THIS MAN IS WORTH $20MILLION. HE’S ‘MISSING’. WE’RE OBSESSED
The story of the fitness guru whose disappearance spawned a hit podcast
Whether you’ve been listening intently these past six weeks, or have no idea who Richard Simmons even is, you cannot deny the subject matter is totally fascinating. Missing Richard Simmons is the six-part twisty-turny podcast that has dominated headlines and conversations since February, spending four solid weeks at No1 on itunes. During the six episodes, filmmaker and host of the show, Dan Taberski, investigated the sort-of disappearance of the flamboyant millionaire fitness guru who hasn’t been seen in public for well over 1,000 days. And much like Serial did back in 2014, its controversial subject matter and baffling theories soon spilled over into real life, even forcing police officers to turn up on Richard’s doorstep to disprove suggestions of a kidnap plot.
The story begins on 15 February 2014, when the fitness star didn’t turn up to teach his regular exercise class at Slimmons gym in Beverly Hills – the one he’d run for 40 years, creating a cult following. It’s hard to overstate how famous Richard was in the US at that point. He’d changed the lives of literally thousands of ordinary people with his diet and fitness programmes, often personally ringing fans to help inspire their weight loss. Many of them became close friends who saw him as a god-like figure. Richard – who wept every week during his fitness classes– even hosted regular cruises for his most devoted followers. But after decades of courting attention and appearing as a regular guest on TV shows, 68-year-old Richard suddenly retreated from, well, pretty much his entire life. He cancelled everything, stopped speaking to friends and refused to respond to emails, calls, and even people knocking on his door.
When questions started circulating last year, Richard called into a US TV show to say, “No one should be worried about me.” But Dan, a friend of Richard’s, felt there was more to it. Over the past few weeks he has trawled the life of the self-confessed “recluse” for clues. The theories presented during the podcast have ranged from the ludicrous – Richard’s masseur, Mauro Oliveira, accused
the live-in housekeeper Teresa Reveles of holding her boss hostage in his own home – to the confusing – that Richard was secretly transitioning into a woman. As the series went on and Richard’s battle with depression was revealed, many criticised Dan, accusing him of exploitation – The New York
Times labelled the podcast a “public hounding” and asked, “Is this what friends do? Turn their loved one’s personal crisis into a fun mystery investigation and record it for a hit podcast?” Dan’s friend status was even questioned, as it was revealed that he was planning to make a documentary about Richard – a plan that dissolved when the star cut off contact with Dan. Police confirmed they’d been to see Richard at his home for a “welfare check” and said he was “perfectly fine”, while his brother Lenny confirmed he’d seen Richard at Christmas and he was “fine”.
But Dan insists the project was a “grand gesture” for Richard, which is why he interviewed so many friends who know and adore him, including Richard’s “second mother”, a 94-year-old called Jerry, who was ghosted along with everyone else. She seems equally perplexed by his sudden disappearance and asks, “What do you know? Anything? I miss him very much.”
As the final episode played out last week, and a brief sound clip appeared on Facebook of Richard apparently outside at the beach, Dan finally spoke to one of those few people who remain in the star’s inner circle. “Ask me when I last saw him?” Richard’s longterm manager, Michael Catalano goads Dan, revealing they’d spent the morning together and this is just about wanting peace and privacy. “He’s earned it, this is his story,” Michael explained. “He has, certainly, the right to write the ending.”