
In his monologue Monday night, Letterman talked about the Palin family visiting New York and made a joke about Sarah Palin's daughter getting "knocked up" by (allegedly) philandering Yankee second baseman, Alex Rodriguez.
The Palin camp reacted strongly, accusing Letterman of advocating the raping of children and even hinted that Letterman himself might be some kind of geriatric sex offender. Letterman responded that while he "can't defend" the jokes, he said nothing about rape and was talking about Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol (who is arguably the most famous unwed teenage mother in America), not Palin's 14-year-old daughter, Willow.
When Letterman discussed the incident Wednesday night, he joked that it could be his last show. But today, The New York Times reports that Letterman and CBS have reached a deal to keep him hosting "The Late Show" till at least 2012.
The controversy isn't likely to go away. For one thing, it has gotten Palin back on television and back in the headlines. And for Letterman? He's still joking because controversy usually means ratings.
Brooke Cain isn't always proud of the number of hours she logs in front of the TV, but her loss of brain cells can be your gain. From reality shows to sitcoms to the more serious stuff, Brooke keeps her DVR smoking so that she can help keep you in the know. Brooke also tweets for Happiness is a Warm TV (you can follow
Comments
why the hate?
Fri, 06/12/2009 - 14:31 — AlleyOopsPalin's trying to go away, but tabloids and Letterman keep making her news. It's obvious they hate her, but the opposite of hate is apathy -- and they just can't let go.
The Palins had this to say - pretty funny too: "The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show," Stapelton said in an email to ABC News. "Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."
We all know it's true, too. Letterman would get a ton of viewers just the way SNL did when they invited Palin on after insulting her. Wise to not repeat past mistakes, Palin family.