It turns out the woman at the center of David Letterman's sex and extortion scandal is not banned from the The Late Show set as some media outlets reported.
"Stephanie Birkitt is on a paid leave of absence. TMZ's reporting that she is banned from the set or the building is incorrect," a rep for Worldwide Pants said.
Worldwide Pants is Letterman's production company.
Whatever Birkitt's status, Letterman has escaped any kind of official reprimand so far, remaining on air, cracking jokes at his expense and raking in ratings.
Stephanie Birkitt, 34, worked as David Letterman's former assistant on The Late Show before moving on to bigger and better things as his personal attorney.
Her ex-boyfriend, CBS News producer Robert "Joe" Halderman, was arrested for trying to extort $2 million from Letterman by threatening expose the affair.
Stephanie Birkitt was a recurring comic muse for Letterman.
But it wasn't just money motivating Halderman, according to reports. It was a grudge the star held against him for years, and most of all, it was jealousy.
As recently as August, Halderman saw Letterman and Birkitt passionately kissing in a car in the driveway of the Norwalk, Conn., home he shared with her.
According to a People source, Letterman and Birkitt "were seen making out in the driveway in August," despite her telling Halderman they were just friends.
"He drove her home once a week. The interesting thing was he lives in North Salem, New York. Driving her home to Norwalk wasn't exactly the next town."
Halderman and Birkitt lived together for several years. He reportedly left Dave a package with a copy of her diary and emails elaborating on their hookups.
It was previously believed that their affair had ended in 2003, before the birth of Letterman's son Harry, but these ecent reports seem to suggest otherwise.
Letterman apologized to his staff and his wife, Regina Lasko, who he married in March, on the air Monday, his first day back at work since the alleged plot.
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