Richter also recounts Leavitt’s sly response when he confronted her about being labeled a villain on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”

Andy Richter reveals what really led to Whitney Leavitt’s DWTS elimination: ‘Absolutely insane’

Richter also recounts Leavitt's sly response when he confronted her about being labeled a villain on "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives."

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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November 19, 2025 10:05 p.m. ET

'Dancing With the Stars' competitors Emma Slater with Andy Richter and Whitney Leavitt with Mark Ballas. Credit:

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty; Disney/Eric McCandless

Andy Richter is joining the legions of viewers protesting Whitney Leavitt's elimination from *Dancing With the Stars*.

Despite consistently high scores, effusive praise from the judges, and a marked arc of improvement across 10 episodes, the *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives *star was sent packing during Tuesday's season 34 semifinals. Speaking with * *one week after his own elimination, comedian and fan-favorite contestant Andy Richter has an idea why Leavitt unexpectedly got the boot — and it doesn't have to do with her aptitude as a dancer.

"I think Whitney going home, to me it's absolutely insane. I mean, she's an amazing dancer. And if all the sticklers who were furious about me still being in it, who were demanding perfect technical dancing, I don't know why she would get sent home under that criterion," says Richter, host of Sirius XM's *The Three Questions With Andy Richter* podcast.

"But there's a whole soap opera going on adjacent to this show online. It's a good way to sort of take the temperature of what the audience is feeling in terms of voting. I've seen forever, there's like people just like, 'Whitney's gotta go,' and I'm just like, 'What? Why?'"

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas on 'Dancing With the Stars'.

Disney/Eric McCandless

Richter believes that a good deal of the pushback against Leavitt has to do with the show that catapulted her to fame, *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives*. Though he hasn't yet tuned in, Richter says he "has heard that she's kind of the villain," which he finds preposterous.

"I need to tell you that Whitney was one of the sweetest, most positive loving people on that show," he explains. "Beyond anybody else, from the moment I met her, she was loving, and winning, and kind, and considerate, and incredibly positive towards me... She was one of the people that definitely made me feel that I was a valuable member of this team."

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Some viewers have noted that the premiere of *Mormon Wives*' entire third season on Nov. 13 — just days before the semifinals that heralded Leavitt's departure — may not have exactly endeared her to the voting public. Leavitt has indeed opened up about being painted as an antagonist on the reality series following a group of Mormon influencers, which premiered in 2024.

“There were decisions that I made during that show that nobody asked me to do," she said. "Like, I willingly did that, but there was no context behind why I had made certain decisions." The resulting picture of her on the series "put [her] in a dark place" and "made it hard to watch [back]."**

Andy Richter and Emma Slater on 'Dancing With the Stars'.

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty

But Richter believes that Leavitt will have the last laugh and knows it.

"When I found out she was the villain, I was like, 'I hear you're the villain on that show.' And all she said was, 'Well, villains get paid.' Richter laughs heartily, reflecting, "Amazing. I was like, 'All right. That's great.'"

With Richter and Leavitt out of the competition, that leaves wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, influencer Alix Earle, actress Elaine Hendrix, Olympian Jordan Chiles, and content creator Dylan Efron to duke it out for the season 34 Mirrorball trophy.

*Dancing With the Stars* airs its finale on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, which streams the next day on Hulu.**

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