Letterman Apologizes for Palin Joke

David Letterman apologized on Monday for making a sexually themed joke about one of Gov. Sarah Palin's teenage daughters, while a group of Palin supporters planned a rally demanding that he be fired, Reuters reports.

"I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception," Letterman said during Monday's taping of "Late Night with David Letterman."

"And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke," he continued. "It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault."

According to the Los Angeles Times, during a monologue earlier this month, Letterman joked that New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez impregnated Palin's daughter during a game, intending the joke to be a reference to Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol. Gov. Palin actually attended the game with her 14-year-old daughter, Willow. Critics accused Letterman of joking about statutory rape.

The Palins responded to the joke last week. Todd Palin issued a statement that said, "Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable." And Sarah Palin referred to the remarks as "sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity," the Associated Press reports.

John Ziegler, the Los Angeles talk radio host behind the group, firedavidletterman.com, told the Los Angeles Times that Letterman's apology wasn't enough. He is pushing for stronger action against the talk show host. The group is still planning a rally Tuesday outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York where Letterman's show is taped.