Photo: Eric McCandless/Disney
Comedian Andy Richter and pro dancer Emma Slater’s best chance at taking home the mirrorball trophy on Dancing With The Stars might be through TikTok. With the help of Slater, Richter joined the app, and their videos are growing their fan base, even before the show premiered. In a video posted just days before the competition started, Richter gets his butt slapped by his mentor. “I bet you thought that was funny. But what if it was the other way around?” Richter asks before leaning on a chair upside down as Slater slaps his butt again. Their social media presence is also teaching TikTokers that they’ve already been fans of his. With more Gen-Z watching this season for stars like Alix Earle and the Mormon Wives, it gives Richter the advantage to remind them that he is, in fact, Mort from Madagascar.
Richter gives all the credit to Slater for his success on the show, both ont he dance floor and on the For You Page. “She’s the Cecil B. DeMille of our TikTok,” Richter tells his pal Conan O’Brien on his podcast.
While the duo might not have the highest scores to start out with — they just narrowly beat Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson for last place last week— Richter has made it very clear he takes the show seriously. His sense of humor and earnestness in the competition have already made him the “People’s Princess” of the season. “All this physical activity has made me feel better about myself,” Richter told Slater last week during rehearsals. “I feel like my heart has been cracked open. What a beautiful experience this is.”
“IM SO MATERNAL TOWARDS HIM,” one fan shared last week, in tears with a phone in hand to presumably vote for him. He’s finding different ways to secure his spot, even if it means letting people compare him to their babies: “As long as I get the vote.”
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