Richard simmons missing 2017

Richard Simmons isn't missing.

That's the conclusion that the smash-hit Missing Richard Simmons podcast came to after six episodes, the final of which dropped this Monday. But though the podcast may not have unearthed anything salacious, it has directed the public's attention to the fitness superstar, who abruptly retreated from public life in 2014. During the podcast's run, the LAPD made a wellness check on Simmons' home, and reported that the the 68-year-old star was "fine."

Simmons' representatives have been increasingly public with statements reporting the same, and denying rumors that he is overweight or transitioning his gender. Speaking by phone to USA TODAY Wednesday, Simmons' manager Michael Catalano hammered on how damaging the podcast, hosted by former friend of Simmons' Dan Taberski, has been, calling it "hurtful."

"In a way for Richard, it brought up all these things that have been out before that we really felt were misrepresentations," Catalano explained. "And it’s hurtful, unfortunately, it just is. In his quest to try to uncover this mystery or however he phrased it, it’s done some damage."

"Personally I’m not a fan of what the podcast tried to accomplish," Catalano said. "I think in many ways it (dug) up a lot of old news, stuff that people already were aware of. We certainly have responded and refuted all along. There was nothing new to investigate."

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Catalano made an appearance on the final episode of Missing Richard Simmons to try to clear things up, after previously refusing to be on the show. "I really felt after following it and realizing how many people were being impacted by it and how many people it was reaching, I felt it was very important to try to go on the record and try to set the record straight," he explained

"I can't say that Richard is better because of the podcast," Catalano told T

Investigative journalism podcast

Podcast

Missing Richard Simmons is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by journalist Dan Taberski and created by Stitcher, First Look Media and Pineapple Street Media. The 6-episode series ran from February 15, 2017 through March 20, 2017, with episodes releasing every week.

Synopsis

Missing Richard Simmons focuses on the sudden retirement from public life of the fitness instructor and actor Richard Simmons. After having an illustrious media career spanning over 30 years, and known for interacting with fans on a personal level, Simmons disappeared from the public eye in February 2014. Not only did Simmons no longer appear in the media, he also stopped teaching his regular exercise classes at his gym – Slimmons – and stopped corresponding with his friends and fans. Former producer on The Daily Show, Dan Taberski sets out to find out why.

Persons involved

• Dan Taberski – The host, a filmmaker and former Slimmons attendee
• Richard Simmons – Fitness instructor and actor, the focus of the podcast
• Teresa Reveles – Richard's housekeeper of over 30 years
• Mauro Oliveira – Richard's friend and former masseuse
• Lennie Simmons – Richard's brother
• Gerry "GG" Sinclair – A student and friend of Richard's for over 40 years

Episodes

Reception

Missing Richard Simmons was met with mixed reviews from critics. Amanda Hess of the New York Times described the podcast as "morally suspect", while also stating it was an invasion of Si

Three years ago, famed fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared from the public eye. While a few outlets reported on speculation regarding his whereabouts during his absence, it mostly evaded the larger cultural consciousness, despite Simmons’s long-tailed presence in the celebrity fitness ecosystem. He—or rather, the idea of him—emerged from the ether in February 2017, when filmmaker Dan Taberski launched the podcast Missing Richard Simmons, in which he tried to track down his old friend.

While the podcast ended in March, with Entertainment Weekly noting that it had concluded with “more questions than answers,” it may have drawn the exercise giant out of hiding. On Wednesday, two days after Simmons entered the hospital with indigestion, he delivered a message to fans for the first time in three years, via his spokesman and People.

“Hello to everyone who has shown concern for me and sent their good wishes. You will never know how much it means to me. Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?! LOL Well by now you know that I’m not ‘missing,’ just a little under the weather. I’m sure I will be feeling good and back home in a couple of days. This has reminded me that when you need help you can’t be afraid to reach out and ask for it. We all think we should always be able to solve our problems all by ourselves and sometimes it’s just bigger than we are.”

Simmons also shared a photo of himself and offered a message of support to others who might be suffering.

“I reached out and I hope you will too,” he finished. “I’m sure there are people in your life who love and care for you and would do anything to help you with the challenges you face. Just knowing you care has already made me feel better. Hope to see you again soon!”

Vanity Fair has reached out to a rep for Simmons for further comment.

I was standing at the dog park and a buddy of mine happened to mention a podcast his wife had been listening to. “Yeah, it’s called ‘Missing Richard Simmons.’ No one’s seen that guy in like two years,” he said.

At first I thought, surely not. If Richard Simmons was missing that long there’d be a lot more about it in the news, people would be in an uproar. Who doesn’t love him? Of course I immediately went home and looked it up, loading it on my podcast feed. Much to my amazement, it’s true no one’s seen him or heard from him personally in over two years.

This disturbed me. Why were people not more outraged? Richard was not just an exercise guru that should be allowed to fall off the grid (Billy Blanks, maybe but not Richard). As a kid, I remember seeing Simmons on television advertising his Sweatin’ to the Oldies. He was different in that he was not a size four blonde telling us we just had to work hard. He noticeably struggled with his weight — both gaining and losing it. He was one of the first to open up about his on-going battles with his weight on camera. Perhaps even more importantly, he always featured people of varying sizes and ags on his videos. In a fitness era where perfectionism was king, Richard made sure diversity at least got a seat at the table. He oftened counseled people on camera, hugging them and telling them he understood, emboldening them that they too could have a different life. He sympathized.

Any interview I ever saw with him portrayed him as a funny, but in-depth person who was on a mission to save the world through endorphins and eating well. He also had numerous products which  added to his empire. In college I practically lived for weeks on his fat free caramel corn. The day I showed up at Wal-Mart to buy some and discovered it was no more, I came close to having a Michael Douglas Falling Down kind of moment. To think that Richard