What was the deal? As recounted in my last post, David Letterman took the low road in responding to the controversy surrounding his comedy bits about Sarah and Bristol Palin. The host's trademark irreverence and caustic comic sensibilities hamstrung his attempts to address seriously the criticism of his remarks. Sarah Palin wasted no time rejecting Letterman's effort and his invitation to appear on The Late Show: "The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show. Plus it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman." Calls for protests, advertiser boycotts, and Letterman's firing no doubt made CBS and the host nervous enough to take another on-air shot at making amends and quelling the controversy.
How did he respond? Letterman's second public statement, delivered three years ago tomorrow, can be found here.
How did he do? What a difference five days make. The June 10 apologia provided very little--if any-- of what is called mortification, where the accused offers a sincere apology, takes responsibility for their actions, and seeks forgiveness from those aggrieved. However, by June 15, Letterman decided, in essence, to throw in the towel. Gone are the snarky tone and attempts at humor at the Palins' expense. Every time the host mentions Sarah Palin, he respectfully uses her title of "Governor." He repeats his earlier defense strategies, that he didn't know Willow was at the Yankees game, that this had never happened before in his 30 years of broadcasting. Letterman quickly concedes, however, that none of that matters and, if any of his jokes could be perceived as crossing the line, the responsibility was his ("It's not your fault that [the joke] was misunderstood, it's my fault."
Letterman then concludes: "So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the Governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future."
Final Call? Save. Letterman's job probably was not hanging in the balance; his show makes CBS too much money. Nonetheless, if the controversy dragged on, The Late Show may have experienced erosion in ratings, bookings (especially political guests), and advertisers. Ultimately, those costs, and perhaps Letterman's own second thoughts about his conduct, persuaded the host to stop riffing and start repairing. His apology comes off as sincere and heartfelt, especially as it pertains to the Palin daughters. In a statement to FOX News, Palin accepted the apology and the furor faded with no long-term effect.
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