Gov. Bill Richardson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday night looking a bit tired but managing to crack a few jokes that drew laughter.
Richardson got a laugh out of Leno when he responded to a question about his heritage.
“My mother only spoke Spanish to me. She was Mexican,” Richardson said. “My father, he wouldn’t speak to me, but when he did, he would speak English. It was totally a bilingual background.”
Richardson also made fun of his weight after Leno showed a photograph of him as a high-school pitcher.
“That was a few pounds ago,” Richardson said.
And the governor interrupted Leno when he said all the Democratic candidates flew to a recent debate in South Carolina in private jets.
“I took, I think it was Southwest, because I couldn’t fit in the seat,” Richardson said. “But I took commercial.”
That also drew laughter from Leno.
Leno was gracious with Richardson, calling him “the most qualified presidential candidate you have never heard of” and letting him go on at length about his credentials and negotiating with Saddam Hussein in the mid-1990s.
It was one of the more subdued appearances on Leno’s show. Several media outlets in primary states have mentioned recently that Richardson has appeared tired at events.
You can watch Richardson’s appearance on the show by clicking here.
Gov. Bill Richardson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday night looking a bit tired but managing to crack a few jokes that drew laughter.