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Michael Douglas said he went nearly two decades without appearing on David Letterman's late night talk show after he felt the host 'was making fun of' his mother Diana Dill.
The 82-year-old actor made the revelation in his new book One Helluva Ride, for which he's made headlines about the ups and downs of his life.
Douglas in the book said that he felt Letterman had 'went too far' during an appearance airing a commercial featuring his mother (long before her death in 2015).
'I had been a regular guest on Letterman's show earlier in my career, but the last time I was on, I felt David went too far,' Douglas said.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey-born star said Letterman played the clip with his mother 'without warning' and 'started grilling' him on it.
Douglas wrote, 'It felt like he was making fun of my mother' and 'had a real nasty sense of humor' on display with the segment.
Michael Douglas, 82, said he went nearly two decades without appearing on David Letterman's late night talk show after he felt the host 'was making fun of' his mother Diana Dill. Pictured Tuesday in NYC
Douglas said that segment led to him declining to appear on the show for an 18-year period, despite multiple attempts to have him return.
'After that, whenever the producers of the show requested to have me back on, I always refused,' Douglas said in the book. 'I said no for 18 straight years.'
Douglas said that Letterman personally made efforts to reach out to him, to no avail.
'Dave wrote me personal letters to apologize, but my feelings didn't change,' Douglas said. 'He had crossed a line.'
Douglas said that after he received a cancer diagnosis in 2010, he felt it was time to 'bury the hatchet' with the host.
He wrote Letterman was 'respectful' and asked him 'sincere and sympathetic questions' about his health battle.
'It felt so nice to clear the air with Dave,' Douglas said, 'and for the first time I felt like life is too short to hold on to feuds.'
Douglas said that Letterman (pictured in LA last year) personally made efforts to reach out to him, to no avail
Douglas wrote Letterman was 'respectful' and asked him 'sincere and sympathetic questions' about his health battle in a 2010 appearance
Michael Douglas pictured with his mother Diana in LA in 1995 at the premiere of The American President. She passed away in 2015
He added, 'Letting go felt like it was more of a favor to myself than to Dave. Those grudges were a weight I carried, and I was done with revenge.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for both parties for further comment on the story.
Douglas's mother Diana died at 92 in July of 2015 following a battle with cancer.
According to IMDb, Douglas appeared on Letterman's NBC show Late Night with David Letterman in December of 1985.
He subsequently appeared on five episodes of Letterman's CBS show: in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014, according to iMDb.
Douglas's new book One Helluva Ride is available now.
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