“Late Night with Dave Letterman” Writer Nell Scovell Dishes on Sexual Favoritism

By Amanda Pendolino on October 28th, 2009

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In all of the hullabaloo surrounding the Dave Letterman sex scandal, nobody has really talked about what it was like for all the other people working there. TV writer, series creator, producer, and director Nell Scovell was one of few women ever to write for Late Night (in fact, there are exactly zero women writing for Late Show with David Letterman, The Jay Leno Show, and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien right now), and she decided to come forward about her experience in a new Vanity Fair article titled “Letterman and Me.”

Scovell feels that a lot of the media, including Barbara Walters, have incorrectly claimed that sexual harassment wasn’t a part of Late Night. She disagrees: ”There’s a subset of sexual harassment called sexual favoritism that 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.”

She continues, ”I decided to speak up now for three reasons: 1. People who have no knowledge of the situation are voicing opinions, so why not me? 2. Letterman himself opened this up to a public discussion. 3. I’d like to pivot the discussion away from the bedroom and toward the writers’ room, because it pains me that almost 20 years later, the situation for female writers in late-night-TV hasn’t improved.”

It’s true–why are there so few women writing for late night TV? Check out the rest of her article–it’s a must read.

She also spoke out on the Today Show. Here’s the video: