Richard Simmons has made a rare public statement.
On the fitness guru’s seventy fifth birthday, his rep told ET, “This can be a big milestone. I just need to see him comfortable, which he’s.”
The notorious recluse spent much of the ‘80s and ’90s squarely in the general public eye. He was a fixture on daytime and late-night talk shows, putting out cookbooks, infomercials, and workout videos.
His 1988 VHS “Sweatin’ To The Oldies” was the largest selling fitness home video of all time, grossing over $200 million.
Then, in 2014, he mysteriously vanished from the highlight, prompting outrageous speculations about what happened – including rumors that his housekeeper was holding him hostage, and rumors that he was transgender, and was now a lady named Fiona.
The documentary “TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons,” claims the true reason he disappeared was because of an ailment.
“Something that happened to him at birth is directly connected to his disappearance — a birth defect that significantly affected certainly one of his legs,” TMZ editor Fabian Garcia said within the doc. “He was born with no full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems.”
“Richard found comfort in food and he gained loads of weight,” doc producer Charles Latibeaudiere further revealed. “And that put loads of stress on his knees.”
As a youngster, the Recent Orleans-born workout king struggled along with his weight, and got bullied at school because of this.
“He would attempt to hold back tears because boys would pick on him,” childhood friend Antoinette DiPi told People.
In a Nineteen Eighties interview, Simmons told Oprah that he also struggled with eating disorders. “I got to 119 kilos and I used to be within the hospital,” he said on the time.
After getting in shape and moving to LA, his profession took off, partially because of his colourful personality.
But within the TMZ doc, “Three’s Company” star Suzanne Sommers detailed an encounter with him that exposed the private struggles he carried with him well into maturity.
“One night I used to be on the Larry King show and he was either going to be a guest or imagined to be a guest, and I heard through the Larry King people who he didn’t need to be on the show with me,” Somers, 75, recalled. “I said, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘She’ll make fun of me.’ And that’s not my style, I never make fun of anybody. But that’s when I noticed a little bit insecurity has gotten in there.”
“I liked him. I used to be all the time so surprised when he thought I’d make fun of him. But doesn’t that show you he’s got a heartache? Something’s broken inside because he did it. He had it after which let it go.”
In keeping with the TMZ doc, Simmons had a right knee substitute that left him in pain, and unwilling to get a left knee substitute, too.
“We all know still that to at the present time, Richard still hasn’t gotten corrective surgery on his left knee,” TMZ boss Harvey Levin said within the doc. “He walks with a cane and that explains quite a bit. He’s just not the identical guy anymore.
Levin said that’s why he left the highlight. “He desired to be remembered as vibrant and healthy — not an elderly man with medical problems.’”
In August of 2022, his rep, Tom Estey, told The Post, “Richard is eternally grateful for the continual outpouring of affection and gratitude he has received from across the Globe. He’s comfortable, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.”
That very same week, Simmons wrote his own short note on Facebook, stating, “Thanks, everyone, on your kindness and love. Love, Richard.
It was his first public missive in six years.
In 2018 when he turned 70, a friend told ET, “He’s doing thoroughly. He’s his jovial self. He spends most of his time at home and in his yard,” the friend said on the time.
“He keeps up along with his reading and does what he desires to do. He deserves this time to himself. Seventy years is a milestone but he doesn’t take a look at it that way.”
Now, he’s just turned 75, and his rep said he’s “comfortable.”