That was a very interesting piece. I can’t imagine feeling as responsible for other people’s well being the way he claims to be.
I have zero idea if he is gay or not, but it is a long running gag to assume he is. His entire “roast” revolved around the “fact” that he is really gay.
Yeah, he catches a lot of teasing, but I think he’s a really nice guy.
Seriously, though, the Whose Line clip got no responses. Why would he act like that if he were not gay? I kind of suspect he was tipsy when he filmed it.
The thing that has always boggled my mind about Richard Simmons is that he is a fitness guru who has never been in shape.
I think he was in decent shape way back in the 80s. But he’s fallen off the wagon, diet and shape-wise in the last 10+ years. He’s got quite a belly on him now. (And is apparently in denial about it.) He’s no Jack LaLanne.
I watched the Neil Cavuto clip from just last week. Simmons is 65 years old now. He looks good for 65.
He’s never been a hardbody, and I don’t think that’s ever been his goal- in fact, I think it would be an impediment to his overreaching goal of encouraging everyone to make an effort to be healthy and fit.
So much of the fitness industry promotes and image of peak fitness. Ads for gyms show tanned well sculpted individuals with tight abs. This is great at selling the program to people who want to reach that ideal, but for people who are very overweight it is just discouraging because it presents an image that just seems impossible.
Richard Simmons wants to encourage regular people to value personal fitness and aspire to a healthy lifestyle. His image is not intimidating to overweight people and he presents an attainable healthy standard rather than a spartan ideal. His “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” videos have always included people who are genuinely fat but still capable of following his routines and making progress. This allows for a feeling of connection from people who do really need help finding a path to better health and fitness.
People have always believed that a Richard Simmons level of fitness is something they could personally attain. A Jack LaLanne level of fitness? Not so much.
Does anybody even know who Jack LaLane is any more? He was the fitness guy in like the '50s wasn’t he? That’s like referencing Jane Fonda now as some kind of current fitness standard. 
I think the point was that Jack Lalanne maintained his good physical conditioning into old age, while Richard Simmons may be gradually allowing his to fade.
This is Lalanne around 70. He probably dyed his hair, but still, that’s pretty good.
He’s been selling his juicers on infomercials up until the past few years.
Yeah, he did die in 2011, though. 96 years old, had pneumonia and continued to exercise daily despite this. Refused to go to a doctor and it got far too severe to recover from.
He really could have reached 100 and kept on going.
People probably should know who he is though. He was way ahead of the curve on this. He does deserve some recognition for being a pioneer of fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
That was one of the most awkward interviews I have ever seen. It made me uncomfortabe watching it. Simmons’ behavior was very erratic.
I used to work in a restaurant, and one evening he came in alone to eat. By the time he’d been there ten minutes, every staff member was hiding from him. He was incredibly needy and obnoxious. He may be a basically good guy, I don’t know, but he’s high on my list of people I don’t want to be stuck in an elevator with.
<sob> My husband is, technically, a Milton.
Yes, he goes by his middle name. Obviously.
Does he still show up on David Letterman? Years ago it was a semi-regular thing to just show up running through the aisle and harrassing Dave to the point where it got embarrassing. I read an interview about that time where he was asked if he was on the level, and he said it was just schtick.