Former David Letterman assistant Stephanie Birkitt is at the center of the plot to extort $2 million from the 62-year-old Late Show host.
According to reports, Birkitt, 34, recently lived with Robert "Joe" Halderman, a 48 Hours producer who allegedly threatened to cause "severe damage" to Letterman's life by revealing that he had sexual relationships with his female employees.
Fox 5 News reports that when Halderman allegedly handed over a package of potentially embarrassing information to Letterman on Sept. 5, it included copies of parts of Birkitt's diary, among other items.
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Birkitt — who began as an intern in 1996 — often appeared on camera joking around with Dave, who referred to her by different nicknames, including "Smitty" and "Monty." In the video (above), he calls her "Vicki."
"He's just fun," Birkitt told the Fort Worth Star Telegram in 1994. "And he's happy, and he's nice, and he's extremely generous with us. And he's just playful."
