There he was in all his hyperactive, hot-panting, glittering glory.
The year was 2003, and fresh-faced comedian Ellen DeGeneres – host of a hit new talk show – braced herself as she introduced her next guest: “Please buckle up and clap as fast as you can for the one and only…Richard Simmons!” !'
The charismatic fitness guru jumped out – wide-eyed and exuberant – high-fiving the audience and jumping into a man's arms.
Everyone laughed with him – at him – and he was in on the joke.
This iconic Ellen episode is recreated in a new 10-minute short film released last week, starring former '90s actor Pauly Shore, 55, as Simmons – plans for a feature-length biopic are already in preparation .
The short film presents a poignant backstage moment between Simmons – now 75 – and an undervalued, overweight production assistant Ellen.
In a new 10-minute short film released last week, former '90s actor Pauly Shore, 55, plays the role of Richard Simmons (pictured). Plans for a feature-length biopic are already being planned.
The short film presents a poignant backstage moment between Simmons and an undervalued, overweight production assistant.
“I know what it’s like to want to disappear,” Shore’s Simmons tells the hopeless man.
And it's precisely this sparkling, supernatural empathy that made Simmons and his “Sweatin' to the Oldies” workout tapes a worldwide sensation.
But in recent years, America's beloved cheerfully optimistic man-boy has become a shell of his former self.
After completely disappearing from the public eye for almost three years in 2014, Simmons is no longer a feisty leprechaun, but is begging to be left alone. According to reports, Simmons had secret gender reassignment surgery.
Now this very private man is once again in the spotlight – and a longtime friend of Simmons tells exclusively that Simmons fears another humiliation.
He feels “backed into a corner” by Hollywood’s sudden push to exploit his life story, the source says.
And given his history of being betrayed by those he trusted, no one could blame him.
On February 15, 2014, Simmons nearly fell off the face of the earth when he failed to show up to the Beverly Hills exercise class he had taught for over 40 years.
His disappearance made headlines around the world: “Richard Simmons: Missing for 1,000 days.”
There was a lot of excitement in the media: What would cause one of America's most extroverted characters to suddenly become a recluse?
Then the Daily News reported on a theory: wild claims from Simmons' former massage therapist, a Brazilian named Mauro Oliveira, that his housekeeper had used “black magic” to keep him prisoner in his own home.
Simmons was eventually forced to answer publicly: “I'm not kidnapped,” he said in a phone call with Entertainment Tonight.
“No one is holding me hostage in my house,” he assured. He just needed to “take some time to be alone.”
On February 15, 2014, Simmons nearly fell off the face of the earth when he failed to show up to the Beverly Hills exercise class he had taught for over 40 years. Then the Daily News reported on a theory: wild claims by Simmons' former massage therapist, a Brazilian named Mauro Oliveira (left), that his housekeeper (right) was using “black magic” to keep him captive.
Simmons was eventually forced to answer publicly: “I'm not kidnapped,” he said in a phone call with Entertainment Tonight.
“No one is holding me hostage in my house,” he assured. He just needed to “take some time to be alone.”
But then things got much worse.
Months later, in June 2016, the National Enquirer and Radar Online claimed that Simmons had secretly undergone gender reassignment surgery to live as a “soft-spoken” woman named “Fiona.”
It was alleged that he had undergone breast implantation and hormone therapy over the course of two years.
Alongside the report were a series of images showing Simmons cross-dressing in white, fur-lined women's underwear, thigh-high boots and a wig.
In one image, Simmons lies on the edge of a bathtub with her legs spread and silver-painted nails, wearing a diamond ring and bracelet.
As it turns out, the images were sold to the publication by Mauro Oliveira – the Brazilian masseur Simmons once employed.
Simmons then sued for libel in 2017, but lost and was ordered by a court to pay $130,000 in legal fees incurred by the publishers.
Simmons has always maintained that he is not transgender, but the ordeal only pushed him further inward, away from a cruel world that had made him a punchline.
Maybe it felt too familiar.
As a child, Simmons struggled with his weight. “I came out of my mother’s belly with a fork,” he wrote in his 1999 memoir, “Still Hungry After All These Years.”
When he was a teenager, Simmons weighed 238 pounds and was bullied relentlessly at school.
“I experienced a lot of suffering as a child,” he said in an interview. “I went to my first Halloween party dressed as a couch. I was the one being made fun of. I felt very bad about myself.'
After moving to Los Angeles in his early 20s, Simmons decided to change his life and opened a gym in Beverly Hills in 1974 called Slimmons, aimed at overweight clients.
It was an instant, revolutionary success – especially because most fitness facilities at the time catered to those who were already in good shape.
He was a household name in 1988 when his first VHS tape, “Sweatin' to the Oldies,” became the best-selling home fitness video of all time, grossing over $200 million.
Dressed in hot pants and bedazzled tank tops, Simmons soon became a fixture on late-night television — and often the subject of good-natured remarks, particularly during his numerous appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman.
But while Simmons laughed along, the jokes clearly took their toll.
In the months before his sudden disappearance, gym-goers described Simmons frequently collapsing in the middle of class.
After moving to Los Angeles in his early 20s, Simmons decided to change his life and opened a gym in Beverly Hills in 1974 called Slimmons, aimed at overweight clients. It was an instant, revolutionary hit.
He was a household name in 1988 when his first VHS tape, “Sweatin' to the Oldies,” became the best-selling home fitness video of all time, grossing over $200 million. (Pictured: on Jay Leno's show).
Dressed in hot pants and bedazzled tank tops, Simmons soon became a fixture on late-night television – and often the subject of good-natured remarks, particularly during his numerous appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman (pictured). ). But while Simmons laughed along, the jokes clearly took their toll.
“He was always searching for an identity and trying to please everyone,” a source close to Simmons told .
So it's no wonder that Hollywood is desperate to tell this fascinating life story.
Shore — who, as reported Thursday, is currently being sued for assault and battery after allegedly attacking a security guard in 2022 — told People magazine in September last year that he was inspired by a viral meme that featured supporting actors , was inspired to play Simmons. Side by side pictures of the two of them.
The headline read: “Someone will write a biopic about Richard Simmons and Pauly Shore will win an Oscar.”
Undoubtedly, Shore's 10-minute short film was already in production.
Then, earlier this month, it was reported that Warner Bros. was working with Shore to develop a feature-length biopic.
Just hours after the announcement, Simmons, 75, took to Facebook to make a rare public statement:
“Hello everyone! You may have heard that they're making a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I never gave my permission for this film. So don't believe everything you read.'
Undeterred, Shore – best known for his role in the 1993 comedy “Encino Man” and whose last big hit “Bio-Dome” premiered in 1996 – screened his 10-minute short film “The Court Jester” during the Sundance Film Festival last week. . Utah.
'Tonight, [Simmons] Texted me and said, “Good luck on the show,” Shore said to the audience, “So let’s turn our backs on Richard Simmons!”
A source from Simmons' camp told that he felt he had no choice but to wish Shore well.
Shore — who, as reported Thursday, is currently charged with assault and battery after allegedly attacking a security guard — told People magazine in September last year that he was inspired by a viral meme called “Side-by “ showed, was inspired to play Simmons – side pictures of the two.
“Richard felt cornered because he knew the show would go on with or without him.” “He gave his consent reluctantly,” the source said.
“Richard cares deeply about his fans but is very worried about becoming the butt of the joke.”
For his part, Shore says he “comes from a place of love” and his goal is to make a film that “celebrates” Simmons.
“He told Richard he didn’t want to hurt him,” sources close to Simmons said.
Time will tell if the former Perma Sunny star has to be humiliated again.