David Letterman is too "embarrassed" to consider himself a "star".
The 70-year-old former talk show host admitted he insisted his programme was known as ‘Late Night With David Letterman’ rather than ‘Late Night Starring David Letterman’ because the title producers wanted felt "ridiculous" to him.
David – who debuted the NBC show in 1982 and left in 1993 – explained: "First of all, you can call it whatever you want. But I was embarrassed. I could not possibly–and still don’t–consider myself a star, because I couldn’t refer to myself as a star. Johnny Carson was a star, there’s no question of that. So, for me to adopt that – ‘Starring Dave Letterman’ – that was just ridiculous.
"In the same way, I always cringe a little when people refer to the folks who watch their show as their ‘fans.’ I just think that’s a little too…you know, you kind of just stepped over the line of basic humility there. To call myself a ‘star’ didn’t go."
In 1993, David moved to CBS and hosted ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ until 2015.
After over two years off screen, the presenter insists he doesn’t miss life on television and has no interest in returning to the box.
Speaking on audio and video podcast ‘Norm Macdonald Live’, he said: "For a long time I didn’t miss it because there was still the high of having sort of completed this.
"I’ve done it for 30 years. I don’t want to do it anymore."
David recently admitted stepping down from his show means he can put wife Regina Lasko and their 13-year-old son Harry first.
Asked what a regular day is to him now, he said: "Right now, I’m missing ‘The Price Is Right’; thanks a lot! A regular day is structured around my wife and son. I am secondary to their schedule.
"But my days – I was just in California with some people. It was business related. So I do a lot of that, and I do a lot of pro bono work, as they say in the legal industry. But mostly I sit on the edge of the bed and stare at the floor."
David Letterman isn’t a star
