Dancing with the Stars' Andy Richter shares a heartwarming moment with daughter, earns his first 10

Dancing with the Stars season 34's latest episode aired on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, with a theme of Dedication Night, where comedian Andy Richter performed a salsa to Harry Belafonte’s classic Jump In the Line with his partner Emma Slater.

Richter dedicated the dance to his daughter, Cornelia, whom he shares with his wife, Jennifer, and the three of them received 24 out of 40 points, displaying the vulnerable side of his personality.

A specific moment of performance caught the attention when Cornelia used a bright pink paddle, which she had made herself, with the score 10 written on it, to mimic the judge's actions, giving a perfect score to her father in an adorable way.

This symbolizes a deeper personal meaning, as Andy has consistently received the lowest scores throughout the competition; however, due to his strong fan base and charisma, he has still not been eliminated.

In an Instagram video during the rehearsals, he spoke about why he chose his daughter and the song:

"The reason we picked her is because the song makes me feel joy, this competition makes me feel joy, and she makes me feel. So it was a natural thing to push them all together."

Andy Richter's salsa performance on Dedication Night touched fans' hearts on Dancing with the Stars season 34

Andy Richter's journey on Dancing with the Stars is not one of praise for his technical dance skills, as he receives low scores each week; nonetheless, he is winning people's hearts with his charisma and kindness.

His dance partner, Emma Slater, posted an adorable video of herself, Andy, and his daughter, Cornelia, shot during rehearsals, giving a glimpse into their upcoming performance, which created excitement among viewers. She captioned it:

"This is Andy’s daughter, Cornelia! She’s going to be in a dance this week, and we cannot be more excited! We’ve had a week of illness and it’s been hard, and I’m so appreciative for @richtercommaandy for all of the hard work and commitment he has put into learning this salsa. I know how happy he is to be dancing with Cornelia and for them to have this moment together. It’s going to be so special for both of these princesses and for me also."

She later posted a series of pictures of them practicing their salsa routine on stage one day before the final performance. It included a picture of Cornelia with her father, Andy, with a big, round, bright pink coloured paddle with the number 10 written on it.

It was made by Cornelia herself as a prop for the dance, as Emma revealed in the post:

I can’t wait to dance this tomorrow with princess Cornelia! It makes me so happy that we were able to do this dance with her, I know it means a lot to Andy. It’s not often that we get to create moments like this on the show, with added people that mean so much to them 🥹❤️

She chose the music 🎶 the color of the dresses (we have matching ones)👗and decorated my maracas 🪇 and a 10 paddle! Hoping that this will be a memory for her that she will cherish. @richtercommaandy

She also posted a cute video from the practice hall of Andy and Cornelia sitting on a sofa together, and excitedly telling something to her dad.

Although Andy's Tuesday night performance on Dancing with the Stars did not help him reach the top of the leaderboard, his father-daughter connection was evident in the performance, along with his improvement in dance, humor and vulnerability, which resonated with the audience's heart.

Stay tuned for more updates.