To most of us, Jay Leno is only a vaguely annoying former discuss present host who often makes headlines for practically dying in fiery classic automotive wrecks. However you’d most likely have much more animosity towards Leno in case you had been among the many workers of the short-lived The Tonight Present with Conan O’Brien.
Famously, Leno’s refusal to depart NBC behind and absolutely cede the Tonight Present reins to his red-headed successor led to one in all greatest controversies within the historical past of late-night tv. So one would think about that Conan’s longtime sidekick, Andy Richter, seemingly wouldn’t be up for grabbing breakfast along with his one-time TV enemy — however he ended up having to just do that.
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Throughout a latest interview with CinemaBlend, Richter was requested about his latest stint on The Masked Singer. Final week, it was revealed that Richter was the movie star contained in the Cotton Sweet Canine Turd, er, Mud Bunny.
However previous to Richter’s unmasking, choose Rita Ora guessed that the pink monstrosity was, actually, Collision Course star Jay Leno.
Requested in regards to the potential awkwardness of being mistaken for Leno, Richter admitted that he couldn’t actually blame Ora for the guess contemplating the clues she’d been given. He did, nevertheless, take umbrage with the suggestion that the Mud Bunny was Mel Brooks, contemplating that it might be wildly irresponsible to drive the 98-year-old comedy legend right into a “foam rubber mountain” swimsuit.
Another excuse why the guess didn’t trouble him is as a result of, regardless of their “sophisticated historical past,” Richter ended his beef with Leno within the latest previous, after the 2 ended up inadvertently eating collectively. “I truly sat down on the diner counter a few years in the past and it was a busy Sunday morning at a highly regarded restaurant in Burbank,” Richter defined. “There was one seat left on the counter, and I sat down, and I turned to my proper and there was Jay Leno consuming breakfast.”
As a substitute of simply ghosting Leno or fleeing the restaurant in a panic, Richter acted like an grownup. “It was like, ‘Nicely, I assume we’re gonna chat now.’ And it was tremendous, you understand, I imply, all of that showbiz rivalry is like highschool rivalry. When you’re previous it, it’s not that essential.”
This can be a far cry from how Richter felt quickly after the Tonight Present controversy. Whereas filling in for Regis Philbin on Life with Regis & Kelly, Kelly Ripa straight up requested Richter: “Do you have got any ailing emotions towards NBC and Jay?”
“Sure! Sure, I do,” Richter responded. “Why wouldn’t I? I imply, my God, I’d be some type of self-hater (to not).”
However that was over a decade in the past, and clearly everybody has mellowed and matured since then.
Hopefully, Leno didn’t spend your entire breakfast telling Monica Lewinsky and Decide Ito jokes.
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