Showing the kind of intrepid journalism that morning news is known for, on Monday’s CBS "Early Show" co-host Harry Smith led a panel discussion about some recent celebrity divorces, when publicist Marvet Britto observed: "...men are, you know, patting each other on the back when philandering happens. Sad as it may be...You know, look at Bill Clinton. It's not like he's -- you know, we're walking down the street thinking, ‘oh, look what he did.’"
The topic came up when Smith and the other panelists, divorce attorney Raoul Felder and clinical psychologist Robi Ludwig, were discussing Christie Brinkley’s divorce from her husband, who had an affair. In response, Smith awkwardly laughed and quickly moved on.
Here is the transcript of the exchange:
8:25AM
HARRY SMITH: Now here's my question. Christie Brinkley is a brand. Everybody in America knows exactly who she is. America's sweetheart forever and ever and ever. Does any of this do her any good brand-wise?
MARVET BRITTO: It doesn't. Companies look at the equity that you have, and that's what they choose to leverage. And for so many years she's built an amazing career where companies, corporations, Colgate, whoever she's worked with, knows what they're getting with Christie Brinkley.
SMITH: Right.
BRITTO: She loses big time if she has a public divorce where dirty laundry will come out and that might taint or soil the very career that she's built. The brand equity that she's built. She has a brand. He has a name. And like [divorce attorney] Raoul [Felder] said, men are, you know, patting each other on the back when philandering happens. Sad as it may be.
SMITH: Right.
BRITTO: You know, look at Bill Clinton. It's not like he's -- you know, we're walking down the street thinking, 'oh, look what he did.'
[Smith laughs awkwardly]
BRITTO: So I think it's a bad move.
