Andy Richter would be the first to tell you he's not the strongest singer. But regardless, he thought the odds were in his favor when he debuted on The Masked Singer. He got to don the massive furry costume, which he calls a "combination of cute and gross." He was able to sing "Sweet Caroline," a massively popular tune that had everyone in the audience singing along. And he had evaded the judges' guesses, despite being a guess for them over the past several seasons. Alas, those three opportunities turned to three strikes for Andy on "Sports Night," as his time on the Fox reality series was one and done.

After his reveal, Andy Richter spoke to Parade about his time on The Masked Singer.

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Related: Everything to Know About The Masked Singer Season 12

So how did you wind up on The Masked Singer? Had you been asked in the past, and what made you say yes to the opportunity?

I was asked a few years ago. But I didn't have the time because we were doing the Conan show on TBS. And, if you get to do more than one episode, it's pretty consuming; the schedule wouldn't allow. So now that I have way too much time on my hands, they asked again, and I said, "Sure!" And I also, I also did it as kind of a challenge. Because I've sung karaoke, but I never did musicals in school or anything. I'm shy about singing in front of people, so it was a challenge that I put to myself and went through with. But also, too, I make television. So it was a job, and it's a great job. And it was a lot of fun, and the people that that work on it couldn't have been more supportive and nicer, and made the whole experience just lovely.

What was your reaction, then, when you were told and shown that you would be Dust Bunny?

First of all, I've been asked, "Did you get to choose?" No! It's like, "Here's what you are." And I guess if I had been like, "I hate it," they might have done something. And it was cute. It was kind of like a combination of cute and gross, which I actually sort of do enjoy. And I also thought the cuteness of it would be helpful in terms of winning the audience over, which, apparently, it wasn't enough. But it was fine, and it wasn't too bad. Seeing some of those other costumes and seeing some other costumes over the years, this one was pretty [easy]. I mean, lift on, lift off. I was wearing a t-shirt and furry suspender pants, and then big slippers. Some of them are multiple pieces of armor and stuff. So this wasn't too claustrophobic, because it's sort of big inside there.

What about the mobility, though?

Oh, I could not see anything. And at one point too, we're shooting, we're backstage. And it's a very lot of moving parts to the show. And so there's the on-camera crew that's shooting, and they're trying to get B-roll before I go out. There's insert shots for later of me walking to stage and walking out that they cut in later, and they wanted to get a low angle of it. And so I'm standing there. And I knew I wasn't going fully out, but they're like, "Okay, now walk towards the stage." And I walked, and they had put a camera on the floor with a cameraman four feet in front of me to get a low angle.

And I just totally kicked the cameraman in the face, and almost fell over. I can't see anything! You can't put obstacles down in front of me, a few feet in front of me. And I think someone probably got scolded for that. But I couldn't see from my [eyeliner] down. I had a blind spot six feet in front of me. Whenever I move from one place to the other, I was being helped like an invalid, just two people on either side, slowly walking me.

You mention how the costume was chosen for you. What about the song? You got to sing one of the biggest sports songs in "Sweet Caroline," and it made me assume that you were from Boston. But you were born in Michigan!

Yeah, I'm from the Midwest. I was born in Michigan, but I'm really from Illinois. But yeah, I've been joking, "That's the white people's anthem." [Laughs.] So we went back and forth with different songs, and they definitely quiz you, like, "What songs do you like? What kind of music do you like? What songs do you sing at karaoke?" And you kind of go back and forth until you find something that works for you and works for them and fits into [the theme], because it has to fit in with the other contestants. With the costume, I knew the costume was cute and it would be popular. And with the song, I was like, "This is such a staple, almost to the point of being a cliche." And it's a singalong. So I'm already insecure about singing. But if I can get the whole audience to sing with me, that always helps.

There was actually a moment during your song when you shouted out Nikki Glaser. But, because it wasn't before and after the performance when you use the voice modulation, we could flat-out hear your regular voice in the middle of it. Talk to me about how that ad lib came out.

It's because I love Nikki Glaser and and I was excited to see her there. And I mean, we're friends, and friendly at least. And Joel McHale, too. It's fun to see Joel, but I could only scream out one name, so I wanted to say hi to Nikki, because she's just so funny and so great. And she's been a real friend of the Conan show. So I was excited to see her, and I wanted to give her a little shout out.

The judges weren't able to guess who you were, throwing out names like Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jay Leno. What were you reactions to those guesses?

They're going with these clip packages that are different sort of hints that start out more obscure. And then I think, as you go episode to episode, they sort of narrow it down and they become a little more obvious. Somebody else asked me, "Did it bother you that they thought you might be Jay Leno?" No, they're judging a big pile of purple fur. I can't take offense to it. But I feel like my voice is very recognizable, right? Like you said, when I said, "Hey Nikki Glaser." And I saw online last night, a lot of people that were just watching the show said, "The minute he started singing, I knew it was Andy Richter. I could just tell his voice."

But I was kind of surprised. I mean, Jenny McCarthy, she has guessed me for other people on the show. And I've known her for years, and Ken have known for years. So I kind of thought that, of the four of them, they might be able to figure it out. And I really do feel like if I had gone on another episode, they probably would have narrowed it down and figured it out.

Finally, is there anyone from the late night world that you want to follow in your furry footsteps and go onto The Masked Singer?

All of them! Everyone should do it. It should be like a a program, like a government program to get everyone in there.

It's the best form of witness protection I can imagine.

[Laughs.] Yeah. Conan would be good. Colbert, that would be great. Jon Stewart, that would be pretty hilarious to see Jon. That would be a good surprise to see Jon Stewart unmasked after singing.

Next, check out our interview with Paula Cole, who was eliminated in The Masked Singer Season 12 Episode 3.