SEE YA, CONAN! RICHTER TO LEAVE TALK SHOW

In a surprise announcement at the close of Wednesday night's broadcast, ``Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' sidekick Andy Richter said he will abandon the couch next spring.

by Michael Fleming and Josef Adalian ;-- �MSNBC Online �-- �August 11 1999 �-- �Variety News/Celebs

O'Brien and Richter have been partners since the inception of the show, which was born after David Letterman bolted NBC for CBS in 1993.

Veteran ``Late Night'' producer Jeff Ross said Richter notified the show ``a few months ago'' of his plans to leave, and characterized the departure as completely voluntary and ``amicable.''

``I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner,'' Ross told Daily Variety. ``He's a very funny, very talented guy, and he didn't want to be a sidekick for the rest of his life. He wants to go and figure out what else he can do.''

Ross said no decision has been made on a replacement, adding that it's unclear if a suitable replacement for Richter can be found. ``We're going to play it by ear,'' he added.