David Letterman’s blackmail sex plot has been a ratings bonanza for the funnyman’s CBS late night show.
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Some 5.7 million people tuned into the Late Show on Monday to hear Dave apologize to his wife and staff for sexual affairs he had with members of his staff, resulting in an alleged blackmail plot, Variety reported Tuesday.

Last Thursday, Letterman stunned fans when he admitted he had been the target of a $2 million blackmail attempt over sexual affairs with women on his staff. In his first taping since dropping the blackmail bombshell, Letterman told his audience on Monday that his wife Regina, who he dated for 23 years before the pair married in March, had been “horribly hurt” by his behavior.

Monday’s audience was up 36 percent from the audience for the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday last week, CBS said on Tuesday. In fact, Monday’s Letterman ratings at 11:30 p.m. were higher than anything NBC had on Monday night; including Heroes, new medical series Trauma, and the struggling Jay Leno Show, which pulled in 4.3 million viewers.