Ex-Letterman employee 'quit over sexism'

An ex-employee of David Letterman's talkshow has claimed that she quit over a "hostile work environment".

The host of the long-running late-night series recently admitted to sleeping with female members of his staff, after Robert Halderman attempted to blackmail him for $2m (£1.25m) over the affairs.

Nell Scovell has penned an article for Vanity Fair, which details how she was the second of only seven female scribes to be hired as a staff writer for the show.

"Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes," she wrote. "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."

Scovell stated that she did not tell Letterman her reasons for leaving, but has now decided to come forward, saying: "It pains me that almost 20 years later, the situation for female writers in late-night TV hasn't improved."

She added: "Now, I don't want a lawsuit. I don't want compensation. I don't want revenge. I just want Dave to hire some qualified female writers and then treat them with respect. And that goes for Jay [Leno] and Conan [O'Brien], too."

Court papers recently revealed that Halderman had planned to write a tell-all book about Letterman's affairs.