This morning, while watching Kathy Lee and Hoda Kotb on the Today Show (we'll discuss the poor judgment this shows at another time), Hoda Kotb tried and succeeded at pissing me off. In the opening dialogue of the show Hoda and Kathy Lee start talking about the David Letterman scandal and rather than focusing on the fact that Letterman was blackmailed, which is illegal, they chose to focus on unfounded and unproven (thus far) accusations of sexual harassment.
It was during this discussion that Hoda has the audacity to intimate that Stephanie Birkitt, the woman at the center of the shit storm, slept her way up the ladder at Worldwide Pants and on to TV as a regular on Letterman. Both Hoda and Kathy Lee insinuate that Birkitt was not necessarily qualified to be a regular on Letterman's show or that she somehow scored the, undeserved, opportunity to be at the Olympics as a correspondent for the show because she was intimate with Letterman.
View Video (sorry won't embed).
What bothers me the most, about all of this, is that no one - with the exception of Letterman who said he wouldn't be naming names or talking about these women out of turn- seems to be giving these women credit or consideration. Halderman, the extortionist, seemed more than willing to exploit his girlfriend and all of the other women that have been involved with Letterman over the years, for a pay out. Now men and women all over the news, like Hoda and Kathy Lee, seem very happy to discredit these women by insinuating they weren't capable of making their way in the world without bedding Letterman, or that they were coerced into multi-year relationships with the man rather than actually wanting to be in a relationship with him because they liked/loved him. Most of us weren't one of these women, none of us were there during their intimate moments, so none of us gets to sit in judgment. Not to mention that so far none of these women have come forward to say that Letterman coerced them. The woman who came forward this weekend, and all reports of Birkitt's relationship, indicate that these women were in loving relationships with Letterman over a number of years. Not one night stands in exchange for a trip.
Shame on you Hoda Kotb, shame on you. I expect women to treat other women better than this. So, Hoda Kotb, you can bite me you backstabbing bitch.
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Comments
I expect nothing less. The people doing the best job holding women back have been women.
"Hoda Kotb, you can bite me you backstabbing bitch."
Don't hold back Surly, say what you REALLY think:)
There is some truth to the idea that the boss needs to exercise caution in instigating relationships with employees in the office though - even without open or intended coercion, the target of the boss' affections can feel coerced.
a.) Never let the truth get in the way.
And
b.) Never leave a witness.
Someone want to clue me in on who this chick whose name looks suspiciously like someone yacking up a glob of phlegm might sound is ?
I turned him down. What kind of name is Hoda? Rhymes with Yoda.
And, really, surly: The Today Show is awful. Wasn't Love Actually (the worst movie I can think of offhand) playing somewhere? Weren't they selling anything interesting on one of your 18 home shopping channels?
It's not the only television news where WOMEN are "reporting" about sex harassment, the legal implications, and yadda yadda yadda, with no facts and no supporting information whatsoever.
And who is this woman with the QWERTY keyboard name?
Rated.