Earlier this year there were stories that Richard Simmons was being held against his will and kept from the public by his housekeeper. There were whispers of elder abuse and friends of Simmons had come out to say that they were concerned about him after not hearing from him for over a year. The beloved fitness guru had not made a public appearance since 2014 and had not been seen at his gym, Slimmins, in some time. In response, Simmons, 67, told Entertainment Tonight that he’s been taking a break from public life and that he’s had some problems after having a knee replacement. He also said that he hasn’t gained weight as has been rumored and that he has kept up his exercise regime at home. Now Simmons has announced that he’s closing his fitness center, Slimmins, after 42 years. It sounds like he’s ready for retirement.
I follow Simmons on Facebook and he’s been posting messages of encouragement and cute throwback pictures. While he probably has a social media manager, the posts at least sound personal and like they’re coming from him. So he took a break, he may or may not be posting to social media, and now he’s retiring. He’s 67, he definitely earned it, although I hope for purely selfish purposes that we still see him. I would also love it if he did more fitness videos. He has a YouTube channel but it hasn’t been updated for two years. How awesome would it be if Richard Simmons released new workout videos? Jane Fonda did it! I am going to do one of his retro videos in honor of his retirement.
These are older photos of Richard Simmons at Slimmons. He put a call out on Facebook for fans to send in pics. He’s just a wonderful person and we miss him. Everyone is gushing about him on Facebook.
Photos via Facebook