Richard Simmons Calls The ‘Today’ Show To Refute Claims He’s Being Held Against His Will

Over the weekend, rumors of the disappearance of Richard Simmons hit an all-time high when his former assistant and private masseur came forward to claim that the fitness guru was being held against his will by his longtime maid, and that witchcraft may even possibly be involved. It’s now mysteriously been over two years since Simmons, a once very public figure, has been seen outside of his home.

Monday morning, Simmons himself called into the Today show to dispel the rumors about him, but we may now be left with even more questions than answers. While it was undoubtedly Simmons on the call, something seemed… off. When asked by Savannah Guthrie what he makes of the public’s concern that he is being held against his will, Simmons responded, “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 just sort of believe what I have to say. Because, like, I’m Richard Simmons!”

As Guthrie goes on and asks point blank whether or not the housekeeper is responsible for his disappearance, Simmons brushes her off, saying: “That’s just very silly, Teresa Reveles has been with me for 30 years. It’s almost like we’re a married couple.” He concludes the interview, “I just sort of wanted to be a little bit of a loner for awhile.”

That’s all well and good, and while Simmons certainly has his right to keep to himself, it’s also only natural for people to show concern over his well being. Prior to his interview, Simmons announced the call-in appearance on his Facebook page:

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