Richard Simmons was quick to dismiss any notion that he would agree to an upcoming biopic about the former fitness personality after it was announced on Wednesday.
Hours after several outlets reported that the biopic was in the works and would star actor and comedian Pauly Shore, Simmons took to his Facebook account to disavow the film.
“You may have heard that they might be making a movie about me with Pauly Shore,” Simmons wrote in a post. “I have never given my permission for this film. So don't believe everything you read.”
He added that he no longer has a manager or publicist. “I'm just trying to live a quiet life and be at peace,” she wrote. Simmons then thanked his fans for their love and support of him.
The Wolper Organization, a Warner Bros. subsidiary that is behind the project, told Variety in a statement: “While we would love to have [Simmons] involved, we respect his wish for privacy and plan to produce a film that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story.”
The studio said it did not “want to invade” Simmons' privacy and recognized him as “an incredible person who changed the lives of millions of people, and the effect he has had on the world must be recognized.”
Shore, who has been hinting at a return to Hollywood, is already attached to a separate project, the short film “The Court Jester,” in which he also plays Simmons. The film, which released its trailer Wednesday, will premiere Friday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The short will be available on YouTube after its premiere. Wednesday's trailer shows Shore's strikingly identical Simmons dressed in a rhinestone tank top and a red afro and giving an intimate, moving talk to an anonymous TV producer.
Fans are already praising the biopic's separate announcement as “perfect casting.” Shore told Entertainment Weekly this week that during the 1990s he would meet Simmons on sets and they would give each other “hugs and high-fives.” But he added that his connection to Simmons ran deeper than just similar looks and passing interactions.
“I'm him,” he told EW. “I like to help people. I like health. I like to express that energy.” Her mother, Mitzi Shore, was a co-founder of the Comedy Store. She said that, through the club, “she helped a lot of people and that's what I appreciate.” “I really relate to Richard.”
He added that he also “went to the gym since I was a kid. And I think I'm a little over the top too, so I feel like I connect with him.”
In the 1980s and 1990s, Simmons was famous for his workout videos and talk show appearances, marked by his unbridled enthusiasm and flamboyant personality.
Over the past decade, Simmons has retreated from public life. However, he has remained in the public consciousness. At one point, there were rumors that he was being held in his house against his will, but he dispelled them. In 2022, TMZ released a documentary about him. According to the documentary, Simmons sank “into a deep depression” after doctors in 2014 urged him to undergo major surgery on his left knee.
As fans expressed their support and concern for Simmons after the doc, he gave a brief but rare response online, posting on his Facebook: “Thank you everyone for your kindness and love!”
