Former ‘Letterman’ Staffer Describes Atmosphere Inside Show Staff

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David Letterman on August 24, 2009
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David Letterman as he tells his story during a taping of his late-night show Thursday Oct. 1, 2009 that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs

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FIRST PUBLISHED: October 27, 2009 10:44 PM EDT

NEW YORK, New York --

Nell Scovell, a former writer for “Late Night With David Letterman,” has penned an essay about her experiences working for the CBS program.

In an article for VanityFair.com, Scovell, who notes she was “the second female writer every hired at ‘Late Night,’” and one of only seven female writers reportedly hired in total at the show, said when she worked at the show, many of the things Letterman revealed in his recent address to the public were happening in the late ‘80s.

“Without naming names or digging up decades-old dirt, let’s address the pertinent questions. Did Dave hit on me? No. Did he pay me enough extra attention that it was noted by another writer? Yes. Was I aware of rumors that Dave was having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes,” she wrote on the site. “Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no.”

Scovell wrote that she eventually left the job – in part — because of the atmosphere.

“I’d seen enough to know that I was not going to thrive professionally in that workplace. And although there were various reasons for that, sexual politics did play a major part,” she wrote.

The writer penned the piece for several reasons including to draw attention to what she called “the situation for female in late-night TV.”

“I just want Dave to hire some qualified female writers and then treat them with respect. And that goes for Jay and Conan, too,” she wrote.

To read more of Scovell’s essay, click HERE.

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