Jealousy-fueled CBS News producer Robert “Joe” Halderman wanted “revenge” — not just $2 million — when he threatened to expose David Letterman for having sex with Halderman’s live-in lover, sources told The Post.
“This wasn’t about money, not money alone,” said a source. “This was revenge. It was about making Letterman miserable.
“He wants to hurt Letterman as much as he can — and he wanted to hurt the girl, too,” said the source, referring to Halderman’s former girlfriend, longtime “Late Show” staffer Stephanie Birkitt.
Money “was ancillary,” the source said.
Another source confirmed that hot-shot “48 Hours Mystery” producer Halderman has explicitly said, “It wasn’t about the money.”
“He definitely doesn’t like Letterman,” that source said.
Halderman, 51, was busted last Thursday after trying to cash a $2 million check from Letterman’s lawyer, which he received after threatening to go public with details of the “Late Show” host’s affair with Birkitt, authorities said. He’s since been suspended from his job.
The Post revealed yesterday that Halderman, who had lived with Birkitt for several years in Norwalk, Conn., learned in December from reading her salacious diary entries that not only had she slept with Letterman, but was continuing to do so.
Halderman demanded she end the affair if she wanted to stay together with him, sources said.
But last month, Birkitt, 34, broke up with Halderman. He had already been feeling despondent over mounting debt and his ex-wife moving to Colorado with their 11-year-old son.
In early September, Halderman allegedly left in Letterman’s limo an outline of a movie screenplay about a talk-show host disgraced by his affairs being revealed. Included were Birkitt’s diary excerpts.
Birkitt’s grandmother, Irene Boyle, said yesterday Stephanie never should have dated Halderman in the first place.
“I think she was stupid to go out with him,” Boyle said at her Newport, NH, home.
“People make mistakes and that was one of hers,” Boyle said. “Joe was a mistake.”
Boyle, 90, said Letterman “and Stephanie have always had a good relationship. They joked and kidded around.”
“They were just good friends,” Boyle said.
“She worked for Dave for 11 years. She said she never had sex with him.”
Sources have identified Birkitt as one of several “Late Show” staffers whom Letterman bedded over the years, even while romantically involved for decades with Regina Lasko, the mother of his son, whom he married in March.
Last Thursday, Letterman stunned his studio audience by revealing those affairs and that he had been targeted by an extortionist. The disclosure came hours after Halderman’s arrest.
Halderman was released the next day on $200,000 bond, thanks to some well-heeled pals. He “is not putting a penny toward his own bail — he can’t afford it,” a source said.
Court records show that Halderman’s bond was posted by well-known bondsman Ira Judelson — whose previous clients include rappers Ja Rule and Lil Wayne and ex-Giant Plaxico Burress.
The bond was guaranteed by two CBS colleagues: “60 Minutes” editor Andy Soto and “48 Hours” producer Mark Goldbaum, records show.
Soto gave Judelson an $80,000 check for Halderman’s bail and another $12,000 premium. Soto and Goldbaum signed a $200,000 promissory note saying they would cover if Halderman fled.
Both Halderman and Soto declined comment yesterday.
Letterman, who had joked about his sex, blackmail and marital woes during shows last Thursday and again on Monday, went to that well again for last night’s show.
“The tradition of the Broadway theater is if the leading characters can’t go on they always have understudies and so I was thinking, well we should get an understudy for me because there’s a wide variety of reasons I might not be able to continue. . .,” Letterman said, cracking up the crowd.
The Monday show was a ratings hit.
Letterman drew about 5.7 million viewers, in his first taping since he made his revelations.
The “Late Show” viewing audience was about three times the size of NBC’s “Tonight Show” Monday.
Additional reporting by Austin Fenner, Laurie Kamens and Perry Chiaramonte