PHOTOS'Under The Weather' & In Hiding: Richard Simmons' Disappearance In His Own Words
Aug. 30 2017, Updated 3:58 p.m. ET
Richard Simmons has been out of the public eye for four years, and the world still doesn’t know exactly why. Ever since his retreat from the spotlight, the weight guru has offered up several different reasons for his semi-retirement. Click through to read them all.
Simmons made his last major public appearance at Palm Springs Pride in November 2013.
In December 2013, he appeared via Live Feed on CNN with Brooke Baldwin, and broke down in tears discussing healthy living for the New Year. When asked “What do you say to yourself in the mirror,” Simmons replied, “I say try to help more people, because there are more obese children and teenagers, young adults and seniors in the world…When you’re out of work, a dollar hamburger looks great.”
After that, he all but vanished. Nearly a year later, in 2014, his rep Tom Estey said Simmons was simply was simply “sad” over a “serious” knee injury, and taking time to heal.
That same month, Simmons released a statement on Facebook that said, “I have had a tough time dealing with this injury as it is keeping me from doing what I truly love to do and that is to teach classes around the world…”
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The next major statement was to Entertainment Tonight in March 2016. “I am not kidnapped,” he said. “I am just in my house right now.”
He told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie that same month, “No one is holding me in my house as a hostage. You know, I do what I want to do as I’ve always done, so people should sort of just believe what I have to say, because like I’m Richard Simmons!”
A year later, In April 2017, he was hospitalized and wrote on Facebook, “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.
He told People that it was “severe indigestion.”
Simmons could appear in court today for a hearing in his lawsuit against American Media.
The hearing begins at 9 PT. Stay with OK! for the latest.
