On the Letterman situation…

I thought about ignoring David Letterman’s bizarre and disappointing confession to sleeping with his employees. It would be easy enough to shelve his infidelities in the infinitely expansive warehouse of Hollywood immorality. But that wouldn’t be fair or right, because Letterman breached an unspoken contract with the American people – one by which other celebrities are not bound and equally one that the late night king has been privileged to possess.

Thanks to his charisma and relatable personality, David Letterman was appointed by the all-powerful cabal of television network executives as an ambassador. In the populist ranks of people like Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and his own contemporary, Jay Leno, Letterman’s job is to serve as a bridge between the common citizen and the famous archetypes who represent the greatest possibilities of the American dream. His touch reduces the barriers between the audience and celebrities making Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, and Tom Cruise seem like real people.

Letterman’s show masquerades as entertainment, but it actually serves a very important social function. And in order for Letterman and his rare peers to maintain the bond of trust between both the American people and the most successful members of society, they must maintain a constant and thorough state of neutrality. They are not advocates or politicians, nor are they analysts or critics. Their tone of engagement must flow gently with the mood of the people, and so must their behavior.

For the masses, infidelity and promiscuity are not tolerated. Despite the best efforts of the sexual revolution, a simple fact of smoothly functioning society is that monogamy is strictly necessary. Even in the most liberal circles – the kind willing to forgive politicians and celebrities for their indiscretions – relationships are still pursued as the standard. In violating this notion, or at least challenging it, Letterman loses his neutrality. He becomes either another sleazy celebrity or a disgraced common man. In doing so, David Letterman loses the trust of the people. Consequently he no longer holds value to the other side of the spectrum. He can’t function as a conduit and he becomes obsolete.

The Bible passage rings loudest here: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

What happens now is unclear. Broken trust can be earned again. But in show business, a damaged image is frequently a career ender.