Former talk show sidekick Andy Richter delivered a blistering critique of Donald Trump this week, using explicit language to condemn the former president's ongoing attacks on late-night television hosts.
Explosive Comments on Trump Administration
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Richter didn't hold back his feelings about Trump, stating "Fuck that guy" when discussing the former president's targeting of comedians and talk show personalities. Richter, who spent decades as Conan O'Brien's announcer and wingman across three different talk shows including "Late Night," "The Tonight Show," and "Conan," suggested that he and O'Brien would have been particularly aggressive toward the Trump administration given the current political climate.
"We would be doing what everyone else of them is doing, which is all gas and no brakes," Richter told the entertainment publication, indicating they would have joined other hosts in relentless criticism of the administration.
Growing Tensions in Late-Night Television
Richter specifically criticized the Trump administration's inability to handle comedy and satire, advising that the proper response to jokes would be to simply ignore them rather than react aggressively. He went further to characterize the administration's response to comedians as revealing deeper insecurities.
"That they have to take so seriously and use the wheels of government to crush joke-makers. It is just so indicative of, I wanna say, small dick," he snapped during the interview.
The late-night landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years, with Richter's own show "Conan" ending its run in 2021. The environment became increasingly tense when CBS announced in July that it was canceling "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert, known for his Trump-targeted comedy. The program is scheduled to end in May.
Industry-Wide Impact and Censorship Concerns
The situation escalated dramatically in September when Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily pulled off the air by parent company Disney amid reported pressure from Trump's Federal Communications Commission. The action came after Kimmel made a remark about MAGA supporters and the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk.
Although Kimmel returned to air several days later, the incident raised serious concerns about censorship and political interference in entertainment. The tense atmosphere continues to persist, with Trump intensifying his attacks on "Late Night" host Seth Meyers and maintaining pressure on Kimmel.
Richter offered a simple guideline for political figures dealing with comedy: "If you're going after the joke-makers, you're probably wrong. That's just a general rule that I would... recommend for everyone to go on."
The veteran television personality emphasized that targeting comedians represents a fundamental misunderstanding of comedy's role and demonstrates significant weakness in leadership.
