Conan O’Brien’s former Late Night sidekick will rejoin him on The Tonight Show.

NBC announced Tuesday (Feb. 24) that Andy Richter will be the announcer when O’Brien takes over Tonight in June. And while he won’t take a spot on the couch with O’Brien as he did on Late Night from 1993-2000, Richter will take part in comedy bits in addition to his announcing duties.

“Andy is one of the funniest people I know, and we’ve maintained a close friendship since he left Late Night,” says O’Brien — in fact, Richter was one of the guests (along with the White Stripes) on O’Brien’s final Late Night last week. “We have a proven chemistry that will be an incredible asset to The Tonight Show. I’m looking forward to working with Andy on a daily basis again, particularly since he owes me $300.”

Since leaving Late Night in May 2000, Richter has starred in a trio of TV comedies — Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Quintuplets and Andy Barker, P.I. He’s also had roles in both Madagascar movies, Talladega Nights and Elf, among others, and guested on recent episodes of Bones and Chuck.

O’Brien completed his tenure on Late Night Feb. 20; Jimmy Fallon takes over the show next week. Jay Leno, who’s getting a nightly prime-time talk show on NBC in the fall, will bow out of The Tonight Show on May 29, and O’Brien will take over on June 1. The off time will allow O’Brien to craft his version of the 55-year-old franchise, which in addition to Richter will also feature his Late Night house band, the Max Weinberg Seven.

Source: Zap2It

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