Entertainment Weekly - Stephanie Birkitt Interview

Entertainment Weekly - Stephanie Birkitt Interview

''Late Show assistant Stephanie Birkitt gives the lowdown on Dave's shenanigans and what he was thinking with those fluorescent pink socks"

Stephanie Birkitt's duties as David Letterman's assistant are pretty typical: taking calls, planning schedules, and having on-air phone chats with Dave about her weekend adventures. ''It started out just as a show joke -- Dave would call up somebody in
the office and say, 'Would you mind taping ''Jackass'' for me?' He started talking to me more, and we developed a rapport,'' explains the 27-year-old New Hampshire native. Birkitt recently took a break from her ''Late Show'' duties to show off her breeze-shooting skills for EW.

Is there a TV Dave and a real life Dave? He likes to play the crank on camera.
He's not that way at all. He's the best boss I've ever had.

If Rupert named a Hello Deli sandwich after you, what would be in it?
Probably turkey. Or beef. I like to eat a lot, so it'd be hard to narrow it down.... One time we had a bunch of pizzas in the
office. There were 12 pieces left, and Dave said, ''I'll give you $300 if you can eat it all.'' I managed to eat only nine slices,
[but] he was gracious enough to pay me $20 per slice, even the slices I'd eaten before.

Why does Dave wear white socks with his dark suits?
They're actually gray. One day we had some bright pink socks in the office, and there was a cake in the office, and Dave
asked if he could push my face in the cake. I said, 'All right, but you have to wear these fluorescent pink socks on TV.' Dave said, 'I have no problem with that.' So he wore bright pink socks on the air -- and I didn't even get my face pushed in the cake.

Do you get recognized now?
Rarely. Once in a while, outside the theater, but in real life, no. I look like everybody else my age. My mother can't pick me
out of a lineup sometimes.

"David Letterman's girl friday tells all"

By BRETT LEVERIDGE

Late Show With David Letterman Webpage>

Entertainment Weekly
Interview

July 6th 2002

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