text: David Letterman stunned his Late Show audience into silence with a joke branded 'disrespectful to women' David Letterman stunned his Late Show audience into silence with a joke which has been branded as 'disrespectful to women'. The veteran host was attempting to warm up the studio audience ahead of his show on Monday when he made the off-colour gag. Letterman had just opened up questions to the floor, and fielded the first query of the night from a college employee, reported the New York Post. They asked what advice the scandal-hit comic would give to this year's graduates. Letterman, who was in 2009 forced to admit to string of affairs, said: 'Treat a lady like a wh–e, and a wh–e like a lady.' But the joke received a frosty reception from the shocked crowd. After being met with stunned silence, the host attempted to recover by offering further advice to graduates to 'eat salad' and 'always be nice'. However, several audience members at the Ed Sullivan Theater were furious over the sexist joke. Retired Jerry Stockton, from Virginia, called it 'disrespectful to women' while another, who would not be named, said it had been an 'odd choice' for the first joke of the evening. The gag is thought to have been a reference to a saying by 1930s screenwriter Wilson Mizner. Scroll down for video . Joe Logan, 41, from Pennsylvania, told the New York Post: 'Younger people watch his show. We already live in a culture that objectifies women, it's not right to make a joke like that.' A Letterman spokesman said he could not 'confirm the accuracy' of Monday's failed joke and would not comment further. But a source close to the show insisted 'It got a big laugh.' Letterman carried on with the show which had guests including John Travolta and Amy Schumer, star of her eponymous Comedy Central show, 'Inside Amy Schumer.' Old friends: David thanked John for being his friend over the decades during Monday's show. It was during a Monday warm up that he made the gag . The Grease actor, 61, had tried to bring his son Ben on to meet his 'old friend' Letterman but the nervous youngster had fled the stage into his mother's arms. The host later offered some advice to Schumer and instructed her to 'do something now that you'll regret.' So the comedienne immediately lifted her dress and flashed... her surfing scar to a relieved-looking Letterman. In October 2009, the veteran host of the Late Show had been forced to admit to a string of affairs live on air  by a blackmailing producer. The host made the shocking revelation on his show that he had cheated on his wife, Regina Lasko, whom he had only married that March. He made the confession after becoming the victim of an extortion plot concocted by a then-CBS producer, Robert Halderman, who demanded $2 million in exchange for his silence over the affairs. Letterman is now planning to retire from the show after more than 20 years of hosting on May 20. Good times: David rubbed his forehead while Amy cracked up after he told her to do something she'd regret .
target: David Letterman made the joke while warming up his Late Show audience .
  College staffer asked what advice the 'scandal-scarred' comic could give .
  The host told them 'Treat a lady like a wh–e, and a wh–e like a lady'
  Joke was met with stunned silence with some branding it 'disrespectful'