After being in the iTunes Podcast Top Charts for weeks, the “Missing Richard Simmons” podcast has concluded its 6th, and final episode.
The podcast was created and hosted by Dan Tabersky, a filmmaker and former producer for The Daily Show, in what was described as an attempt to understand the mysterious and sudden public disappearance of one of the world’s most recognizable fitness icons.
Running from 31 to 36 minutes, ‘Missing Richard Simmons” blends together personal recollections from the host, interviews with Simmons’ past friends and fitness clients, and audio clips from Simmons public appearances. The show is produced by First Look Media, Pineapple Street Media, and Stitcher.
The popular podcast has received praise from long-time fans of the charismatic fitness personality who have also wondered about his whereabouts, and whether or not he was safe. It was not exempt from derision, however, as critics suggested that the podcast was likely an attempt to capitalize from the void left behind by Simmons, fueled by the genuine curiosity of listeners who missed the fitness guru’s intimate presence and had become concerned.
Dan Tabersky made a preemptive effort to quell those allegations with a back story on his relationship with Simmons and why he had grown concerned. Tabersky was a regular member of “Slimmons,” an exercise studio owned by Richard with a class taught by him. Tabersky has said that he was friends with Simmons and a longtime supporter, as were many others who felt a personal connection to Richard Simmons, a personable figure with virtually unlimited reserves of on-screen enthusiasm.
On, February 15, 2014, that all changed. After being in the public spotlight for over 40 years, Richard Simmons changed course and did not show up to teach his class. He attended an event for a Covered California event, the state’s healthcare exchange, in January 2014 but he has not made any public appearances since.
Simmons, who was once 268 pounds and dropped 123 pounds after taking up an interest in exercise, got his professional fitness start in Beverly Hills after opening Slimmons in the 1970s. The center catered to overweight members with music-based aerobics sessions as other fitness centers were more traditional gyms mostly used by those who were already physically fit. Simmons gained international notoriety through many television appearances and his hit “Sweating to the Oldies” home video workout program.
In the final episode, Tabersky theorizes that “something happened to Richard Simmons in early 2014 and he retreated.” He cut off contact with the people Tabersky calls Simmons’ friends, and he shunned the television and live appearances that had once helped thrust him to fame. As a result, an almost paranoid public began to speculate the reasons behind his retreat.
One of the theories proposed that Simmons was kidnapped or was being held hostage by his housekeeper. Another theory assumed that the fitness guru had gained back the weight that he had kept off for 40 years and was ashamed to be seen by the public. Yet another theory propagated by tabloid magazines and gossip websites like the National Enquirer and TMZ suggested that Mr. Simmons was undergoing a gender transition. One of the stranger theories people had concocted was that Simmons was the victim of witchcraft and had been placed under a spell by his housekeeper.
These malicious rumors were rejected by Simmons in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” and “Today” in 2016 where he says “I want to take time for me” after teaching “thousands and thousands of classes,” assuring that no one is holding him hostage or controlling him, and the allegations against his housekeeper are “silly.” The reports mention that the Los Angeles Police Department had even been called to perform a welfare check on Mr. Simmons and evaluate his well-being, and they had found no evidence of wrong-doing.
He spoke of undergoing knee replacement surgery and his other knee has been hurting so he has been “taking it easy” to avoid another surgery. The most telling insight to his personal reasons for becoming reclusive was evidenced in the interviews with Simmons saying: “I just really don’t want to do anything. I just don’t want to be traveling anymore. It certainly has taken its toll on me. It was not over a day, it was just over some time.” He reiterated on both programs that he wanted to be a “loner” for a while, ending his Today interview with, “You haven’t seen the last of me. I’ll come back and I’ll come back strong.”
This podcast has re-opened those old wounds, reminding listeners about the criminal accusations Simmons’ 30-year-long housekeeper has been subjected to, and focusing international attention on a 68-year-old man who wants no more than to be left alone.
By publicly broadcasting one’s delving into another person’s private affairs, the goading of others (unintended or otherwise) to peer into Simmons’ life is straying the line between a legitimate, well-intentioned inquiry into someone’s well-being, and stoking a rumor mill that encroaches on the privacy of someone who has rejected the public spotlight.
The podcast had become largely speculative and veered toward devolving into fruitless tabloid gossip. A series of “what-ifs” and vague near-accusations had overtaken the narrative, side-stepping full-fledged accusations so as to not expose the podcast to claims of falsification or libel.
Over the course of 6 episodes, the host laid out the possible theories and motives, then explained why those did not make sense, only to proclaim that he could not fully believe that they did not make sense. He repeatedly trudged through more rhetorical doublespeak in the course of the podcast. Tabersky goes to great lengths to avoid picking sides, choosing to become the devil’s advocate on a topic he had unnecessarily re-introduced into public debate.
As episodes were released, the mission to investigate an enigmatic situation seemed more and more like opportunism centered around a celebrity’s supposed social expectations. There was airtime that fixated on innocuous moments, like a 2-second video of a beach posted on Simmons’ Facebook page, going so far as to travel to the same beach to compare audio, and describing the audio in the 1st video as eerie. The host said he would feel like the calmer audio in his own recording is what Mr. Simmons would prefer.
“Missing Richard Simmons” implies that the guru himself is missing, but it is meant to reference the emotional loss that the supporters and host alike are suffering, and the fact that they “miss” him. If the former were the case, it would be titled Finding Richard Simmons, but there is no one to find. The team behind the podcast knew that the podcast was going nowhere, with the host stating: “We didn’t know how Missing Richard Simmons was going to end.”
In November 2016, the Slimmons studio closed the doors to its Beverly Hills location. At the same time, Tabersky was in the beginning stages of the podcast, now sharing audio of the recordings he had gathered at the studio’s final class. Tabersky hoped that Richard Simmons would show up to the event, and he interviewed other Slimmons members and Simmons fans who shared the same hopes. He did not attend, sending his manager Michael Catalano on his behalf.
The heartfelt moments between Tabersky and the other supporters explained why they miss Richard Simmons, and how much of an impact he’s had on their lives. Simmons has had a vibrant personality and used that to encourage countless others to improve their health through exercise. Tabersky amplified this by saying: “The pain for his supporters is real because he’s such a big part of their life.” People who once thought they could not change their lives were able to gain confidence with the support of Richard, who was there to guide them through the change they wanted. They question how Richard, “someone who spent so long saving your life” is now “asking to pretend it never happened” and to respect that it is no longer happening, referring to Richard’s influence on their lives.
In a recorded phone conversation, Michael Catalano said he has been Simmons’ manager since April of 1987. Regarding Richard’s absence at the studio’s final class, Catalano said “It would’ve been too much for him… this is a very emotional, empathetic, sympathetic, compassionate person and goodbyes are tough.” Mr. Simmons had already previously declared his retirement, but because he did not do so to public fanfare, it was seemingly not enough. Catalano addressed this, saying “Not everybody would take the last bow” and that because Simmons is “headstrong and stubborn… It has to be what Richard wants, not what everyone else wants – it’s his story.”
Tabersky asked a question: “Has Richard heard the podcast?” Richard’s manager responded, “I don’t think he’s heard it in its entirety, but he’s definitely heard it.” Richard is likely aware of the public speculation surrounding his reclusive behavior, although he has already explained his reasoning in interviews years before. With this in mind, the manager also told Tabersky, “I can’t say that Richard feels better as a result of the podcast, perhaps you do… I think you really created more worry and speculation” to which Dan does not reply nor does he acknowledge the reality of how he is likely worsening the situation. He simply moves on from that topic, to talking about the “friendships” Simmons has left behind.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was once again under public pressure and called to Richard’s house to perform a welfare check. They, again, found no reason for worry.
Tabersky said that he spoke with a detective from the LAPD, who said that the welfare check was in part due to the podcast. According to Tabersky, the detective was at the Simmons residence for 90 minutes and questioned both Mr. Simmons and his housekeeper Teresa in separate rooms. Teresa was described as being nice and cooperative, while Richard was clean-shaven, healthy, and fit, saying “Richard Simmons is alright” and Tabersky suggesting “Teresa Reveles is just doing her job,” and “she’s doing it well.”
Even with all of this information about Simmons’ well-being, Tabersky still maintains that he “can’t get himself to believe it.”
Richard’s candor had led the people he met to believe that they had developed a personal relationship with him. Tabersky wondered “if decades-long friendships with Jerry and Iris (former clients) and others weren’t real.”
Dan also interviewed Richard’s brother, who said that Richard is “very content and he’s healthy.” Richard’s publicist told Dan that “He’s (Richard) basically retired.” Dan also mentioned Richard’s 2014 interview on Today with Savannah Guthrie when he said “I’m feeling good, my health is good.”
This leads one to wonder if Simmons was just a really good actor, and was successful in displaying a public persona for over 40 years as a marketing strategy. The more realistic explanation would be that he actually was this outgoing, but he simply chose to live in private, as he has explained.
In retirement, he has no professional commitments to make dramatic improvements to people’s lives. Tabersky considers the possibility that Richard hangs out with his brother, Teresa, and the professionals managing his business because he doesn’t have to be “that person” around them; he’s allowed to have faults without the public analyzing what he says and doesn’t say.
The show opines that the longer Simmons manages to stay in isolation, the world will continue without him, and for Richard, that brings freedom. For his long-time audience, that brings a feeling of emptiness, but they will find a way to continue without him as the rest of the world will.
As the final episode concludes, Dan Tabersky poses another question to Richard Simmons’ manager, “Is it possible to get 5 minutes with Richard Simmons?” “It is not,” replies Michael Catalano. A disheartened Tabersky tells Catalano “I am sad not to hear from him.”
Like so many others who considered Simmons to be their friends, Tabersky was disappointed that he was not close enough to be in his non-professional inner circle that visits him now. At a time when everything we want to know is a few clicks away, it becomes frustrating to not have information about a public figure. The only information we need to know is the reality that Richard Simmons has retired from a public career and a public life, and we must respectfully honor his privacy after he has spent his own life improving the lives of countless others.
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