There’s been a recent spark in interest over Richard Simmons, and it’s understandable since a documentary on him has been recently released. However, the recent news isn’t exactly all new news. He’s sort of disappeared long ago since 2014.
There have been many speculations over the years as to why he’s gone out of the spotlight. The list includes possibly having been injured, being held hostage by his housekeeper, a secret entry into retirement, or just needing some alone time for himself. There’s even been some speculation that he’s been out and about in public on a regular basis, just in disguise. We’ll never really know, but there are bits and pieces that Richard Simmons himself has put out there.
But first off, for those of you who don’t know the man…
Richard Simmons
Profession/Career: | Fitness Instructor |
Net Worth: | $20 million |
College: | Florida State University |
Major: | BA in Art |
Date of Birth (Age): | July 12, 1948 (74 Years Old) |
Place of Birth: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Real Name: | Milton Teagle Simmons |
Height: | 5 ft 7 in |
- Who is Richard Simmons?
- Richard Simmons’ first dollars
- Why did Richard Simmons dedicate his life to dieting and fitness?
- Richard Simmons’ rise to fame
- Richard Simmons’ disappearance from the public eye
- Richard Simmons’ message to fans in 2022
- What is Richard Simmons’ net worth?
- What is Richard Simmons’ main source of income
- Richard Simmons’ Return in 2020
- Is Richard Simmons Married?
- Richard Simmons life philosophy
- How does Richard Simmons spend his money?
- In conclusion
Who is Richard Simmons?
Richard Simmons was born as Milton Teagle Simmons on July 12th, 1948. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known as an entrepreneur and extremely energetic fitness instructor with a flamboyant personality. Richard has released a slew of aerobic fitness videos that have been enjoyed by Americans all over the country over numerous years. He is not married and has no kids that we know of. He’s lived a good portion of his life working and producing videos, traveling from place to place, and has a home in Beverly Hills, California where he spends his time when not working.
Richard Simmons’ first dollars
Richard Simmons first began working in New York at a variety of jobs. This included working for Revlon Cosmetics. He eventually relocated to Los Angeles around 1970 and took a job working as a head waiter in a Beverly Hills restaurant.
He would eventually go on to open his own exercise studio in 1974, initially called The Anatomy Asylum and later renamed into Slimmons, which was his entry into the fitness industry.
In that studio, he devised a program that holistically included dieting in synergy with aerobic exercise. His goal was to make exercising fun and entertaining, and he succeeded in doing just that.
Because of his knack for entertaining and motivating people to diet and exercise, he was the perfect candidate to get his break into the film industry as a fitness instructor.
Why did Richard Simmons dedicate his life to dieting and fitness?
Now, some of you may be asking, how exactly did Richard Simmons go from working a variety of jobs that had nothing to do with fitness to opening a studio that was dedicated to fitness and dieting?
If you’ve guessed that Richard himself may have struggled personally with weight issues in the past, you’d be correct. By the time he was just 15 years of age, he weighed 182 pounds and often bullied for it. Upon high school graduation, he hit 238 pounds. Since then, he purportedly had gained even more weight and struggled to shed the pounds.
It would be a number of years before he found the perfect way for himself to lose weight. All in all, he’s lost 100 pounds and has been able to keep that weight off successfully for over four decades. As to what he weighs exactly now, no one knows as he’s been out of the public eye for a while.
Richard Simmons’ rise to fame
We now know how Richard Simmons stumbled upon the fitness industry and his motivation for staying in it. And it paid off handsomely. His claim to fame came in the 1980s when he started filming his fitness routines. If you’ve ever seen one, you’ll know that it isn’t your typical fitness video. It’s got great energy with an extremely charismatic instructor, and it’s filled with loads of flamboyance and personality. The visuals of the show included a bold plethora of colors which helped keep the fitness routines appealing and exciting. He has over 60 fitness films under his belt, and collectively they have sold over 20 million copies around the world. He also started his own show called The Richard Simmons Show which garnered extreme popularity and has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards. The Richard Simmons Show has actually won four of those Emmy Awards, and was considered a total success by all accounts.
Richard Simmons’ disappearance from the public eye
Whether he’s taking a temporary break from the public eye or planning to leave it completely, no one knows. He has only been seen once since 2014 outside of his home, and that was upon a return visit from the hospital back in 2017.
However, he’s communicated several clues as to what’s been going on with him.
- “No one is holding me hostage.”
- Cops found him to be “articulate, relaxed, and lucid, and he appears to be living happy at home.”
- He’s “living the life he’s chosen.”
- He blessed his fans with a message, “Thank you everyone for your kindness and love.”
- He’s had bilateral knee problems with a painful right knee replacement surgery and choosing not to get the left knee operated on.
In 2017, a podcast was launched called “missing Richard Simmons”. The podcast consisted of six episodes investigating why Richard Simmons disappeared from the public eye. The missing Richard Simmons podcast spend three weeks in the number one podcast spot.
Richard Simmons’ message to fans in 2022
After the release of the documentary from TMZ and Fox exploring the disappearance of Richard Simmons in 2022, Simmons broke his long silence and thanked his fans on Facebook.

What is Richard Simmons’ net worth?
Richard Simmons’ net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.
What is Richard Simmons’ main source of income
His main source of income came from his videos in which over 20 million were sold. His most popular VHS “Sweatin’ To The Oldies” has alone generated $200+ million in revenue. Additionally, he’s made quite a bit off his books, one of which was a New York Times Best Seller titled “Never Say Diet.”
Richard Simmons’ Return in 2020
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Richard Simmons started uploading old content to his Youtube channel. Providing people with free workout videos to help them stay fit.
Is Richard Simmons Married?
Richard Simmons has generally kept his romantic relationships private, and details about his dating history or current romantic partner, if any, are not widely known or publicly disclosed.
As far as we know, he is not and has never been married.
Richard Simmons life philosophy
The burden that Richard Simmons bears is quite heavy. He’s got millions of obese people moving to his highly entertaining videos and trying to lose weight. He’s done more for Americans than many other celebrities out there, and in a way that matters to everyone’s health and longevity. Still, it’s been stated that he would often visibly cry for his fans as he was extremely emotionally invested in their success. Not everyone would be able to succeed, and he knows all too well the feeling from his younger days when he himself struggled with his own weight.
In more recent years, he’s become more content with living life away from the public eye. He stated in a phone interview with Today magazine that “I do what I want to do, as I’ve always done, and people should always believe what I have to say because I’m Richard Simmons.”
We’re all for that, because at last he seems to be at peace with himself, even if he’s got some ongoing struggles behind closed doors. At the very least, he gets to make his own decisions, and he’s finally getting to enjoy the retirement he so dearly deserves.
How does Richard Simmons spend his money?
Nobody knows how Richard Simmons spends his money. All we know is that he’s got a nice Beverly Hills abode and is quite content staying out of the public eye apart from the company of his housekeeper.
In conclusion
Richard Simmons is estimated to be worth at least $20 million, and he’s very much deserved it. He’s earned that money helping Americans shed weight while having fun all across the country.
We don’t know what’s next for him, but we anticipate we’ll continue to see bits and pieces of communication from him, mainly via social media. All we know is that he is extremely appreciative of his fans and he has not forgotten about them.