In 2005, David Letterman’s Harry Joseph Letterman was at the center of a kidnapping plot. The incident began on the plains of their Montana ranch and resulted in the arrest of an individual who had been working on the property.
The Story Behind Harry’s Attempted Kidnapping
The individual was a painter named Kelly Allen Frank, who devised a scheme to abduct young Harry and his nanny. He planned to take them to a remote location until a ransom of $5 million was paid. Thankfully, the heinous plot was foiled before it could be put into motion.
The plot was unearthed when the painter inadvertently revealed his plans to an acquaintance, who, acting responsibly, immediately alerted authorities.
Law enforcement agencies were quickly brought in, and the suspect was arrested without incident. His meticulously crafted plan was thwarted, and Harry was saved before he even became aware of the danger.
In the trial that followed, the suspect was found guilty. Although the man escaped in 2007, an additional ten years was added to his sentence. He was released in 2018.
The Aftermath: Where is Harry Now?
Now, several years after the incident, Harry has grown from a toddler to a young adult. He is 19 years old and is attending Brown University, allegedly majoring in business and economics. David admitted to being devastated when Harry left for college, sharing that their first conversation afterward was about Harry meeting ‘the guy who sells weed’:
“I said, ‘Harry, have you met the kid yet that sells weed?’ I thought this would get a good laugh. Harry says, ‘I cannot confirm or deny.'”
Before having a family, Letterman prioritized his career over his personal life. Back when his then-girlfriend now-wife Regina was pregnant with Harry, he announced the news with a little bit of concern:
“I have an announcement to make, and I’ll be honest with you, I’m slightly nervous. I have some trepidations about this. I feel a little silly because it’s one of those things that I thought never in my life would happen. And here I am, 56, and by all rights, it shouldn’t be happening. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. And I’m terribly excited about this. I’m scared silly about this. I’m going to be a father.”
In 2012, David admitted that he was scared about being a dad. However, things ended up not as he expected:
“I just thought, when the topic would come up, I can’t do both. I can’t try to have a successful television show and be a father. And I was wrong about that — because as difficult as being a father is, it’s entirely complementary with everything else in your life.”
Harry maintains a low profile and has made few public appearances with his father. However, in 2015, he and Regina attended David’s final ‘Late Show,’ where David introduced him to the audience, saying:
“Look at that kid! Thank you for being my family. I love you both. And really, nothing else matters, does it?”
According to David, Harry has inherited his sense of humor and is very entertaining. Speaking to Howard Stern in 2020, he mentioned that the quarantine period allowed him to spend more time with his son. Below, you can watch the episode where David revealed how he spent father-son time with Harry during the lockdown.