Richard Simmons‘ absence from the public eye has been the subject of scrutiny for quite some time now, starting back in late 2014 when people began noticing that it had been nearly a year since anyone had spotted the fitness guru. Rumor only continued to swirl as time went on, and last year Simmons himself was forced to call into the Today show to prove that he was not being held against his will (by his longtime maid, as many have speculated). Of course, the frenzy over his whereabouts reached an all-time high thanks to the podcast “Missing Richard Simmons” earlier this year, which even prompted the LAPD to check in on the beloved icon.
But for all intents and purposes, the guy seems to be content where he is, perhaps taking some much needed time to himself after years and years in the spotlight. That may be about to change, however. Simmons has reportedly signed a contract with the management agency Prominent Brand + Talent, co-founded by his longtime manager Michael Catalano, to create and license a new line of Richard Simmons brand products.
According to Catalano, his client might even be lured out of hiding to help promote the new line of products, for the first time since his 2014 disappearance.
“All I can say, at least for now, is it is possible,” Mr. Catalano said of whether Mr. Simmons would get involved publicly. “But it is yet to be determined, I would say.”
Mr. Catalano added that Mr. Simmons was directly involved in pursuing the deal, and noted that Simmons-related products would “be in keeping with Richard’s lifelong mission and messaging.”
“We’re talking about inspiration-themed products that will hopefully accomplish what Richard really set his life’s work to do, which is to help people take better care of themselves,” he said. “We’re not licensing tires and party hats.”
Should he decide to rejoin the ranks of society, let’s just hope he does it on his own terms. Yes, we all miss Richard Simmons, but self care is the priority.
(The New York Times, via Page Six)