Seth Meyers says Trump never went on his show because he refused to apologize on-air for 2011 mockery

After making fun of Donald Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondent's Dinner, Late Night's Seth Meyers wanted to have Donald Trump on the show in 2015 — but the future president would only agree to it if the host apologized on-air for the jokes.

Meyers told Politico's Off Message podcast that Trump relayed the demand through his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen just before launching his presidential campaign. Once the host refused the demand, the talks to have the future president on Late Night ended.

When discussing why Trump has become such a target for comedians, the Late Night host told Politico's Edward-Isaac Dovere the president has "turned himself into an object of ridicule."

"This is a case of judo, where you’re using someone else’s momentum against them," he said. "It’s not like we’re attacking. We’re just sort of like steering his weight and letting him take himself down.”