Scotty Baldwin referenced Richard Simmons as one of Bobbie Spencer’s friends at her memorial service on General Hospital. Longtime fans recall the fitness guru’s appearances on the show as himself. Now, Simmons speaks out about a film that’s being made about his life.
Richard Simmons Wants His Privacy, Please
After news broke that Pauly Shore (Encino Man) was producing a bio feature on Simmons, the fitness champion took to Facebook to share his thoughts on the matter. “Hi Everybody!” Simmons began his post. “You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read.
“I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist,” Simmons continued. “I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
As veteran GH fans recall, Simmons debuted on Port Charles in 1979 playing a fictionalized version of himself. He taught workout classes by day at the Campus Disco before the establishment transformed into Port Charles’s hottest hotspot during the evening.
GH wrote in Simmons’s desire to help folks get in shape through the character of Beverly DeFreest (Louise Hoven), Laura’s (Genie Francis) friend, who struggled with her weight. Richard encouraged Beverly not only physically, but also emotionally, too. He was ahead of his time when it came to promoting both physical and mental health.
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Simmons continued to appear on GH for a few years. In 2013, he reprised his role as himself on GH for the show’s 50th anniversary. After aggressively confronting Lucy backstage at the Nurses Ball, Richard attempted to take her place as the program’s emcee. Milo Giambetti (Drew Cheetwood) and members of his Magic Milo dance troupe, which included Dancing With the Stars‘ Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Anton) took control of the situation as Richard lunged at Lucy.
As he was literally carried out of the room by Milo, Anton, Felix (Marc Samuel), and others, Richard passed Bobbie (Jacklyn Zeman) and said, “Hello, Bobbie Spencer…say hello to Lesley [Denise Alexander].” There was no reason given for Richard’s irrational desire to attack Lucy.
Shore has championed playing Simmons in a movie about his life partially due to their passing physical resemblance. He portrayed him in The Court Jester, an upcoming short film that’s set to debut at Park City during the Sundance Film Festival.
If Simmons’s biopic proceeds, it will likely touch upon his time on GH as his appearances in Port Charles helped make him a household name.
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