Andy Richter

Summary

Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes)

Episode: Andy Richter
Release Date: June 18, 2025

---

Summary:

In this heartfelt and humorous episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, hosts Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson engage in an in-depth conversation with comedian, actor, and writer Andy Richter. Spanning personal anecdotes, career insights, and philosophical musings on comedy, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive look into Andy's life and mindset.

---

1. Reconnecting and Guest Introduction

[01:37 - 03:05]

Ted Danson warmly welcomes Andy Richter to the podcast, highlighting their longstanding friendship and mutual respect forged through their time at Team Coco. Ted expresses excitement about delving deeper into Andy's experiences beyond superficial chats.

Notable Quote:
Ted Danson: “But after that show wrapped, life took them in different directions. This podcast is a chance to reconnect, both with each other and the amazing friends they’ve each met over the decades—that is, when Ted can get a hold of Woody!”
[01:37]

---

2. Personal Life and Marriage

[03:05 - 08:57]

The conversation shifts to Andy's personal life, specifically his marriage to Jennifer. Andy shares how he met Jennifer through dating apps after a 25-year marriage ended. He discusses the challenges and eventual success of finding a meaningful relationship where both partners are already fulfilled independently.

Notable Quotes:
Andy Richter: “I just added value to her life. I did not, I was not like filling in holes, you know what I mean?”
[07:03]

Ted Danson: “Was that one of the first times that you were with a woman like that? Because I did the same thing...”
[07:12]

Andy Richter: “I was feeling very happy and really loved the feeling that she didn't really need me...”
[07:05]

---

3. Comedy Philosophy and Ensemble Work

[08:10 - 21:04]

Andy and Ted dive into their philosophies on comedy, emphasizing the importance of ensemble work. Andy reflects on his preference for being part of a team rather than seeking individual stardom, highlighting the satisfaction derived from contributing to a collective effort.

Notable Quotes:
Andy Richter: “The shit that makes us laugh is not the good stuff. It is rank. It is bad.”
[21:04]

Ted Danson: “You wait for the person to go smack so you can. You're often running in the world of real reality...”
[19:42]

Andy Richter: “I never felt like that I had to kind of lower my standards to meet the audience's expectations.”
[63:06]

---

4. Early Career and Meeting Conan O'Brien

[26:43 - 63:03]

Andy recounts his journey from the Midwest to the entertainment industry, detailing his time at Columbia College in Chicago and his initial work in film production. He explains how he met Conan O'Brien through mutual friends at a party hosted by Bob Odenkirk, leading to their collaboration on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They discuss the challenges faced during the show's inception, including network resistance and creative differences, and how their perseverance led to eventual success.

Notable Quotes:
Andy Richter: “We hit it off right away and we just were silly and funny together the way we have been for 30 plus years.”
[48:19]

Andy Richter: “I was very easy to fool. I, you know, I take things at face value...”
[50:42]

Ted Danson: “You start not looking for that completely...”
[21:21]

---

5. Podcast Insights and The Andy Richter Call In Show

[66:15 - 69:11]

Andy discusses his ventures into podcasting, particularly focusing on The Three Questions with Andy Richter and The Andy Richter Call In Show on SiriusXM. He explains the format of his call-in show, which centers around humorous disaster stories from listeners, preferring these over positive anecdotes for their comedic potential. Andy emphasizes the importance of guest hosts to keep the show dynamic and engaging.

Notable Quotes:
Andy Richter: “Tell me about, you know, when your brother fell down the stairs at your bar mitzvah. You know, that's the good stuff.”
[68:13]

Ted Danson: “Tell me about Andy Richter call in show.”
[66:41]

Andy Richter: “I have a guest host because, you know, I know well enough that you gotta have somebody that's there to plug something.”
[68:18]

---

6. Conclusion and Final Encouragements

[69:03 - 72:15]

As the conversation wraps up, Ted praises Andy's kindness and humor, reflecting on the privilege of sharing personal stories through the podcast. They encourage listeners to explore Andy's other projects, subscribe, and support the podcast by sharing and leaving reviews.

Notable Quotes:
Ted Danson: “And it is a privilege to sit down with people and get to know them. And it is a privilege to get to know you I will never bump into. Because we're in the same building a lot. I will never bump into you again without going, give me a hug.”
[69:11]

Andy Richter: “I was so happy to have you here.”
[66:15]

Ted Danson: “Tell a friend about us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you're on Apple Podcasts, maybe give us a great rating and review.”
[70:08]

---

Key Takeaways:

• Mutual Respect and Value in Relationships: Andy emphasizes the importance of relationships where both parties add value without filling voids.

• Ensemble Over Solo Stardom: Both Ted and Andy advocate for the strength and satisfaction found in ensemble work within comedy and entertainment.

• Resilience in the Entertainment Industry: Andy shares his journey of perseverance through early career challenges and network resistance to achieve success.

• Innovative Approach to Comedy: The discussion highlights Andy's commitment to maintaining high comedic standards and his preference for humor rooted in real-life chaos and disasters.

• The Power of Personal Connections: The episode underscores the value of genuine connections and the privilege of sharing personal stories through platforms like podcasts.

---

This episode offers an intimate glimpse into Andy Richter's life, his approach to comedy, and his experiences in the entertainment world. Ted and Andy's candid conversation provides listeners with valuable insights and heartfelt moments, making it a memorable addition to the Where Everybody Knows Your Name series.

Transcript

[Ted Danson]

Hershey's milk chocolate with whole almonds makes for a wholly amazing, wholly delicious experience that's well holy Hershey's. Everyone should get to experience the satisfying surprise of a whole almond tucked inside creamy Hershey's chocolate. Late at night, when I'm trying to be healthy but I just want a little something, I see an almond covered in milk chocolate, I feel righteous. Two or three. Boom. To bed. Shop for Hershey's milk chocolate with whole almonds now at a store near you found wherever candy is sold, this message is brought to you by Apple Pay. Forget your wallet. It's all good because with Apple Pay, you can pay with a simple tap of your iPhone, the wallet you never forget. At millions of places worldwide, including websites, apps, and anywhere you see the contactless symbol. Security is built in with face ID so you don't have to worry about your cards getting lost or stolen. And the best part, you still earn the card rewards, points and cash back you love. So say goodbye to the bifold, add your card to Apple Wallet and start paying the Apple way terms apply.

[Andy Richter]

Hey, do you speak the code of dumbness? And they go, yes, I do. You know, and then you, you're off and running.

[Ted Danson]

Welcome back to where everybody knows your name. Today I am talking to the very funny comedian, actor and writer Andy Richter. We pass each other pretty much every week in the hallways because we both work at Team Coco. I'm very excited to sit down with them and learn more than the, you know, hey, how are you? You've loved him for many years from his time on Late Night with Conan o' Brien, the Tonight show, and Conan on tbs. He has a podcast called the Three Questions with Andy Richter. I was a guest. I think I may have bored him. He only asked me two questions. But anyway, more recently he has been Hosting a live SiriusXM call in show called the Andy Richter Call In Show. Can't wait for you to meet him. Here he is, Andy Richter. Let's talk about wives for a minute.

[Andy Richter]

Okay.

[Ted Danson]

Because last night I was, you know, researching you more than because you think you know somebody and you really don't. And I came across photos of Jennifer. Your wife.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ted Danson]

And I don't know that much about her and I didn't go research her or something, but I all of a sudden went, oh, Andy, he's the man. Oh, Andy, I look twice at you and people do that to me too. They go, hi, Ted. And then they go, oh, Mary Steenberge. And you're with him. All right, I'll give Ted. A second chance.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Well, thank you. Yeah. No, she's a beautiful woman. And I mean, but I mean, that's sort of.

[Ted Danson]

No, it was something else because yes, she is beautiful, but there's. Anyway, tell me about her and how you met and all of that.

[Andy Richter]

We met because I had, you know, I got. I. I split with my wife of 25 years, so I was on my own and. And then Covid happened and, you know, and I did. I didn't date a ton, but I did date somewhat and I, you know, had a couple different relationships, but ones that, that were, for one reason or another, weren't meant to be long lasting. And. And then I finally decided I gotta do something to meet somebody. So I'll try these apps because I'm old enough that the notion of trying a dating app, it's. To me it's like, oh, that's what losers do. Because you'd hear about dating services in the old days and that was what people did when they didn't have any social skills or the ability to meet anybody but two seconds after trying. And I had tried once, I had tried the fancy celebrity one. I've talked about this in different places. My friend Nikki Glaser. You have to be recommended to this one called, called Raya. And it's like for celebrities or, you know, notable people. And, and you do, when you go on, you do see, you know, some famous people as you're thumbing through.

[Ted Danson]

And Nikki, in your mind, famous losers, right?

[Andy Richter]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Well, I mean, in if it's men, it's famous horn dogs was what? Because, and I mean, and I had always heard stories about you. Just every woman that ever happened to be on there would just, oh, there he is. But I was on. And it was also kind of too soon for me, but I got on there and just was like, I can't do this. I made a profile and I felt so old and I just, you know, like, they want you to pick a piece of music to play underneath it. And I couldn't find.

[Ted Danson]

Oh my gosh.

[Andy Richter]

And their music was. I didn't. Everything that I suggested that was not there because it was all too old.

[Ted Danson]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

You know, I think I ended up finding, I don't know, Stevie Wonder or.

[Ted Danson]

Something like Kingston Trio.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, right, exactly. You don't have the Four freshmen. How dare you? I mean, really, truly. I was on there for about an hour maybe.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

So I didn't go on those for a long time. End of 2021. I was like, okay, I'm going to get on these. So I got, and I even did like a Google search basically to say which is the most grown up dating app. And it seemed to be Hinge. So I got on Hinge and I had a very lovely time and I met Jennifer very quickly. She's a single mom. She had a daughter who was a little less than two at the time, which was not a problem to me. She owned her own business. She has a company that reps directors, mostly for music videos. And she's had this business. She moved to London. She lived in London for 10 years on her own. Came back here because she wanted to have a child. And she's from here originally and had a child on her own. And I just found myself leaving her house and driving home and feeling very, very happy and really feeling surprised at how happy I was. And also really loved the feeling that she didn't really need me. Like I just added value to her life. I did not, I was not like filling in holes, you know what I mean?

[Ted Danson]

Yes, I do.

[Andy Richter]

I wasn't like filling in any red lines. She was in the black in her life. She was.

[Ted Danson]

And was that one of the first times that you were with a woman like that? Because I did the same thing. I used to. My mode of seduction was to find somebody's gaping wound and fix it to an extent, probably. And then when I met Mary, it was like, whoa, she has none. She doesn't need that kind of part of me that doesn't work that well. Anyway, it was amazing.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And I, I mean, well, and now she needs me. You know, I, now I, I've done, done too many chores and I, I, I, I, you know, I do too many school drop offs that now she needs me.

[Ted Danson]

But, you know, so how, how lucky are we?

[Andy Richter]

Very lucky. Very lucky.

[Ted Danson]

I can see it. You're blessed.

[Andy Richter]

You have children. I really, really am.

[Ted Danson]

And you get to do what you like.

[Andy Richter]

I do. The thing they don't tell you about being alive is that it takes four or five decades to get the hang of it. And I truly believe that. I do think that, like, you know.

[Ted Danson]

I was in my 40s before the lights went off.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Truly.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And I've had trouble with depression my whole life and I just kind of got past that and you know, and it's still there and I'm medicated and I go to therapy and everything, but I have a handle on that. That seems to be sort of more of my past. And I just really am feeling like I'M living for today and enjoying my life and just trying to be satisfied with what's around me rather than the sort of laundry list of shortcomings that I've assigned myself, you know?

[Ted Danson]

Right. It is a discipline, gratitude, man. The older I get because I'm 77, and things start to ache and, you know, life. Life's real.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Aging is real. And if I just keep gratitude going, oh, man, you are so fucking lucky. You know, I don't know what you do when you prepare, but you kind of binge people for about 24 hours before you sit down and talk to them.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

I watched you that little clip with Chelsea Handler, and she said something, you know, like about the swimming thing and floating and all of that. And you. There was a beat and then you fired back.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

And it made her laugh. So this. I can say that it wasn't me.

[Andy Richter]

No, she loved it.

[Ted Danson]

She loved it. But it was like, oh, fuck me. No, fuck you back.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ted Danson]

And it was so startlingly, effortlessly. No. I may be sitting in the sidekick, you know, side of the couch or something, but I'm all over you.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ted Danson]

And that's, to me, stealth leading man. And I think it would be amazing for you to do for real. I'm not trying to love you because you're a really good actor.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you. You know, I had three shows of my own. I was number one on the call sheet, as they say, three times. And I didn't enjoy it as much as, I don't know, I thought I would or I didn't. It wasn't the sort of intoxicating high that maybe I might have thought it was before I did it, and possibly because I had been so used to being number two and had had lots of time to appreciate, like, all the benefits of being number two, and especially as they dovetail with my personality and what I like out of life and how I want to spend my time, you know, a big one, being, like, meetings with people I don't want to have meetings with. Nobody gives a shit about talking to number two from the network or the studio or whomever or advertisers. They're like, yeah, oh, hi, Andy. Bye. But they do want to talk to Conan. And not doing those kind of meetings is a blessing. But. So, yeah, being number one, it's not. And I've. It's nice to be listened to. But the attention, I found out the attention, I don't even, like, need that. I like attention, and I like people to like what I do. But in Terms of, you know, the old stories of somebody, you know, a second or third character being given a joke that scores and then in the next run through that joke magically gets in the stars. Yeah. Redistributed to the, to the star. I, that to me is just madness, you know, Absolute madness.

[Ted Danson]

And if you were the star, you mean it's madness. Absolutely. No, no. It's so stupid.

[Andy Richter]

It's the dumbest thing in the. Because they gave that guy the joke or that woman the joke for a reason. Like it works for that. And also, aren't you ashamed? Aren't you just ashamed? Isn't it, that it's so naked that somebody got a cookie and you're like, go get that boy's cookie and give me that cookie.

[Ted Danson]

I'm the star. I get all the cookies.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Jesus Christ.

[Ted Danson]

I learned early on in Cheers that you didn't have to have the funny joke. No, it was nice if you were in a two shot with the funny joke.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ted Danson]

You know, because then you get the same credit in a way. And I learned that early on, you know, it's like you'd have barely anything to do in an episode. Cause it was ensemble.

[Andy Richter]

Sure.

[Ted Danson]

And people would come up and you'd go, oh, my God, you were so good. That was the best show ever. And you were barely in it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ted Danson]

It doesn't matter. Just be, be, be inside the proscenium arch next to something funny or good or whatever and you'll get credit.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, I, I, when the team wins.

[Ted Danson]

Yes.

[Andy Richter]

You all go to the Super Bowl.

[Ted Danson]

You know, I got that from wanting to be a basketball player.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

The team is the thing. And when I, my big kind of, you know, I did some films, but it was my entry level job was Cheers. And it was so beautifully written and it was so clearly ensemble. You could go anywhere in that cast and have that character be the star of the show, run the story.

[Andy Richter]

And to me, that is, it was pretty amazing.

[Ted Danson]

It was, it was wall to wall.

[Andy Richter]

And then as time went on, the casting got good, you know, even, you know, they replaced people with solid, solid.

[Ted Danson]

People, you know, and this because the writing, the story worked, but the satisfaction you get out of passing, you know, you get an assist, which is very big deal in the NBA.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ted Danson]

You know, it's a big deal when you set up Conan or you set up somebody and you're, you know. And the joke really works.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Because you can up a joke by setting it up poorly.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely.

[Ted Danson]

You know, so I love that. I am, of the same thing. I like playing the tall guy. I do, but, I mean, that doesn't.

[Andy Richter]

Take any homework, right? Yeah, yeah, no.

[Ted Danson]

But I mean, I like, yes, I'm okay to be, quote, unquote, leading man, but I'm not. I'm a character actor and I'm part of an ensemble. That's what brings me joy, you know? And yes, I like being the tall. Yes, I like being more involved in a script than less, because it is more. It does engage you more, and you're. I don't know, it's fun.

[Andy Richter]

Well, and also, if you. For me, personally, I think I have good taste, and I was born with good taste. And then I got to work with somebody who completely allowed me into the process of producing and creating and getting out the door every day. A strip show, which is a talk show, a sketch show, and Conan let me into that process. I didn't just sit there during rehearsal and had him dictate. He would turn to me and say, what do you think? What should we do? And over the years, I got to be pretty good at being right, having.

[Ted Danson]

An opinion at the end.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And also on the spot fixing, you know, this or diagnosis, you know, it's very triage. It's very medical. Here's a sketch. What does it need? Cut out the middle part. And it needs a new ending. You know, just. And then you figure it out. And. And it's not always, you know, this is the most brilliant thing ever. A lot of it is. It's not up to our standards right now, but if we make these changes, it's not going to be the best thing we ever did, but it's going to be able to go out the door to. In a way that we can be proud of, and that will work, and that will be to our standards. And I got to do that day after day after day for years. So now I definitely feel like if you want an opinion on this scene and how it's going to be funny and how it's going to be good and how we can put it up on its feet and get the most out of it, I feel like I have a pretty good point of view in that. And that's why being number one, I feel like, let me, Let me. You know, I often would joke on the Conan show and I was disagreed with. I'd say, like, you guys, you should know, just. Just do what I tell you to do. It's going to work out best if you just do what I say, you.

[Ted Danson]

Know, said in a way that they could laugh at it. But it's the truth and you know it.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, part of it is. Yeah. Part of it is me believing that. And that isn't to say too that I'm a megalomaniac. Everybody can be wrong and everybody can. And I. And I've learned. That's the other thing you learn from doing a show especially that's such a high volume as I. The metaphor. I always said we were laying tracks for a train that we could hear coming.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

So there's not a lot of time to romance any one thing. Just get it down and get it, you know, that's good move, you know, now go on to the next thing. But I know plenty of times I oh, this is a funny idea. Clickety clack, I write it out, I bring it in and everybody's like, yeah, it's okay, you know, do this and do that. And then. And I'm like, I really thought it was really great. But then you get three people, you know, are really funny to say it's okay. Then you're like, you know what? I guess, you know, being a believer in democracy, that's maybe it's just okay. You know, maybe, you know, maybe my child isn't as beautiful as I think it is.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah. I had the reputation on Cheers. If I said suggested something pretty much this is not self deprecating humor or false humility, I was dead wrong. And if they did the opposite, if they did the opposite, it would work brilliantly.

[Andy Richter]

Here's one of my continued that way, like did it never change?

[Ted Danson]

You know, I know I will tell Mary. Mary I said turn right here. And I'm saying I'm thank you. But I know it's left. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. You were right. It was right. I, I just, I just do it. I love being able to have an opinion and I don't really have that much at stake. If it's wrong, I'm okay to be wrong.

[Andy Richter]

Right, right. No, that's a bit, that's a, that's its own superpower in a way.

[Ted Danson]

You know, like here, here was one of my first obvious ones was Cheers casting Shelley Long. And I'm going, oh, no, not Shelly. Yeah, no, no, no, that's all wrong that she'd be terrible for that. And she, you know, right out of the shoot she became this instant brilliant, brilliant character actor doing a brilliant job and oops, wrong.

[Andy Richter]

And serving and serving the entire thing perfectly.

[Ted Danson]

No, I mean truly, I think this, it sounds like I'm discounting all the other of Us actors. But that first year, she put us on the map. She really did.

[Andy Richter]

Did she ever know that you had had that initial.

[Ted Danson]

I've said it enough that it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ted Danson]

She may not. Maybe she's never listened to anything I've ever said. I say it as a form of compliment because, my God, she is astounding.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

I loved working with her because it was like, we are so different. Totally different human beings that when the audience came, it was like a fist fight. In a good way. In a good way. You know, because acting is kind of pushing each other energetically around.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

You know, it's like.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

You wait for the person to go smack so you can. You're often running in the world of real reality. You're not making shit up. You know, you're depending on the other person. And you'd hit her and she'd hit you back harder.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely. And often the most interesting things happen in the tension between what seemed to be two opposing forces or two different forces. And that's why, like, for me too, one of the things about comedy.

[Ted Danson]

The.

[Andy Richter]

Kind of thing that I have always. And I think Conan too, for that matter, that we've always tried to strive for, was the tension between what you, as the creator or as the joke maker wants and what the audience wants. Because you can make jokes all day that just tickle you and your.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

You know, dark hearted friends, you know, and it just. And it's not going to work. And there's plenty of comedy out there that's kind of like that. It's just like. It's too much. It's too.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Too heartless. Too just intellectual. Too kind of mean and dark and. Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Scary, you know, which. And I say this to somebody who has sat in rooms with comedy people my whole life. The shit that makes us laugh is not. It is.

[Ted Danson]

No, no, it is.

[Andy Richter]

It is rank. It is bad.

[Ted Danson]

You would have been Me too. Ed. By every group in the world.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely. People will ask me, like, what's the funniest thing Conan's ever said? I said, I cannot tell you because it would ruin us both.

[Ted Danson]

But that's also part of the job. And this is for real. You got to go, where's the boundary? Yes, that's it.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ted Danson]

But you can't tiptoe up to it. You need to go boom. Nope.

[Andy Richter]

Well, yeah. And, well, it's like, you know, it's also too like it. It's like we need the hard stuff to get off, you know, to make it seem, you know, really puerile. It's. It's like we need the hard stuff to really. But then there's, you know, we know that there's the good stuff that we put out there that's, that's high quality, but you can't just put that out there. And you also can't just give the audience what they want, because if you just give them what they want, then you're. What are you doing?

[Ted Danson]

You start not looking for that completely.

[Andy Richter]

You're just a cheap order filler, you know, and you're chasing their sort of, I don't know, admiration, or you're chasing them as opposed to giving them something that elevates everybody a little bit.

[Ted Danson]

And surprises.

[Andy Richter]

And surprises.

[Ted Danson]

Everything you want to be as an audience, you want to be. Oh, didn't see that.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely. And that's even like, especially comedy with a message, you know, if you want to, like, kind of get a point across. I don't think to say it overtly is never as interesting as sneakily putting it inside a sketch, you know, making people think, you know, maybe there is wealth, there is income disparity in a way that, you know, that's not what the sketch was about. The sketch was about, like, you know, I don't know, you know, a robot or something, you know, some other nonsense that we used to do.

[Ted Danson]

You probably think it's too soon to join aarp, right? Well, let's take a minute to talk about it. Where do you see yourself in 15 years? More specifically, your career, your. Your health, your social life? What are you doing now to help you get there? There are tons of ways for you to start preparing today for your future with aarp. That dream job you've dreamt about. Sign up for AARP re skilling courses to help make it a reality. How about that active lifestyle you've only spoken about from the couch? AARP has health tips and wellness tools to keep you moving for years to come. But none of these experiences are without making friends along the way. Connect with your community through AARP volunteer events. So it's safe to say it's never too soon to join aarp. They're here to help your money, health and happiness live as long as you do. That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP. Learn more at aarp.org wise friend. As a small business owner, your business is always on your mind. So when you're hiring, you need a partner who's just as dedicated as you are. That hiring partner is LinkedIn jobs. When you clock out LinkedIn clocks in. They make it easy to post your job for free, share it with your network and get qualified candidates that you can manage all in one place. And LinkedIn's new feature can help you write job descriptions and then quickly get your job in front of the right people with deep candidate insights. At the end of the day, the most important thing to your small business is the quality of the candidates. And with LinkedIn, you can feel confident that you're getting the best. Find out why more than 2.5 million small businesses use LinkedIn for hiring today. Post your job for [e-mail] Ted and Woody that's LinkedIn.com Ted and Woody to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Haven't you heard? The newest fashion trend is finding clothes that feel good and last. And that's where Quints comes in. Their lightweight layers and high quality staples will become your new everyday essentials. Quints has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts and comfortable pants. I'm happy to tell you all that I am wearing as we speak, 100% European linen drawstring beach pants. My only regret is that I'm not on a beach someplace in Europe. Truly, they're very comfortable, easy to put on and take off. I don't know why I said that. Anyway, stick to the staples. At last, with elevated essentials from Quince, go to quince.com TedAndWoody for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com TedAndWoody to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Ted and Woody, I have a sense the world probably has a sense of you and your humor and your, your kindness and the energy you put out there into the world. Where did that come from from your point of view? Your parents, Midwest. How did Andy, the formative years, how did that. Can you look back and go, yeah, that was me even then, or whatever.

[Andy Richter]

Well, all of that Midwest definitely, I think, is a big part of it.

[Ted Danson]

What, what does that mean?

[Andy Richter]

Just a, a politeness, a sensitivity to other people, a kindness, a neighborliness kind of way, you know, sort of thing. And, and also, you know, I think don't get too big for your britches kind of, you know, that sort. There's a humility to it. And part of that humility is there's an innate sort of kindness and otherness about it that is, you know, My great aunt, my Aunt Viola, she used to give us really, like she'd buy from the Lillian Vernon catalog a hundred pens, you know, that you'd get for the printed, you know, with a custom imprint. And they were terrible pens that ran out of ink in five minutes. But, like, they would say things on them. Jesus loves you and so do I, Aunt Viola. And so often her notes to accompany the gifts would just say others with an exclamation point. Love, Aunt Viola.

[Ted Danson]

As a reminder to you.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, to, you know, a selflessness, a Christlike selflessness, basically.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

And there is, you know, and that's. There is something that's beautiful and there is something that's honest and, and, you know, intentional about that.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

But then there's also the other side, which is like, you know, there's also this sort of like self aggrandizing, you know, the martyry sort of, you know, like, I am so evolved, I. You know what? No one is holier than I am because I am so. About other people.

[Ted Danson]

You just described.

[Andy Richter]

Get a load of me.

[Ted Danson]

Seriously. You just described me. And if Mary were sitting here, she'd be rolling her eyes. She calls, she calls me her faux. Faux Christ. My faux Christ.

[Andy Richter]

Why? Because you're so humble that, that you're. You're like a superstar of humility.

[Ted Danson]

I grew up forced to be that way by, by me mom.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

You know, she was brilliant and all the stuff above the line, the positivity as opposed to the negativity. The positivity was real. She was astounding, giving, generous. People who were suffering would flock to her for counsel and things like that. She was the real deal. Anything negative, petty, jealous, angry, evil, all of that stuff that's there in all of us, she could not. Instead of admitting she was angry, furious or something petty, she'd come down with the flu. You know, it was that much of a thing. So I was taught phrases like if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. You know, all of that. I was her sensitive, you know, little boy.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

And that's. It took me a long time to realize that. Really, you're doing a silhouette of nice unless you can allow the shit.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ted Danson]

The shitty side.

[Andy Richter]

Yes. Yes.

[Ted Danson]

Because then it's a choice. Oh, I can be shitty in this moment or I can be nice. I'm going to choose to be nice. That has value as opposed to the knee jerk. So anyway, your aunt. Who?

[Andy Richter]

My aunt Viola, Tell her to call me.

[Ted Danson]

I'm a kindred spirit.

[Andy Richter]

Well, yeah, she's long gone, but. Yeah. Yeah, but she's.

[Ted Danson]

That's okay. I. I can talk to her, because I am Christ.

[Andy Richter]

I'll give her. I'll give her your number. She. She'll come to you in a dream and give you some Lillian Vernon pens. But. Yeah, but they're also. I mean. But that's also combined too, with. And, I mean, true, but I. I shouldn't. I should continue with that and say, like. But truly, kindness was always important. Politeness was deeply, deeply important.

[Ted Danson]

Work ethic. Is that a Midwest?

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely. Work ethic. Work ethic was there, too.

[Ted Danson]

Your mom, the cabinet designer, maker, wood person.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Which she kind of came to by chance. She and my dad. She was just a mom, you know, she had been like a history major, but I think. But she even said, like, she didn't really have. You know, she said if she had really had the nerve, she probably would have been some kind of engineer. Like, she was into math. She was good at math. She liked math, but that was not what women did. And she wasn't particularly brave in that sense. So she was a history major. She married my dad. My dad taught Russian. Yeah. Became a Russian language professor, which he. He came by that by chance, too. He started out in college. He was very much musical, loved classical music, and I think he was aiming to be a choral director. He liked singing. He liked choral singing. He went to DePauw, Indiana, or DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Was a music major. Decided he didn't like it, didn't. He didn't like music majors. So he dropped out, went back to Springfield, Illinois, and ended up in the Army. And they gave him an aptitude test, and he scored off the charts with language aptitude. And so they said. They sent him to Monterey, California, which he said was the most beautiful place he'd ever been in his life. And they said, what do you want? Do you want. There's all these languages that'll keep you here six months, or there's Chinese or Russian being the Cold War, and those will keep you here a year. And he was like, Russian because he just was like, I want to stay in Monterey for as long as I possibly can. So that gave him his vocation. And he ended up fluent. Yes. Oh, absolutely. And became an expert in phonetics, like, in terms of, like, going. Because he used to take groups of students to Russia every year in between the end of the. The end of the school year and the beginning of the summer. Language Institute at Indiana University. He would take a group of Students for about six weeks and they'd study for four in either Leningrad or Moscow and then they'd travel for two and then come home. And when he, excuse me, when he would go there, people would not believe that he was not a native speaker because his, his pronunciation was so perfect. And it's, and it's very much. He's a very particular, you know, like he doesn't do things halfway. Like just like his handwriting is just perfect. You know, he just is a very, you know, very precise person.

[Ted Danson]

Okay, let me ask you, jump in real quick. So that's going on, that's your, your background? Hum, yeah. In your life. Mine was science. My, you know, my father was an archeologist. Science museum. All of that went over my head because I was off playing, fantasizing, doing games with my friends. Yeah, never really stuck. I heard it never stuck. Where were you? Where was your desire, your thought? Oh, maybe I'll. Where were you at that early age?

[Andy Richter]

Oh, it was, well, being funny. I was always being funny and my dad was, My dad's one of the funniest people I've ever known in my life. Just a incredibly quick wit, but a wit that can either be a slap or a tickle.

[Ted Danson]

A little scorpion.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, he, I, and I'm not exaggerating. I've numerous times seen him make clerks cry.

[Ted Danson]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

Just because he felt he had been wronged in some way by a clerk. And then even sometimes those, those moments can be hilarious, you know, but funny.

[Ted Danson]

Was the way to go.

[Andy Richter]

He was funny. And the connection between him and my mother was that he and my, my mom's older sister, my Aunt Pat, who was my mom's best friend throughout her life and my sort of superstar relative, my Aunt Pat was hilariously funny too. And they were best friends. And in a, because my dad's gay, in later terms they just would have been, you know, like the gay kid and his funny wise ass, you know, chunky friend and. But my mom was sort of the tag along little sister and she and my dad and you know they did fall in love and everything but you know it's being a closeted gay man in the 50s, that's the only choice you have. Yeah, I can't even begin to understand what that was like or what that would do to you. But they divorced when I was 4, so I didn't have my dad around a lot. So I was home with my mom who also, you know, the other, the other sort of thread that runs through all this is, is depression. There's A lot of depression, a lot of sad people wanting to be polite, wanting to be kind, and then also kind of being cutting and judgmental. You know, it's all this weird sort of mix together. But early on learning that being funny is good, I get to stay up later because I'm making my grandma laugh. But also, too, you're lightening the mood. And even as a little body feels better. As a little kid, you know that this is. You don't know exactly it, but you live around a lot of sadness. You live under a dark umbrella, you know, that keeps the sun out. And then you make everybody laugh, and it's like, holy shit, I think some sunshine just got in here. And so that just becomes an almost kind of subconscious mechanism, you know, that. And. And. And then I. And then also too, like, my Aunt Pat, she passed away a few years ago, and we had a little service for. And I. And I kind of. My. My mom was supposed to speak, and she said, andy, get up here and say something. And I wasn't expecting to say anything, but one of the things that I said about her, and I didn't expect to say this, was that she insisted on having fun and that you could not be around her without her insisting. And I. And. And I inherited that from her. I don't know whether I had that in me. And she just. But I have learned that and. And I'm very much the same way, you know, without extenuating circumstances. Everybody's got a shitty day or has a shitty day now and then. But I lar. In large part, I like to make people laugh.

[Ted Danson]

When did you get out in the world then? When did you leave that Midwest family?

[Andy Richter]

I went. I went to. I started at University of Illinois for two years, and I went away, but it was only two and a half hours away. And then I transferred to a film school in Chicago called Columbia College, and I moved back in with my mother, who had moved to a different town by that point. And so for two years, I commuted back and forth to school, which was.

[Ted Danson]

Really difficult, knowing this is where you wanted to go. You wanted to be entertaining.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, Somehow I wanted to figure it out. Somehow I got halfway through college and realized, I want to be in entertainment somehow. And, you know. And it's a big admission, and it's. And it's, you know, and you can't. I did not feel like saying, I'm gonna be on TV and I'm gonna be an actor on tv. I was like, well, you know, they're making a lot of movies. In Chicago. And there's probably something for me to do in there. And then that. Just that that's. It's a breakdown of compromises that eventually gets you to, well, yeah, sure, I'll stand in front of people and all the lights will be focused on me. And I'll do the talking and they'll do the listening, you know, but you don't start. I didn't start out feeling like that.

[Ted Danson]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

So I went to two years. And then the second I was done at. Done with college, I moved into the city and started. I worked for a moving company. But I also. I had been interning for a film production company. So I started working freelance and film production and student film working. Well, no, well, that was in school. This is commercials. I work. I worked for a company that made commercials and industrial films. And I worked for the moving company while, you know, just until I got that career off the ground. And then for a year or two, I did exclusively film production work. And I did. I was started out as a pa, but then I did a little bit of everything, you know, ad, second AD work. At the time they called video assist, you know, because the thing was shot on film. But there was a. You could watch it on video back and. But I ended up mostly in props. Cause it was the most fun. Cause it was, you know, it was art class. And the other thing I loved about it that was very suited to my personality on small jobs where I could be like the main prop person is they would give you. And I'm not. They'd give you cash. Like I'd get two grand in cash and a list of things to buy or rent and would go out for two days and get them and completely unsupervised. And that was the part I liked. I liked Leave me alone. You know, just. I'll get your stuff done. And a lot of it too is. Was fun. It was fun. You know, like in the middle of June, we're going to be shooting a Christmas commercial in the middle of June. So in Chicago, they want you to find a living room set of furniture made out of logs and like. And there's no Internet.

[Ted Danson]

So you became a scavenger.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, well, like a detective. Like, you know, and you had the Yellow Pages and then there was sort of a prop resource sort of book. And you just sit down and you start making calls and, you know, and half a day of calls and you're in a truck driving to Wisconsin to a place that makes furniture out of old birch logs. And then you rent them and drive them back, and then when you're done, you drive them back to Wisconsin.

[Ted Danson]

You know, that does sound cool.

[Andy Richter]

It's fun. It's really fun. And I mean, you know, doing a commercial where they want a baby elephant so you gotta go around and Polaroid baby elephants around the tri state area. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's the beginnings of just the childlike wonder of show business.

[Ted Danson]

Say you've always wanted to take a spontaneous trip to the Caribbean. Here's the thing. If you get smart with your money, you can do things like that. With Empower, you can start making the most out of your money so you can go out and live a little. I mean, isn't that why we work so hard to have some fun with our money, like treating yourself to something special or spontaneously doing something extra for a loved one? So use empower and get good at money so you can be a little bad. Join their 19 million customers [e-mail] not an Empower client, paid or sponsored. Some things become instant classics like, oh, I don't know, certain TV shows about Boston bars and the Starbucks summer beverage lineup. The strawberry acai lemonade refresher is so iconic, it's available year round. There's nothing better than sitting outside a Starbucks, having a coffee, reading a book, and watching the world go by. And if it's particularly hot, I might be tempted to have a strawberry acai lemonade refresher. The strawberry passion fruit and acai flavors are perfectly balanced with the zing of lemonade. And the freeze dried strawberry pieces are legendary. Your summer favorites are ready at Starbucks. Take me up to Right. Why did Conan even pass you in a hallway? Where were you and why did you get there?

[Andy Richter]

Well, you know what, honestly, the first time we met or that we were around each other as far as we can tell, was at Bob Odenkirk's house here in Los Angeles. Bob Odenkirk had an apartment. He was living here in Los Angeles. He was engaged to a woman with whom I had been on an improv team back in Chicago, and I don't think they ever married, but he had a party at his house. And my old friend Kate Flannery, who's been on the Office and who I did my first improv class with, she brought me to Bob's. And I had met Bob because I had been on the improv team with his fiance. And it was years later that Conan and I figured out we were at this same yard party together with about 20 people total, but just hadn't either clocked each other or talked to each other because we didn't know each other. But we had plenty of people overlapping, which is how we met in the first place. I did improv in Chicago, was in New York doing a live show. A couple of friends of mine had been on SNL and through them I met Robert Smigel. And Robert and I hit it off, but just in like a social sort of way. Then I was in la. Cause this show had moved from New York to la and in the summertime off of SNL where Robert was writing, he came out here to work on the ill fated Hans and Franz movie and was working on that. And he and I hung out together and would, you know, just sort of socialize and hang out and got to know each other. And then that show ended, I was back out here. I was doing the movie Cabin Boy which I had auditioned for before I left la. And I got the part and was back here and I got a call from Robert out of the blue and he said, and I had heard about this guy, Conan o' Brien that was going to replace David Letterman and in fact with Kate Flannery, we had gone to see Jeff Garland tape a pilot, a multi camera show that he was taping, a pilot. And I sat in front of Bob Odenkirk and Carol Leifer who I am interviewing later today. Small world. And I heard, I just eavesdropped on them, talk about Conan o' Brien and how he got the job. And because Bob had been part, was friends with Conan and had been part of that process. So I had had that in my head already. He said, and Robert calls and says, yeah, I'm going to be writing this show with Conan. Do you want to meet him and maybe, you know, be a writer on the show and there will be room for performers too. So we're going to hire writers who also perform. And I said sure. So we met at Junior's Deli and had lunch and hit it off immediately. And I immediately knew, like I just, you know, you just, it's a, it's, you know, it's like in comedy and it would happen a lot on the, on the Conan show where there's somebody, especially if you know their work and they sit down and you can just, you know, like with my wife I can just be myself and I can just say the dumbest, the dumbest, stupidest, most, you know, the sort of thing that would off put any civilian. But with a comedy person it's like, hey, do you speak the code of dumbness? And they go, yes, I do. You know, and then you're off and running. And he and I were like that immediately. We just, we hit it off right away and we just were silly and funny together the way we have been for 30 plus years. And apparently he called Robert right afterwards and said, hire him, hire him, hire him. And Robert said, well, let's see, you know, let him write a packet first. So I sat down and wrote a packet of which I had a packet of ideas like, okay, we're doing a late night show, so here's some jokes, some monologue jokes I was given. Do monologue jokes, despit character bits, just, you know, whatever you think, right. You would see in it. And you know, and they're, they don't teach that in school. You just kind of being a David Letterman fan, think like, okay, I want to do some stuff. But also with the caveat of it not being too Lettermanny, that was one of our main directives, was that we were.

[Ted Danson]

What would word. Would that word be to use to describe that?

[Andy Richter]

Well, you know what it would be sort. Oh, a word that I would use to describe that.

[Ted Danson]

Lettermanish.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, kind of an ironic detachment.

[Ted Danson]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

Or, you know, that's great actually. Yeah, you know, or, or also too like anything with a sort of a Larry Bud Melman sort of a, a non performer performer sort of thing. You know, it was, we had a better idea of it and honestly, you wouldn't know it until you saw it. We would come up with bits in the early days of the show and go, oh, that sounds really Letterman Y and we'd be like, yeah, you know what it does. And in fact, going out into the field and doing remote bits, which is what it's called when you go out and do something on the field. I was the first one to do those because we were so afraid of Conan going out and doing them and it seeming like, yeah, like an approximation of Dave going out into the field and giving, you know, gift baskets to RCA executives or whatever. So I would go out and do it because I was like one, one step removed from being Lettermani and I, I submitted some material. I don't even really remember much, but it was good enough. And I was, I was the first writer hired and I was living in a furnished apartment in Westwood at the time, and I, I packed up what belongings I had into my Toyota pickup and I drove them up to, drove them up to my fiance who was living in San Francisco and, and left her with my truck and all the stuff and never saw the truck again. It got passed on to, you know, bunch of different deadbeat friends. Lost all my. All my LPs, all my records just scattered to the winds and moved to New York and started on the Conan show. And, you know, and it was a big empty floor. The ninth floor, nine west on Rockefeller Center. And he had a corner office, and Jeff Ross had a corner office. And then Robert had a. Another corner. There were three corners, and Robert had another one. And then I was just given. I mean, probably 30 empty offices. Pick one. And I just. I went in and I took the one that was next to Conan because I kind of just felt like, well.

[Ted Danson]

That'S why I'm here.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, that's why I'm here. And it feels lonely, you know, and it overlooked 6th Avenue. It was a nice office. It was kind of one of the bigger ones. And I had it. I shared it with a guy named Marsh McCall for probably the first. I don't know, three or four years that I was there. You know, I didn't. And then when he got another. Well, he became the head writer. And when he was. He was a head writer for about a year. Then I got to keep my office, just my office, and I got a couch instead of a different desk.

[Ted Danson]

And this is before you were up and running?

[Andy Richter]

Yes. The show I got there in, I think, gosh, it might have been June, and the show wasn't on until September, so. And then my first job was to go through a stack, and it was probably about 18 inches high of packets of material of the same thing that I had submitted and to help winnow through. Through these, you know, trying to find a writer. And. And I was. I was given the directive to have high standards, which I did anyway, and which I had no right to, but I did sort of. I, again, I had pretty good taste. I wanted. I knew what I wanted this show to be. And if I saw stuff that I found to be boring or sort of derivative of other things that I saw, I had seen before, I chucked it. And I think of that stack, I think I came out with two.

[Ted Danson]

Wow. Did they make the show?

[Andy Richter]

Marsh did. Actually, one of them was the guy that ended up being my office mate, Marsh. I pulled his packet, and then the other guy. I don't think so. I don't remember what happened.

[Ted Danson]

How soon before you were on camera.

[Andy Richter]

When the test show started? That. That was again, a gradual process. And they started just putting him in front of cameras because we were in Studio 6A and 8H is where SNL was. And they used to send Conan to 8H for camera tests and they would put him on just whatever set happened to be there. Bob Costas had a late talk show called later that it was just two chairs facing each other. And the first thing they did was have Conan sit on Bob Costas's set because it was already set up and lit and it, you know, and it was lots of technical stuff to see what, what his lighting looked like, what does makeup look like. And also too, you just get them in front of camera, I think, you know, just to have the sense that you gotta, you know, get out on the ball field and just play around before you actually have a game. And from that first time, I was in my office and we always had the feed up from whatever was happening down on the floor and all the TVs and all the offices. And Robert called me and said, hey, will you go downstairs and just keep him company? Which I understood, because Conan needs company, you know, you don't. He needs, he's, he runs on a high rpm, so he needs, you know, it's like, keep them in one place. And, you know, now that I have children that are, you know, run on high RPMs, it's like, you got to keep them occupied or else they're going to, Something bad's going to happen. So I went down and I sat across from him and we just, you know, shot the shit like we always did because. And also by that time too, we had a rapport around the office. Yeah, we were doing bits naturally together, probably to a greater extent than he was doing with other writers on the show.

[Ted Danson]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

And then from that point on, every time he did, you know, then the next one was he interviewed a staff member on, you know, on a fake talk show set. And I was told, go down and sit there because there's a lot of downtime too. So just keep him occupied, keep him laughing, keep him happy, because he also was get, would get antsy, you know, and get like, what's taking so long? And let's keep keep going. And then there, you know, had a chef come in with a cooking demonstration and I, you know, stand there with him during that.

[Ted Danson]

So they knew what they were doing. They.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, I didn't.

[Ted Danson]

They were putting you in.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, I just was, I, I, I'm very easy to fool. I, you know, I take things at face value and I, because I did understand I'm serving a role here. I'm. And then one day before our, our real first test show with an audience. Robert said, would you like. Came into my office and said, would you like to be the sidekick? And at that time, too, we had these romantic ideas that the show would be as much a talk show as it was, or a sketch show as it was a talk show that we'd have sort of this Steve Allenish cast of characters that would be the Conan Troupe, the Conan Players, or whatever. And I said, well, I don't know, maybe I'd rather sort of be available, you know, sort of available to do other bits rather than just be kind of stuck on the couch next to him for the whole thing. And he said, well, think about. And I also was sort of like, I said, you know, I gotta talk to my fiance about it. Just to see, you know, talk to her about it.

[Ted Danson]

Fiance, who gave your records away, that one?

[Andy Richter]

Well, she didn't give them away. I think they, you know, she wasn't. Maybe not. I mean, what are you gonna do? 1500 albums? You're gonna leave? You're not gonna take him on the plane? But the minute he left my office, like two seconds later, I was like, who the am I kidding? Like, he just said, do you want to be on TV every night? And I'm gonna. Demir. I'm gonna go, well, I don't know.

[Ted Danson]

I don't know about sidekick.

[Andy Richter]

I don't know about being on TV every night. So I just called my fiance, my ex wife, and I told her, you know, I'm going to be the sidekick on the show, I guess. And then we did a number of test shows for about two weeks. And, you know, they bought me like two sport coats and I wore a bunch of ties from the snl, you know, the wardrobe vault. And there was one night after about four or five test shows where Jeff Ross said to us, this is full audience. This is full audience. Mickey Rooney as a guest. Yeah, yeah, you know, and Al Roker probably three times. And after, before one of the shows, the last. I think it was the last test show, Jeff Ross said, keep your guys. You guys keep your show clothes on, because you're going to go to dinner with Lauren afterwards. Because Lauren was our executive producer. And so we did. We got in Lauren's car and they drove us to a fancy restaurant and on the east side. And we walked in and they showed us to a table, and there was Lorne and Steve Martin at this table, which I was sure, sure. Oh, boy. And it was my first, sort of. My first experience of just sitting and not saying much, like, only speaking when spoken to. And just sort of soaking it up. And then the next day after that dinner, and, I mean, I did talk. You know, there was some conversation, but mostly, you know, it's Lauren and Steve talking. And the next day, Jeff Ross said, well, I guess you're going to be the sidekick. And I was like, oh, I thought.

[Ted Danson]

I already was the sidekick.

[Andy Richter]

I guess I passed a test I didn't know I was taking. So, you know, and then it just. It went from there, you know, and it was not easy. There was a lot of. You know, there were a lot of people in NBC, which I did not find out until years later that did not like me, had no idea why I was there.

[Ted Danson]

You know, that happened to me, too, but keep going.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

I was blackballed.

[Andy Richter]

Really.

[Ted Danson]

Do not hire this man. And I didn't know it. This was before Cheers and Joel Thurm, who came. Cat. Was the head of Paramount casting, told me after the fact, thank God that Fred Silverman hated me.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

And I had destroyed a pilot that he was in love with, and it didn't get picked up anyway.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Warren. Warren Littlefield called me that big fat dildo.

[Ted Danson]

Nice.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

So did he put it in your book? In his book?

[Andy Richter]

I mean, not that I'm aware of. Um. But, yeah, but, you know, here I am.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

I mean, he's still doing fine, too, but. Yeah, but there were just people that did not like me. They were also. They were not. If. If they're. Those years of the way NBC handled Late Night with Conan o' Brien would be. Should be in a business school about how not to handle talent, how not to. Like, you're. The idea is that you're supposed to be making a really good, funny TV show, and they did everything to make that difficult to do.

[Ted Danson]

Out of fear.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, out of fear. Because it's like, we want you to be funny, so we're gonna treat you like shit.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

And make you scared and make you angry.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Which I just don't. It just boggles the mind how you could have an MBA and not figure out, like. No, no. This.

[Ted Danson]

You know, the best part about high ratings is those voices get recede into the background.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely. But it took a while anyway because they would set these ratings hurdles that we had to meet. You know, you got to have this number in the next three months. And we kept meeting them and meeting them and meeting them and. And they. And it never. It was never like, okay, well, good. You know, you did it. Because it even got to the point where we had met all these ratings hurdles. And they said, well, okay, yeah, great. You're getting, you know, you're getting good ratings. You're beating Tom Snyder, who was our direct competition. But Tom Snyder's show is so cheap that, like, it doesn't even count. Like, he can have lower ratings because his show is so cheap. They're probably still making more money over there than what you're making because your show's too expensive. So let's fire your band. They wanted to fire our band.

[Ted Danson]

Wow.

[Andy Richter]

And in probably the best thing that Jeff Ross, our executive producer ever did, he convinced them and showed them that our reruns, because we were still kind of catching on with the public consciousness, our reruns were doing about as well as our first run shows.

[Ted Danson]

That's amazing.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. So he said, well, why don't you just put on reruns on Monday? And that savings, you know, because that we already paid for that show. So, you know, we're, we're making money again without spending any money. Let's put a rerun on Monday. And that makes more money. That saves you more money than firing the band.

[Ted Danson]

Wow.

[Andy Richter]

And so we got to compress our workweek to four days a week, which strengthens the comedy gene pool because, you know, we'd have, you know, we'd have some middle acts on Wednesdays that were a little thin just because it's a numbers game. You know, you've got, yeah, you've got two acts you got to fill with comedy five days a week. All of a sudden the two weakest ones can go away because you've only got, you know, you've only got four, two a day on. On four days a week. And then also too, a big turning point was Letterman came on and sort of gave us his papal blessing and was very flattering and very, very genuine in his regard and appreciation of what we were doing and said it in a way that was fairly undeniable, you know, and that felt like a real turning point.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah, you got. You guys were different. You guys were bold. You were not doing Lettermanish.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

You were. Who's magnificent and all of that.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, absolutely. And a hero to all of us.

[Ted Danson]

But you were, you were taking big old swings and like Saturday Night Live, in a way, you would take huge swings. Didn't I come on for a while and do in the year. Da da da.

[Andy Richter]

You probably. Yeah, you might have done. Guested on. Yeah, done that as a guest. Because we sometimes would have guests sit down on.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah, I did.

[Andy Richter]

Because he and I. He did it and he. And I did it for a long time. And then when I left in 2000, I was on for seven years, and I left in 2000, and then he would have guests come on and do the other. The other.

[Ted Danson]

So you weren't there? It's not that you just forgot?

[Andy Richter]

No, no, no, no.

[Ted Danson]

I was gone because, man, that was my big calling card in this interview. Do you remember that time? I.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, no, there's lots of people will say, like, when they, they will tell me things about when they were on Conan, and I'll say, what year was it? And they'll say, 2003. And I was like, I wasn't there.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah. So he's, he, he's the reason why Woody and I picked Team Coco to come do this.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, I mean, he is, he's a remarkable guy.

[Ted Danson]

He's one of the nicest people in show business, one of the ballsiest. With his comedy. I mean, he's really remarkable.

[Andy Richter]

Really big brain and incredibly high standards. And that's why it was, you know, we needed. I very much appreciate what you're saying just in terms about, you know, that our show was unique and that we took big swings, but we were never, we never felt the urge to do anything but that, because the person that was in charge of it would not have it any other way. And, you know, my standards for comedy have always been not boring. Like, I just. Because I'll. And even when I was working on sitcoms or stuff, there'd be scenes and I'd just be like, this is boring. There's no snap to this. There's nothing unexpected to it. It's like something I've seen before, and I had that in me. And then, luckily for me, the first big job that I had was with someone who felt the same way and never gave me any reason to feel otherwise. I never felt like that I had to kind of lower my standards to meet the audience's expectations. I needed to express the silliness that was in me in as big and bold a way as I could and let them come to that and hope and know that there are people that, that's what's, that's what's going to work, and that's what, that's what you're there for. Like, you know, to fill orders that someone else is just like, why are you doing this? You know, there's lots of other jobs in the world that are easier to get if you just want to fill orders, you know.

[Ted Danson]

Okay, just quickly. Yes, I, I, I know what three questions Are I. I love doing that with you.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you. It was, I was so happy to have you here.

[Ted Danson]

You're so easy and fun to, and kind to be with. You make people feel good.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you.

[Ted Danson]

And I do think that's one of the jobs of a podcast.

[Andy Richter]

I think so too.

[Ted Danson]

And I think you let people shine too, so that people who are listening get the best shot at your guest. And I think that's one of the things.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you.

[Ted Danson]

You do really well. Tell me about Andy Richter call in show.

[Andy Richter]

That is a thing because, you know, Conan's company was sold to Sirius xm. And so when I had a new contract come up, they were, they were like, we want to do something more with, you know, we want you to do something more. And I was like, something more. And then it was, we want to have. Because Conan has a radio channel on, on Sirius xm, we want it. And it's mostly just kind of podcasts. It's clips from the old show and podcasts and, you know, different sort of special programming, but not a lot of radio programming. And so they gave, they said, we want to do radio programming. How about something like a call in show? I said, absolutely. Get to play radio. And, and I mean, and I immediately knew what it, what I wanted it to be. And it just simple, which is to propose a topic in the same way that at a cocktail party people would say, like, you know, what's your biggest dating disaster? Or what's the, you know, your biggest, you know, family holiday disaster? You know, emphasis on disasters. Well, I've had people say, like, well, why not good things? I'm like, because who gives a shit? Like, you had a nice day, you went on vacation, and it was romantic. Who cares? Tell me about, you know, when your brother fell down the stairs at your bar mitzvah. You know, that's, that's the good stuff.

[Ted Danson]

Because over there, it's funny.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Here, not so much.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And I have a gu. I have a guest host because, you know, I know well enough that you gotta, you know, one of the things that keeps these things going is somebody that's there to plug something. So I get to have a guest host and I get to pick a funny person to come on and, and, you know, answer the questions with me. Because something I learned from Conan, from the late night show, it's more interesting to have two people than just one person talking directly to a microphone or a camera.

[Ted Danson]

Did you hear that? Woody Harrelson?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, Woody, where the hell are you?

[Ted Danson]

Oh, he's acting around the world.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Or riding some battery powered motorcycle wearing a hemp helmet. I love Woody. You know, I did a movie. I did a movie with him and he was so much fun.

[Ted Danson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Andy Richter]

He's a great guy. Now that guy's engineered a wonderful life for himself.

[Ted Danson]

He lives the one he wants, and.

[Andy Richter]

It seems like a beautiful one.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah. Hey, to me, the reason. There are many reasons to do a podcast for me, but the main one is it ends up being a privilege to get to know people. And it is a privilege to get to know you I will never bump into. Because we're in the same building a lot. I will never bump into you again without going, give me a hug. And you shared stuff about yourself.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you so much.

[Ted Danson]

And that's. That's a privilege.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, well. And I feel the same way about having you here. I mean, Woody's fun, but, you know, he's no. Ted Dancer.

[Ted Danson]

No, no. He wears that.

[Andy Richter]

No, you.

[Ted Danson]

You are.

[Andy Richter]

You are a mensch, as we say in German. Just German, though.

[Ted Danson]

That was Andy Richter. And it is a privilege to sit down with people and get to know them. And I love him even more after that last hour and a half. So do check out his podcast, the three questions. In each episode, he asks these three questions. Where do you come from? Where are you going? And what have you learned? He's done so many of these great conversations over the years, and if you're not sick of me, you can check out my episode that I did with him. It was much fun. Andy also hosts the live Sirius XM call in show, the Andy Richter call in show. Tune in every Wednesday at 4pm Eastern and 1pm Pacific on Conan O' Brien radio. The that dude is everywhere. Conan O' Brien radio channel 104. Special thanks to our friends at Team Coco and to you for listening. I truly love getting to share these episodes with you every week. It obviously means a lot that you're there. Thank you once again. Tell a friend about us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you're on Apple Podcasts, maybe give us a great rating and review. It actually helps if you prefer to watch me and Woody in high definition. Full episodes of this podcast are on Team Coco's YouTube channel, so check us out sometimes. I'll see you next time. Where everybody knows your name.

[Andy Richter]

You've been listening to where everybody knows your name with Ted Danson and Woody Harris Harrelson sometimes. The show is produced by me, Nick Leow. Our executive producers are Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and myself. Sarah Fedorovich is our supervising producer. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez research by Alyssa Grohl Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Bautista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Antony Genn, Mary Steenbergen and John Osborne.

[C]

Do Crohn's disease symptoms keep coming back? Tremphya Giselcomab may help at 12 weeks, rapid symptom remission was achieved in most patients taking Tremphya and some experienced visible improvement of their intestinal lining. At 12 weeks and one year, individual results may vary. Tremphya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. Explore what's possible and ask your doctor about tremphya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit Tremphaya Radio.

[Andy Richter]

Great gifts for dad. We've got them and they're up to 60% off at Nordstrom Rack Stores now. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? They've got the best gifts.

[Ted Danson]

Gotta show dad some love.

[Andy Richter]

Snag amazing deals on Father's Day. Gifts from Cole Hahn, Calvin Klein, Vince and more. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.