David Letterman reflects on late-night show chaos

David Letterman says he has no regrets about stepping away from late-night television.

The 78-year-old television personality, who hosted Late Night from 1982 and The Late Show until 2015, made the revelation during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday. 

The topic opened with Kimmel asking Letterman if he ever missed being on air.

Letterman replied, “Boy, you would think, but no. I'm so glad to be out from under this mess.” 

The former host also praised current hosts like Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers for “doing such a masterful job of defending this democracy.”

Letterman added, “About all I'm capable of is showing up every now and then and saying f*** Waymo and that’s it,” referencing the self-driving car company. 

“Thank God for you, thank God for others, SNL, and everybody else. It’s just, I think it’s the way things need to be in a democracy that’s seemingly this crippled.”

Kimmel then joked about giving praise only to himself and reminded viewers to credit Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for their contributions.

Letterman's comments come shortly after Kimmel’s ABC contract was extended, despite US President Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with the host.