Lance Armstrong, Oprah and recent TV apologies and confessions
Lance Armstrong’s two-night Oprah Winfrey interview media extravaganza may be grabbing attention this week, but despite the heightened media awareness, this is far from the first time a celebrity has gone on TV to make a confession or come clean. Here’s a quick look back over how similar events have played out. (George Burns / AFP Getty Images)
After being picked up for drunk driving and unleashing a whole string of anti-Semitic comments to the arresting officer and anyone else within earshot, Mel Gibson released two statements of apology and went on “Good Morning America” with Diane Sawyer to further apologize. In the interview that was aired over two mornings, he told Sawyer he was ashamed of what he had said, saying it was “the stupid ramblings of a drunkard.” (Rick Rowel/ABC via Getty Images)
While discussing Danny DeVito’s intoxicated appearance on “The View,” co-host Rosie O’Donnell joked that the incident was so heavily talked about, they were even speaking of it in China. “You know, you can imagine in China it’s like, ‘Ching-chong, ching-chong. Danny DeVito. Ching-chong, ching-chong-chong. Drunk. The View. Ching-chong.’” Nine days and a heap of controversy later, O’Donnell apologized on “The View,” stating: “To anyone who was offended at my Chinese, Asian, pseudo-Japanese, sounded-a-little-Yiddish accent that I was doing, you know, it was never [my] intent to mock, and I’m sorry for those who felt hurt or were teased on the playground.” (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press)
On Oct. 1, 2009, David Letterman devoted a 10-minute-long “Late Show” monologue to the revelation that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs.
While saying that he felt “menaced” by extortion suspect Robert Joel Halderman, a former CBS producer who planned to write a screenplay about the affairs, the comic did not express any contrition for cheating on his wife, Regina Lasko, whom he dated for 23 years before their marriage in March 2009. Letterman said Haldermen sent him a note saying, “‘I know that you do some terrible terrible things and I can prove that you do these terrible things’... and sure enough what was contained in the package was proof that I do terrible, terrible things.”
“I have had sex with women who worked on this show,” Letterman told the audience matter-of-factly. “And would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. Especially for the women.” (CBS / Associated Press)
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After weeks of “winning” in a media frenzy following his firing from “Two and a Half Men,” Charlie Sheen publicly apologized for his “warlock” ways -- which included lashing out at the sitcom’s creator Chuck Lorre and costar Jon Cryer; alleged substance abuse; shacking up with a pair of “goddesses”; launching a tour called “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not An Option” and a slew of questionable statements that suggested a meltdown.
During the 2011 Emmy Awards, Sheen made an effort to mend his fences with his former colleagues Lorre and Cryer.
“From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season,” Sheen said before presenting an award.
Sheen also talked about his “manic period” with Matt Lauer on the “Today Show,” saying he was “a lot calmer and a lot mellower.” He also made an appearance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
“[The media frenzy] was like a runaway train that I was kind of the reluctant conductor of and it just kept going,” he said. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
