Stephanie Anne Birkitt (born January 7, 1975) is an American attorney and former assistant to David Letterman on the Late Show with David Letterman. Although Birkitt frequently appeared on the program as a character named "Vicki", Letterman often called her by various other nicknames, such as "Smitty", "Kitty", "Monty", "Gunther", and "Dutch". with a bachelor's degree in history and a minor in communications.

She graduated from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in June 2008 with a juris doctor. In February 2009, Birkitt passed the New York State and Connecticut bar examinations. Birkitt has been a licensed attorney in California since 2011. She also has had an active Connecticut lawyer license since 2009.

Late Show career

Birkitt's career at CBS started before she graduated from college, when she worked as an intern for CBS News, 48 Hours, and the Late Show in early 1996. After graduation she became a member of the CBS page program and worked briefly as an associate producer at 48 Hours on segments for correspondent Erin Moriarty. Her next appearance was over four years later, on December 26, 2000, when Letterman called her in her office during the show. After that appearance, Letterman began to call her regularly as an on-air feature of the show, beginning in January 2001.

By 2002, Birkitt began to be featured on the Late Show as a character outside of her role as Letterman's assistant. As herself, she gave on-air reports from the sites of the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006. In all, she made more than 250 appearances on the program between 1996 and 2008.

In a statement released on October 7, 2009, Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the Late Show.

Affair with Letterman

On October 1, 2009, Letterman announced on air that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt in which an alleged blackmailer—since identified by police as CBS television producer Joe Halderman—threatened to reveal that Letterman had engaged in sexual affairs with multiple female employees. Letterman admitted on television that the allegation was true, but did not reveal the names of, or any identifying information about, the female employees. According to CBS News, she and Halderman lived together in Halderman's home in Norwalk, Connecticut, until August 2009, when she reportedly moved out; she was also romantically linked to Letterman during the same time. The New York Post reported on October 6 that Birkitt had an affair with Letterman, which continued during her relationship with Halderman. Copies of entries in Birkitt's diary, as well as emails between her and Letterman, were reportedly the basis of the blackmail evidence Halderman allegedly placed in Letterman's car. Halderman was sentenced to six months in prison for the attempted extortion.

References

  • List of Birkitt's appearances on the Late Show