Milton Teagle Richard Simmons is a famous American fitness expert and public figure known for his radiant demeanor and personality.
He has promoted weight-loss programs, most notably through his line of aerobics tapes named Sweatin’ to the Oldies.
Richard has chosen to keep a low profile for the last few years and hasn’t made any public appearances.
As of 2022, Richard is alive and living a life away from the media spotlight.
The fitness instructor does leave his house, according to Harvey Levin, the founder of TMZ, to stroll by the beach or go shopping.
He has managed to evade the cameras, according to The Sun.
He has reemerged by returning to posting fitness class recordings on his YouTube channel after an almost eight-year absence.
In 2016, he concluded his final workout at his studio, Slimmons, and then retired from the media.
He appeared on prominent shows, including David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show, and as a result of his fame.
Who Is Richard Simmons?
Richard is presently 74 years old. He was born on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans.
Since childhood, he has been overweight and had eating disorders that led him to gain weight. By the age of 5, he weighed around 83 kg.
Soon he realized that being obese is perceived negatively; hence, he began his weight loss journey, making him popular among the public.
Richard rose to fame as he dominated the fitness industry for many years. While aiding hundreds of thousands of people in losing weight, he made exercise enjoyable.
Richard Misplaced 100 Pounds
Simmons developed an interest in healthy living after relocating to Los Angeles in the 1970s.
He shed over 100 pounds when he was 17 before becoming a well-known fitness trainer.
By establishing a gym in Beverly Hills, California, that catered to the overweight, Simmons launched his weight-loss career.
He then gained notoriety through exposure on television and the success of his consumer goods.
He established The Anatomy Asylum, a fitness center that emphasized healthy eating, made exercise enjoyable and promoted happiness.
Simmons solidified his fitness empire and, for many years, was a mainstay in the industry.
He appeared in several media outlets, including The Howard Stern Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2016, he performed his final exercise at the asylum, now known as Slimmons, before ostensibly calling it quits.
Over the course of a lengthy career, he continued to advocate for fitness and health and eventually expanded his efforts to include political involvement.
What Occurred To Him? Where Did He Vanish?
Wild stories about him followed his absence, and he was not exempt from them, although none were confirmed.
Several theories about Simmons have emerged since he moved away from the media, including one that claimed his housekeeper was holding him prisoner.
Richard simply wanted to be alone, according to his spokesperson, Lenny, and Richard’s brother.
‘He’s not ill,’ his brother told PEOPLE in 2017. ‘He doesn’t have any medical issues at all. These claims about him changing into a woman are absurd. He isn’t changing into someone other than himself, I can ensure you. My wife Cathy and I spent five days with him over Christmas there. He just made the decision to retire after 40 or so years. He’s currently 68 years old and in fantastic condition, but all he wants is time to himself,’ he continued.
Since fans hadn’t seen him in years, FOX aired a documentary regarding his current whereabouts.
TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Richard Simmons is the documentary’s name.
On FOX, it debuted on August 22 at 8/7C.
What Was The Documentary About?
In the TMZ documentary, Simmons discusses his upbringing as an overweight, withdrawn boy with few friends and his rising stardom as a weight-loss specialist who won over TV viewers.
For many years, admirers could work out with Simmons in person at his Slimmons fitness center in Beverly Hills.
However, as the film explains, Simmons abruptly ceased giving classes at the facility in February 2014 without giving any notice.
Since then, he has not been seen in public.
Over the years, rumors have circulated about why Simmons withdrew from the public eye.
Some fans have speculated that the star may have been held captive by his longtime housekeeper Teresa Reveles, a theory that Simmons refuted in a phone call to TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie in March 2016.
Simmons said to Guthrie on the radio, ‘No one is holding me in my house as a hostage.’
Richard Simmons once said, ‘People should sort of just trust what I have to say because like I’m Richard Simmons! I do what I want to do as I’ve always done.’
Richard’s Views On The Documentary
An update to Simmons’ public Facebook page was made on August 24 after the documentary’s August 22 Hulu and FOX broadcast.
The 74-year-old commented, ‘Thank you, everyone, for your generosity and affection!’ while posting a picture of a happy face holding a Thank You sign.
With love, Richard The New York Post was informed by Tom Estey, Simmons’ agent, that the actor himself wrote the note that he is doing well.
Richard is eternally appreciative of the love and support he has gotten from people all across the world, Estey said. ‘He is content, healthy, and leading the life that he has chosen.’
Final Verdict
Richard Simmons, a well-known public figure recognized, is an iconic fitness expert.
Theories about Simmons’ disappearance have circulated over his nearly ten years out of the public eye, even leading to the creation of the successful podcast Missing Richard Simmons.
However, the TMZ documentary claims that knee issues eventually caused his absence from the gym.
The documentary claims that Simmons has opted to remain private because he wants to be remembered as the vibrant fitness icon he was before surgery.
However, Simmons himself hasn’t publicly affirmed or refuted such reports.
