When comedian and actor Andy Richter joined Dancing with the Stars this fall, fans quickly fell for his humor, heart, and humility. What they didn’t see right away was how a simple Instagram message would spark one of Mueller Sports Medicine’s most authentic celebrity collaborations to date.
September 18, 2025 — The First Message
Andy Richter was spotted wearing another brand’s knee straps during rehearsals. Mueller’s User Experience Marketing Specialist, Stacie Luck, reached out to Andy via Instagram to send him a much better version – Mueller’s MAX Knee Straps.
“When our team saw Andy wearing another brand’s knee straps, we knew we had to try to send him some Mueller®,” Stacie recalls. “I’ve reached out on social media to numerous big names—some respond, some don’t. But Andy wrote back the same day!”
Late September — The First Shipment
After exchanging messages, Stacie sent Andy a care package of Mueller® MAX Knee Straps and Typhoon Kinesiology Tape. Not long after, Andy’s dance partner Emma Slater joked on TikTok that Mueller should hire Andy as a spokesperson because he preferred the straps so much.
That genuine moment set the tone for everything that followed.
October — The Connection Builds
Throughout October, Mueller and Andy began tagging and resharing each other’s posts. Andy wore his Mueller gear during rehearsals, and fans noticed. When Mueller shared a supportive comment on a celebrity post cheering Andy on, he reshared it to his own Stories, driving a wave of new engagement and visibility.
“Andy’s been incredibly personable, responsive, and funny in all of his interactions with us,” Stacie said. “It’s exactly how he is on DWTS and online. What you see is what you get.”
As Andy continued to advance on Dancing with the Stars, fans started joining in on the fun. One wrote, “We protect Andy, you protect his knees,” while another called it “the most organic brand partnership of late.”
October 30–31 — From Our Hands to the Ballroom
When Andy mentioned his team might all wear the knee straps for a rehearsal photo, the Mueller team jumped into action. They filmed themselves assembling a new shipment of straps, complete with handwritten cards from employees wishing Andy good luck.
The footage became the “From Our Hands to the Ballroom” reel — a heartfelt look at the partnership that celebrated authenticity, humor, and shared Midwestern roots.
November 1 — Seen on DWTS
Andy confirmed the knee straps would be featured on Dancing with the Stars the following week. Alix Earle, a fellow contestant, even recorded a video of their dance team rehearsing with the straps. The collaboration had officially made it from the Mueller headquarters in Wisconsin to the ballroom in Hollywood.
Andy’s Take
“I cannot recommend my Mueller knee straps highly enough,” Andy shared. “I have arthritis in both knees, long-term patellar chondromalacia, and have only half a meniscus in the right one. I would never have been able to continue on DWTS this long if I hadn’t had my knee straps. The only time I’ve ever tweaked my knee was when I got cocky and skipped wearing them.”
He added:
“Mueller is an amazing company to work with. As a fellow Midwesterner, their Wisconsin ethos and family-owned way of doing business are very important to me. Just great people all around.”
Andy also credits his Mueller REVIVE™ air compression boots for helping manage post-rehearsal soreness, calling them “a lifesaver.”
A Collaboration Rooted in Authenticity
What started as a single message turned into a genuine relationship built on mutual respect, humor, and shared values.
“Andy hasn’t been shy about his need for knee support, and fans relate to that,” says Stacie. “It’s allowed Mueller® to engage with audiences in a real way—helping Andy go after the Mirrorball Trophy while staying true to who he is.”
From the heart of Wisconsin to the lights of Hollywood, Mueller® is proud to support Andy’s journey, one knee strap (and one dance step) at a time.