Tony Mendez, long time cue card holder for David Latterman, lost his job after an altercation ensued between himself and a colleague.
Tony Mendez had a backstage altercation between himself and Bill Scheft. The day before, Tony allegedly had a disagreement with David Letterman and Tony Mendez over the cue cards. The initial disagreement happened on the 8th of October before the show's Wednesday's taping. Mendez was so upset about the altercation, he brewed all night and by the time he following day arrived, he was on Scheft's neck.
Mendez complained that Scheft encroached on his work too much. He claims that Scheft would tell him what to do and many times he (Mendez) would have to tell him off. He continues that Scheft would often lean over his shoulder during the show's recording and whisper which cards he should pt on top of which ones. Something Mendez found very irritating and had to bear with for a while.
"Bill was always undermining me - making himself out as Dave's No. 1," Mendez said. "Trying to pretend that I wasn't even in the room . . . little passive-aggressive things. Well the things finally got the better of Mendez.
On October 9, right before the show's Thursday taping, Mendez got so irritated that he grabbed Scheft by the shirt and pushed him to the wall. Something Letterman and the show's producers did not take too lghtly. Mendez, who has worked with David Letterman for 21 years shoved the 57 year old Scheft to the wall, etye witness reports have it.
Mendez, 69, was kicked out of the theater and on Monday, got news that his employment had been terminated.
Tony Mendez agrees that he should not have acted that way. He has nothing but praise for Letterman, his boss of 21 years. His benefits and salary would be paid with Letterman's next year as the host of the show retires.
Before the Letterman show, Mendez was a cue card holder for Saturday Night Live.