A $300 Million Divorce For David Letterman?

Sources hinting at a pricey divorce for The Late Show host. Plus, the real reason for Letterman's on-air apology.

The David Letterman extortion-affair saga gains complication with new reports that his wife is preparing for a divorce and that she forced him to apologize to her on the air.

One site says Regina Lasko is looking to take half of husband Letterman's fortune, and a source close to Lasko has been quoted saying, "Regina feels humiliated ... She wants to get even with him and that is likely to mean a messy and expensive divorce."

Expensive is right. Half of Letterman's fortune would pay out a reported $316 million. However his bank account is not the only price Letterman's paying for his longtime affair with Stephanie Birkitt that led to Joe Halderman's extortion threats: his pride is also at risk. Apparently wife Lasko forced Letterman to apologize to her on the air last Monday night when Letterman tried to make light of the scandal by asking his audience if their weekend just flew by. He turned serious and told the crowd that his wife was "horribly hurt" and that he had his work "cut out" for him as far as fixing their marriage.

Sources are saying Letterman didn't want to make the apology; that he wanted the whole mess to blow over. Lasko, however, told him she wanted him to prove how remorseful he was by addressing her with an "I'm sorry" on the air.

We'll see if the apology worked, or if the divorce proceedings head underway. Meanwhile, read how former Letterman mistress Stephanie Birkitt is on paid leave from CBS ...plus, there's a much happier wife and mom who talked with us this week. Check out LimeLife's exclusive and endearing interview with former Baywatch beauty Gena Lee Nolin.