Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons is a fitness expert who promotes weight-loss programs. He has starred in a well-known line of fitness videos and has appeared on many television programs. His fitness videos include the Sweatin' to the Oldies series. He is also known for the infomercials for his videos, and for his weight-loss food plans, such as The Deal-A-Meal program and FoodMover. Simmons is very recognizable for his curly jew-fro, his tight little running shorts that went out of style in the mid-1980s, and flamboyant personality that radiates homosexuality, despite his protestations to the contrary (in my opinion, he lost his heterosexual "street cred" many, many years ago).
Simmons was born Milton Teagle Simmons on July 12, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was raised in the French Quarter. He was a rather chubby child, weighing 268 pounds at the time of his high school graduation. Simmons eventually went on a crash diet and lost 123 lb as a young adult. During an appearance on The Tonight Show and during other various media appearances, Simmons claimed that much of his hair fell out due to losing weight in an unhealthy manner. Simmons later had hair transplants, moving some of his own hair from the back of his head to the front.
He moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and worked as the Maître d' at a restaurant in Beverly Hills. He became interested in fitness, but was dissatisfied with the unhealthy fad diet methods and established gyms and exercise studios which, at the time, favored the already fit customer. Simmons later opened his own exercise studio, originally called The Anatomy Asylum, he emphasized the importance of healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise.
Simmons drew national attention after an appearance on the TV show Real People during which he was shown at work and introducing customers who he had helped to lose weight. Simmons parlayed his Real People appearance into a recurring role on the soap opera General Hospital, where he played himself. This exposure led to further media focus, as well as personal appearances in shopping malls, where he taught exercise classes. For a time in the early 1980s, Simmons had a fairly successful talk show, The Richard Simmons Show, where he focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cooking.
Simmons has appeared as himself on numerous TV shows over the years, including Whose Line Is It Anyway?, CHiPs, and Saturday Night Live. His appearance on Whose Line Is It Anyway? is famous for how unbelievably gay Simmons was during his appearance, as one can clearly see in the clip below:
Simmons has claimed many times over the years that he is not gay, despite the fact that absolutely nobody believes him. Rumors of his homosexuality have almost certainly plagued him since he was a child. In his 1999 autobiography, Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story, Simmons actually admitted that he had an enormous Barbie Doll collection as a child! I guess he didn't like to play with G.I. Joe action figures, like the other boys his age.
Simmons was a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show up until the early 1990s. Simmons boycotted The Howard Stern Show for several years after a 1992 appearance on the show when Howard Stern said to Simmons "Your belly hangs like your nuts." Simmons eventually appeared on the show again. In a recent appearance, on April 10, 2007, Howard Stern said that Richard was kind of womanly with the way he dresses. Simmons was very insulted and walked off the show crying like a little baby.
Simmons was also a frequent guest at one time on the Late Night with David Letterman. However, on November 22, 2000, Simmons had a falling out with Letterman after an incident that occurred on that night's show. Simmons (while dressed as a turkey) was sprayed in the face by Letterman with a fire extinguisher after Simmons grabbed Letterman as if to hug or kiss him, causing Simmons to have a severe asthma attack. Simmons did not appear again on the show for six years.
Simmons ran afoul on the law on March 24, 2004. Simmons was arrested and charged with assault after slapping Chris Farney, a motorcycle salesman, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Farney had spotted Simmons in the crowd and said, "Look, Richard Simmons! Drop your bags, let's rock to the '50s." Simmons replied, "It's not nice to make fun of people with issues," then lightly slapped Farney's face. An embarrassed Farney called the police, despite not having suffered any injuries. All charges against Simmons were dropped.
Even though Simmons has amassed a large personal fortune from his weight loss empire (possibly in excess of $100 million), Simmons is the butt of many, many jokes and there can be no doubt that Richard Simmons is one washed-up celebrity!
