Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s remembers the ubiquity of eccentric fitness guru Richard Simmons. With his frizzy hair, tight striped shorts, and ebullient attitude, he became a beloved figure for people struggling to lose weight, and his seemingly endless well of compassion and acceptance for his fans was a big part of his appeal. But in 2014, the formerly very visible Simmons seemed to completely vanish from public life, failing to show up to teach his classes and ceasing to answer the fan mail he received. Wild rumors began to swirl that he was being held captive by his housekeeper, or that he had gone into hiding because he was undergoing gender reassignment surgery. In 2022, he supposedly made a statement to the media that he was fine, but there were some who believed his statements may have been made under duress. Join Tom and Jenny as they sweat to the oldies and delve into the strange “disappearance” of this fitness icon.

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Channel art and audio & video editing by Jenny Ashford. Music & sound effects courtesy of freesound.org users jamespotterboy, corsica-s, enjoypa, capturedlv, luffy, kiddpark, and justkiddink. Video clips courtesy of Videezy & Videvo.