Comedian Andy Richter is winning over Dancing with the Stars fans, but he could have been booted from the show before even getting a chance to perform after violating his non-disclosure agreement, he revealed. Speaking to his longtime costar and pal Conan O'Brien on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast last week, Andy, 58, recalled being asked to join the next season of DWTS back in April. A few months later, his doctors figured out that the leg pain he had been experiencing was because he needed a left hip replacement. "I was like, 'I'm supposed to be doing Dancing with the Stars,' which was a violation of the NDA and I could have been fired," he said.
But alerting his healthcare providers about the intense physical activity he was about to subject himself to ended up being the right call. "They were like, 'yeah, you should be alright,'" Andy said. "I got some sort of injection that was supposed to help, and it did help. But this is a big bon voyage to my old, arthritic hip." Conan joked that Andy's hip injury "should be like a golf handicap" with the judges' scores. "They should add 15 points," he said.
© Disney/Eric McCandlessAndy also revealed to Conan that he initially wanted to turn down the invite to join DWTS, but quickly realized that being pushed outside his comfort zone wasn't a bad thing. "But of course within two seconds, I was like, 'I have to do this,'" he said. "It is pretty fun."
Andy found himself in the bottom two of the leaderboard last week after judges' scores from the first and second episodes were added up together before the show's first elimination, which sent two stars home. Thought Andy's scores suggested his run on the show could have come to an end, he pulled through to dance another week, leaving actor Corey Feldman and NBA alum Baron Davis to make their exits.
© Disney/Andrew EcclesThough the comedian's dancing may not be on par with the stars on the top of the leaderboard (see: Robert Irwin and Whitney Leavitt, who tied for the highest scores after both garnering a 37/50 for the first two episodes), he's gained an appreciation from fans and judges alike for his humor and entertaining performances.
"Even though it's One-Hit Wonders Night, I plan on staying on the charts for weeks," Andy said last week before performing a tango to "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls with his pro partner, Emma Slater. "I did see people on social media saying don't have a heart attack and it's like, I'm not that out of shape," he joked.
© DisneyDuring the premiere episode, Andy performed a cha cha to "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave, which judges said left something to be desired, though they enjoyed his "cheeky" spirit. "Some of these people have never looked like idiots on TV. That part of it, I'm not afraid of," Andy said.
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