Dancing with the Stars alum Andy Richter opens up about being the "people's princess" and fan response

Dancing with the Stars’ Andy Richter recently reacted to fans’ response to his participation in the show and shared his thoughts on being dubbed the “people’s princess.”

In an interview with the show’s host, Julianna Hough, in the November 13 episode of The Morning After (Show), Andy opened up about his time on the show, saying that he did not mind people giving him the title of “people’s princess.” However, he did not know how it originated.

“I’m the people’s princess. I do not mind in the slightest… Give me the tiara. I’ll put it on,” he said. 

That said, when speaking about the response and the “admiration” he received from fans, he admitted he had never experienced anything like it before. 

He also mentioned that he became a meme and a Halloween costume as he caught people’s attention every passing week.

But at the same time, Andy pointed out that a fraction of the people were unhappy to see him survive elimination, unconvinced by his performances. 

Andy and his pro dance partner, Emma Slater, were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars during the November 11 episode, which featured the show’s “20th Birthday Party.”

Dancing with the Stars’ Andy Richter shares the unexpected way he was mentioned at the New York City Marathon 

While reflecting on how fans were supportive of him, Andy shared that he recently saw a sign at the New York City Marathon, which said:

“If Andy can make it to week eight, you could run 26.2 miles.”

Andy further revealed that people had turned him into a Halloween costume, consisting of black shoes and socks, shorts, knee straps, and a white headband – an outfit he often wore during rehearsals. 

While people turned his practice gear into a Halloween routine, Andy clarified that they were fully “functional.”

The Dancing with the Stars alum added that people were not only wearing the outfit themselves but also putting babies into it. 

“Putting little black pieces of tape on their babies’ legs and white headbands on their babies,” he said.

Julianne positively reacted to the news, noting that Andy had the power to influence people, and viewers were appreciating and responding to that. 

But at the same time, Andy explained that the response was not always positive. He mentioned that a huge section of the show’s fans were “pissed” to see him survive elimination and advance in the competition. 

“It’s kind of like, ‘You’re the worst dancer,’ I know. It’s not a secret,” he remarked. 

However, he defended himself against the criticism, saying Dancing with the Stars was a TV show and that he was doing something that made people want to see him “on a TV show.”

Andy added that while some fans criticized him, the professional dancers on the show motivated him, assuring him that he deserved his spot. 

“I’m doing something that’s, you know, a little different than what everybody else is doing, but it deserves to be here,” he added. 

Andy noted that the criticism was disrespectful toward the other section of viewers who watched the episodes to “get something different out of it” and who had a different opinion than they did. 

The male participant and his dance partner, Emma, were eliminated during the 20th anniversary of the show, where they performed a quickstep routine to Puttin’ on the Ritz by Robbie Williams as a tribute to Jordan Fisher’s season 25 freestyle performance. 

Stay tuned for more updates.