# Richard Simmons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962 "2013-11-27T23:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/1 "2013-11-27T23:22:36Z")
Is he really gay or is it just his shtick? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/2 "2013-11-27T23:33:37Z")
[I always thought his Whose Line Is It performance more or less confirmed he was gay.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIscLaYnECs) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/3 "2013-11-27T23:56:11Z")
I didn’t realize there was ever a question about it. It’s not like he’s trying to fool anyone… ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/4 "2013-11-28T00:19:19Z")
Neil Cavuto had him in studio today. He went from being hilarious to being in tears. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/5 "2013-11-28T01:00:07Z")
His real name is Milton. What self respecting gay man would change his name from Milton to Richard? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/6 "2013-11-28T01:24:19Z")
Well, the evidence seems to indicate that Milton/Richard Simmons would. I _think_ he respects himself, and he does seem very stereotypically gay… …besides, Milton just seems like the name of an evil genius obsessed with board games. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/7 "2013-11-28T01:45:20Z")
He’s such a baby! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/8 "2013-11-28T01:55:30Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > His real name is Milton. What self respecting gay man would change his name from Milton to Richard? You’re asking whether I’ve heard of a gay man who prefers Dick? ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/9 "2013-11-28T05:34:39Z")
Why do you care? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/10 "2013-11-28T06:01:40Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > … he does seem very stereotypically gay… Dressed like _that_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/11 "2013-11-28T08:49:00Z")
Years ago, I met a male hustler in LA who claimed Richard Simmons used to be one of his regular customers. Take it for what it’s worth, but it is not like he was bragging or anything, it just happened to come up in conversation. Besides, who would want to share that unless it was true? Bragging about having sex with some closeted hot Hollywood stud, sure - but bragging about having sex with Richard Simmons? Unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/12 "2013-11-28T10:20:48Z")
I was about to say “Nobody could be that great an actor.” But then I remembered Eric Stonestreet. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/13 "2013-11-28T11:24:11Z")
The A&E series Biography had an episode on Simmons years ago. The narrator stated that Simmons was so shy in high school and college-due to his weight-that he would not date girls, then so busy later he never had time. I think that everybody who watched it had the same reaction I did: “Yeah, that’s the reason. He’s too busy… just like Tyler Perry and James Franco.” ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/14 "2013-11-28T11:38:47Z")
Franco? Huh, didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/15 "2013-11-29T01:13:45Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You’re asking whether I’ve heard of a gay man who prefers Dick? And if he went by Dick you’d have a point. Er… wait… that came out wrong ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/16 "2013-11-29T01:49:05Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Neil Cavuto had him in studio today. He went from being hilarious to being in tears. [You forgot the link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DKj_M8O4E). ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/17 "2013-11-29T04:06:41Z")
Don’t really care if he’s gay or not, but I would be interested to know what his personality is like off camera. Is he generally an enthusiastic, energetic type and his camera persona is just a bit of an exaggeration, or is he actually a much more calm and sedate person and his camera persona is completely different? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/18 "2013-11-29T15:36:19Z")
I don’t have a clue what his essential orientation is, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that he has consciously chosen to be non-sexual/asexual. Some people do choose to live that way, for personal, physical, emotional, or religious reasons (etc.), and it is a valid personal choice. He comes across as an incredibly kind and loving person. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/19 "2013-11-29T15:40:37Z")
> [@Garula](#): > > Don’t really care if he’s gay or not, but I would be interested to know what his personality is like off camera. Is he generally an enthusiastic, energetic type and his camera persona is just a bit of an exaggeration, or is he actually a much more calm and sedate person and his camera persona is completely different? [A profile that may help answer this question.](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9305101/richard-simmons-sweatin-oldies) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962/20 "2013-11-29T15:59:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [A profile that may help answer this question.](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9305101/richard-simmons-sweatin-oldies) Great piece! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-simmons/674962.md?page=2)