Courtesy Buena Vista Entertainment

David Letterman turned the tables on himself this morning when for once the talk show host sat in the guest chair to talk about the havoc his recent sex scandal wreaked havoc on his life and relationship.

"I don't know if people know about this, but I've had some trouble," Letterman joked when asked about his home life.

"It was stupid behavior," he told Live! With Regis and Kelly. "And you take a look at the explosion, and it knocks you down and you wake up every morning and you’re scared and you're depressed and sad, and you kind of got to let that knock you down and knock you down."

Letterman, who was at the center of an extortion plot by a former Late Show producer who had evidence of an affair David had with a staffer while in a relationship with the mother of his child, said he was hopeful he and wife Regina Lasko would put things back together.

"Because you think an explosion has taken place and you're looking at the shards and you say, 'Well, can we put this back together?'" Letterman said. "And by God, maybe you can put it back together. And maybe it won't be the same, but maybe it will be different, and maybe it can even be better in a different way."

David's extortionist, Robert Halderman, was sentenced to six months in jail and 1,000 hours of community service.

Okay, Kristen Bell is no Julia Roberts and Randy Jackson is no Simon Cowell, but still! Both showed up to the Letterman show to promote When in Rome and American Idol, respectively.

But what we really wanna know is if Kristen has any juicy gossip about her co-star Josh Duhamel's alleged extramarital affairs AND if Randy thinks Idol can survive without Simon...

Good news for David Letterman! Well, sorta.

A Supreme Court judge has turned down Robert "Joe" Halderman's request to toss out a criminal case accusing him of blackmailing the popular TV talk show host...

While prosecutors argue that Halderman demanded $2 million to keep Letterman's affair with staffers quiet, Halderman himself simply says that he offered Letterman a chance to buy a "thinly veiled screenplay about his life." Riiiiight.

If convicted, the Halderman could face up to 15 years in jail.

Think Letterman handled the sitch well? I do! Plus, I'm sure he's also super-happy making fun of the late night wars going on over at NBC!

We'd expect nothing less than David Letterman poking fun at Tiger Woods for poking cocktail waitresses, but in reality, David should be sending him a thank you card!

"Boy, it looks like that Tiger Woods is having some trouble, huh?" Dave said on last night's Late Show.

"If this had happened three months ago, I'd have material for a year!" Letterman joked, referencing his own cheating scandal.

Dave also had Tom Hanks on his show to help read the "Top Ten Ways Tiger Woods Can Improve His Image," which included "Number 1: Blame Letterman!"

Think Dave's wife was laughing?

Robert J. Halderman, the producer suspected of blackmailing Letterman for $2 million to keep the TV host's affairs with co-workers quiet, is expected to ask a court to drop the extortion case against him today.

Lawyers for Halderman tell Access Hollywood that they're challenging whether or not the evidence is sufficient and will ask the judge to dismiss the case.

Halderman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree grand larceny. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

That sex/extortion scandal sure didn't hurt David Letterman - in fact, The Hollywood Reporter says The Late Show is up 13% for total viewers!

"It doesn't appear to have hurt him and likely got him more sampling," said Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming at Katz Television Group. But what about his reputation?

One of the very few female writers on the staff of Late Night With David Letterman revealed the reason she quit the talk show almost two decades ago was because of the sexually charged atmosphere.

Nell Scovell wouldn't name names or dates in her piece for Vanity Fair, but she says what led her to ultimate quit her "dream job" after less than a season was because she felt the affairs Dave and other high-level male execs were having with female employees created a "hostile work environment."

"Was I aware of the rumor that Dave was having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes. Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no."

Nell said the her last day on the show, Dave, who never hit on her, summoned her to his office to ask why she was leaving. "I considered telling him the truth, but with Dave’s rumored mistress within earshot, I balked. Instead, I told him I missed L.A. Dave said, 'You’re welcome back anytime.'”

Birkitt pic courtesy of CBS

Though it was previously revealed that David Letterman's blackmailer was the jilted ex-lover (Robert Halderman) of the woman (Stephanie Birkitt) he was allegedly having an affair with, it looks like Dave is focusing more on himself and less on the fact that he cheated on his poor wife!

Though Dave apologized to his lady love on The Late Show last night, he also took a few minutes to play his own pity card.

"I wasn't going to talk about it anymore but it seemed like people wanted to talk about it. When you're blackmailed, its a crime and you're a victim - it's felony extortion." Dave continued, "It's a nasty thing to do to people," and he kept using the word "victim" in reference to himself. Hmm, it's ALL about Dave, right?

"It's fall here in New York City, and I spent the whole weekend raking my hate mail. It's cold, too - chilly outside, chilly inside my house," he continued. "This is only phase one of the scandal. Phase two: Next week I go on Oprah and sob."

Wonder how much Regina's been scolding him? Maybe he'll pull a Kobe and give her a huge gem to put on her finger?