I doubt it’s something you ever wondered about. Me neither. But did you know that Richard Simmons up and disappeared three years ago and hasn’t been heard from since?
Once again, me neither. In an odd way Richard Simmons had always just been there for all of my life.
He had his own TV show, he was Sweatin’ to the Oldies, and he was messing around with David Letterman.
But Richard Simmons disappeared from the public on February 15, 2014. Did you even notice?
A lot of people did. Despite his fame and fortune, Simmons still taught a weekly exercise class at his studio in Beverly Hills called Slimmons. But one day he simply stopped showing up. Slimmons closed last November.
Dan Taberski, a filmmaker and Slimmons regular who considered Simmons a friend, is one of the people who noticed.
Not only did he notice, but he wants to know what happened to Richard Simmons. That’s why he launched a Podcast called Missing Richard Simmons.
I heard an ad for Dan’s podcast and became curious.
Last Friday as I commuted around Southern California I decided to listen to the first episode of Missing Richard Simmons. Needless to say I was hooked and listened to all three available episodes. Episode 4 is available today.
Dan Taberski’s storytelling in Missing Richard Simmons is superb. I found myself feeling great empathy for Richard Simmons, as well as concern for his well being.
Could Simmons be physically or mentally ill? Might his longtime maid be holding him captive in his own mansion? A longtime friend of Simmons’ goes so far to allege that she’s holding him captive through witchcraft.
You can’t make this stuff up. It’s absolutely fascinating.
Dan Taberski seems legitimately interested in finding out what happened to Richard Simmons and if the wild, frizzy haired fitness guru is all right. I hope that’s his motive and that this isn’t some cheap publicity stunt.
This telephone interview that Entertainment Tonight did with Simmons last year seems to indicate that he’s fine. Yet it’s odd that he didn’t appear on camera, as I don’t recall Richard Simmons ever ducking the public spotlight.
Even after finding this video, I am eager for the next episode of Missing Richard Simmons. I do hope that Richard is fine and let’s the world know it, especially his friends who seem to legitimately care for him and miss him.
Give the first episode a listen below. Missing Richards Simmons is indeed a compelling and well told story.