Andy Richter Still Fuming Over Leno, NBC Snub

By Sam Brand Posted Mar 9th 2010 03:43PM

Fans are bitter that Conan O'Brien got kicked off the air. Friends are bitter, too -- Jimmy Kimmel has made that all too clear. CoCo, himself, is bitter -- but getting over it, slowly, with the help of Twitter. But perhaps no one is more bitter than sidekick Andy Richter.

On Tuesday morning, nearly two months after NBC announced the end of Conan's tenure on the 'Tonight Show,' Richter told Kelly Ripa that his feud with Jay Leno and NBC is still very much alive.

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"Yes, yes I do," Richter said, when asked by Ripa if he still had ill feelings for NBC or Leno. "Why wouldn't I?"

The response received applause from a crowd that seemed to share Richter's feelings and appreciated the star's honesty. Sitting in for a vacationing Regis Philbin on 'Live with Regis and Kelly,' Richter made his first appearance on television since "the hullabloo," as Ripa called the now-notorious late night television wars.

"I actually can be on TV," Richter joked. "Conan can't, in fact, I'm not even sure I can say his name."

Richter, 43, was Conan's sidekick on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' from 1993 to 2000. In 2009, he joined O'Brien's 'Tonight Show' as its announcer.

The longtime sidekick was vocal about his disapproval over the way NBC handled the shakeup. "Everybody said they were going to do something, and they didn't."

Richter never mentioned Leno by name on Tuesday, not that he needed to.

"It's very frustrating when somebody says ... 'I'm going to take this number one show and hand it over and hope that the next guy ... makes it a number one show,' and then doesn't."

Richter suggested Leno's excuse, that he was contractually bound to re-take 'The Tonight Show' after Conan's ouster, was inadequate: "You know how multimillionaires are always being forced to do things they don't want to do."

Richter later admitted, "I've calmed down about it," but not before Ripa could finish his sentence.

"But it's still very much at the surface."

Tags: andy richter, conan obrien, jay leno, the tonight show

Comments

(46)

Tuesday 09 March

By anonymous

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Dear Fatso:

Will you please. get. off. it. You have been hanging on to Conan's coattails for decades. You are still under the delusion you have a career in show biz and that you and your utterings are important. You are low, annoying noise. Please leave your big show biz career, no one cares about you. Go open up a Wendy's franchise or something.

Sincerely,

The Long Suffering Public

By radicalstoner

yea andy suks the pinnacle of his carrer was in chris elliots movie when he got set afloat on that barge and pulled by that ship. The guy is a biggot and a punk in real life, wendy's is perfect for him.

By mike

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Very courageous anonymous.....you are a punk!

Wednesday 10 March

By ftracy3

Hey DipS**t, you should watch the series "Andy Richter Controls the Universe"..it was one of the laugh out loud funniest, most creative shows of the last decade.

By outsideralpha28

YOU ARE RIDICULOUS! He has every right to be mad. You're a moron!

By eddie

The only person on that show that was even remotely funny was the dude in the band. Conan and the fat guy sucked

By Andi

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I am so sick of Leno being blamed for NBC's screw up. Leno had the Tonight Show on top and was asked to leave because the WINER, Conan, wanted the show. Conan KILLED the ratings of the Tonight Show so he got dumped. How is that Leno's fault? He loves the Tonight Show and never wanted to leave in the first place. GET OVER IT!

By Tony

Say, Andi, what kind of WINE does Conan make? Cabernet? Riesling? Merlot? D.R.? Would you buy a bottle?

By Glenn

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ya ever wonder why the show tanked after Leno left ? just goes to showw you that it was a little premature for NBC to retire Leno when they did - big mistake on their part - their lucky Leno came back !!

By barb

I'm so dissapointed in Kelly Ripa here. She seemed so unprofessional and just like a teenage girl agreeing with someone cause she wants to be his best friend. Immature and gossipy...childish-like not professional.

By deadheadspread

multi millions of people are living in hell like conditions. Some homeless, starving, sick, buried alive, and watching their children die while a bunch of mentally impaired JA's march for poor poor Conan who got 45 million?!!! for getting his butt off TV! Now they are still whining 4 earthquakes later? They should all get a kick where it hurts in addition to getting a taste of what is deserving of protest and what is a crock of crapola.

By jackieharris14

I agree, GET OVER IT>> When Conan had the tonght show it just wasn't the same the public felt that way!!! I miss Leno on late night and was so happy that he is back. The only idiot in this whole mess was Zucker!!!! Andy it wasn't Jays fault!

By kichel

kissen ein tuchas!

By Mickerie

I don't get why everyone seems to put Jay Leno as the bad guy; what should he have done, say No? If NBC, for whatever reason (it's their bat, ball and ball park) chose to get rid of Conan, it's their call. Jay didn't get rid of Conan, THEY did. Can anyone blame Jay for taking back his old job? Get serious. NBC can do the same thing to Jay and manufacture some reason...c.f., the ball analogy. So, stop carping about it, Andy. So should everyone else. It was NOT Jay's fault. It was NOT his decision. He had NOTHING to do with it. Would anyone feel better if NBC had hired anyone else? Blame the network, folks, if you want to place blame. There have been lots of shows that were really good that were cancelled - Conan just got cancelled.

By Jim

Get over it gonad wasnt worth a crap you think the network was going to keep losing money over his sorry butt get real the money maker for them is back where he shouls have never left!!!!

Was Andy really a good sidekick for Conan? I don't think so. I believe he is upset because his career is probably over now. Glad Regis was able to help him out a little.

By Nancy Berschbach

Jay Leno is a class act! Looks like a thoroughly nice guy. Andy Richter was not the least bit funny on Conan's show. When he started back on the Tonight Show, I stopped watching. GLAD THAT JAY IS BACK!

By Monroe

Hey, NBC wanted Jay back. They control the money, so they make the rules!

By buzz

Andy WHO?????? ONCE MORE...Leno didn't do it...NBC did it!!! REMEMBER, LENO HAD TO VACATE HIS OWN SHOW, WHEN HE WAS ON TOP IN THE RATINGS, TO MAKE ROOM FOR COCO! Do we think that was Conan's fault? Of course not! Once again, it was the "brain trust" (hugely laughable misnomer!) at NBC! Selective memory there, Andy? Amazing how some people conveniently leave out, and/or ignore, key details when trying to win an argument. I'm guessing you didn't do well in Debate back in high school. Anyway, maybe someday you'll replace Kevin on Jay's show, and then you'll be the biggest Leno fan ever, huh? Or perhaps NBC will give you your own show!!! Hell, they've done stupid things of THAT magnitude before, now, HAVEN'T they?! Yeah, that's it! And maybe the Cubs will win the next 5 World Series! Say goodbye to the nice people, Andy...time to take your medication and go night-night.

By Banana Split

I wish someone would give me 40 million to take a year off to develop something original. Please somebody do that to me and my staff!!!!!!!!

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