The Women of the David Letterman Scandal

When he revealed on-air last week a stunning extortion plot borne of his relationships with female staffers, "Late Show" host David LettermanDavid Letterman refused to name his lovers. The act earned him some praise and sympathy. But his plan to protect those women seems to have backfired. Many past and present female staffers have suddenly been put in an unwanted spotlight, harassed by tabloid phone calls and paparazzi. Letterman acknowledged this on his show Monday night, issuing an apology to his entire staff. He also apologized publicly to his wife Regina Lasko, herself a former Letterman staffer. Two former female employees have come forward. Another, whom sources say may have triggered the extortion plot, has remained quiet. Here's what we know about the three of them.

The woman who appears to be at the center of the scandal is Letterman's former assistant, Stephanie Birkitt. Frequently a participant in on-air "Late Show" sketches over the years, Birkitt was the live-in girlfriend of alleged Letterman extortionist Robert "Joe" Halderman, a producer for CBS' "48 Hours."According to the New York Post, Birkitt recently moved out of Halderman's Norwalk, Connecticut home where she'd been living with him since 2004. When she moved out, Birkitt reportedly left behind her personal diary containing detailed notes about her relationship with Letterman. It was later discovered by Halderman, a fact confirmed by a law enforcement official who spoke with the AP. Birkitt's diary also allegedly revealed that she was still involved with Letterman after she began dating Halderman. That revelation may have set Halderman off as Birkitt had previously insisted that the relationship between she and Letterman was strictly "platonic," and that she was his "best friend." As of this writing, Birkitt has not commented publicly about the scandal, though her father did tell the press that she's going through a "rough time" right now.

Former Letterman producer Merrill Markoe is perhaps the most well-known former Letterman flame to have worked on his show. Markoe won five Emmy awards as the head writer for "Late Night with David Letterman," the NBC talk show that followed the "Tonight Show" and subsequently made Letterman a star. Markoe has been credited with the creation of Letterman's vaunted "Stupid Pet Tricks" and "Stupid Human Tricks" segments, both of which remain hallmarks of his show. She is also the co-author of a book titled The Psycho Ex Game. Markoe posted a humorous statement about the scandal over the weekend to her web site in which she said, "Okay. Here it is. My big comment on Mr. Letterman... It is this: As you can imagine, this has been a very emotional moment for me because Dave promised me many times that I was the only woman he would ever cheat on."

Last week Holly Hester came forward to tell TMZ that she had a relationship with Letterman while she was a "Late Show" intern and a student at NYU. Hester, who says that she was "madly in love" with the host, said the affair began when he called her one day in her dorm room while the show was on hiatus to ask if she'd like to go to the movies with him. From there, Hester says that the two of them had a series of secret dates, with both being careful to keep their relationship secret from other "Late Show" staffers. After a year, Hester said that Letterman ended the relationship, citing their age gap.

More facts and revelations may be en route, but in the meantime Letterman is deep in damage control. As he said Monday, "I got my work cut out for me."