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Former Letterman writer blasts Dave
Boy...I mean girl, you must read the current issue of Vanity Affair, which addresses sexism in the workplace at David Letterman's "Late Night" way back when.
This piece is by Nell Scovell, and it is damning. Really, this is about the toughest thing that's been written on the shananigans at "Late Show" since the controversy broke.
Scovell: Briefly a writer on "Late Night" back in '83, who decries lack - or rather complete absence - of female writers on this program. She's a veteran producer and created "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" which - major irony alert! - was also produced by Holly Hester, who did admit to having an affair with Letterman years ago.
Her piece is very interesting, but I think she probably needed to mention this: That the three top producers at "Late Show" are women - Barbara Gaines, Maria Pope and Jude Brennan. And these are not mere figurehead roles. They really put this show out and are Dave's right hands...
Here's an excerpt from Scovell's piece.
There’s a subset of
sexual harassment called sexual favoritism
that, according to the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, can lead to a “hostile
work environment,” often “creating an
atmosphere that is demeaning to women.”
And that pretty much sums up my experience at
Late Night with David Letterman.
I was the second female writer ever hired at
Late Night. When I applied for the job in
1988, I had no way of knowing how much the
odds were stacked against me. In 27 years,
Late Night and Late Show have hired only seven
female writers. These seven women have spent a
total of 17 years on staff combined. By
extrapolation, male writers have racked up a
collective 378 years writing jokes for Dave
(based on an average writing room of 14 men,
the size of the current Late Show staff).
Two years after they received my submission
packet, I got the call: Dave wanted to meet
me. By then, I was living in L.A. and had
already written an episode for The Simpsons
and served as story editor on Newhart during
its final season. Still, Late Night was my
dream job, so when I got the offer, I left the
sitcom I’d just started on and moved back
East. Walking into 30 Rockefeller Center on my
first day as a Letterman writer was one of the
happiest moments of my life—right up there
with the births of my two kids. But it was all
downhill after that. (I’m talking about Late
Night, not my kids. They’re great.)
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. 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.
Tags: david letterman , nell scovell , vanity fair
