'DWTS' Contestant Lights Up the Ballroom With Adorable Premiere Cha Cha: 'I Smiled the Entire Time' Melanie RootenSeptember 17, 2025 at 1:41 AM 0 ABC/Paula Lobo The premiere of Dancing With the Stars season 34 aired tonight (September 16) via ABC and Disney Plus, and while one celeb's debut perf...
- - 'DWTS' Contestant Lights Up the Ballroom With Adorable Premiere Cha Cha: 'I Smiled the Entire Time'
Melanie RootenSeptember 17, 2025 at 1:41 AM
0
ABC/Paula Lobo
The premiere of Dancing With the Stars season 34 aired tonight (September 16) via ABC and Disney Plus, and while one celeb's debut performance was rather unimpressive, he has already become a fan favorite on the beloved reality television series.
The contestant? Comedian Andy Richter.
Partnered with Emma Slater, Richter "is an actor, comedian and writer, best known for his years as Conan O'Brien's sidekick on Late Night, The Tonight Show and CONAN" (according to his official DWTS biography).
Said biography continues, "He is currently the host of The Three Questions podcast, as well as the SiriusXM show The Andy Richter Call-in Show. As an actor, he has appeared in films such as Elf and Madagascar, as well as television shows such as Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Andy Barker, P.I. and Arrested Development."
Tonight, Richter added another show to his resume, making his DWTS debut with a Cha Cha to "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave. With the talent seemingly bigger and better than ever before, Richter and Slater's routine unfortunately did not live up to their competitors, tying Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson at the bottom of the leaderboard with just nine points.
Their performance was not a complete failure, though, with Richter seemingly stealing the hearts of America with his superb sense of humor and can-do attitude. Keep scrolling to see what people are saying about the 58-year-old contestant.
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Moments after leaving the stage, the official DWTS Instagram account shared a series of photos from Richter and Slater's performance. "Hold on now! 🥳 Andy and Emma brought an electric Cha Cha to the ballroom for Premiere ✨ #DWTS," the show captioned the Instagram post, amassing a great deal of positive comments:
"HE DID SO GOOD 😭"
"PROTECT ANDY AT ALL COSTS"
"I smiled the entire time. I love him."
"Oh my god he's so adorable I love him 😭"
"Unexpected immediate favorite omg protect this man at ALL COSTS"
Disney Plus even got a piece of the action, commenting "They definitely put a smile on our faces 👏" underneath the post. To top things off, Slater herself commented, "Guys thank you so much for voting!! 🥹," while fellow DWTS pro Johnson commented, "ANDY 🥹😍" — how sweet is that?
While he might not have what it takes to bring home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, to watch the remainder of Richter's journey unfold, tune into brand new episodes of DWTS season 34 Tuesdays via ABC or Disney Plus.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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