Richard Simmons reflects on being made fun of, shares message of self-love
Richard Simmons is turning his unpleasant experiences into wisdom.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, the 75-year-old fitness personality and exercise enthusiast reflected on his life story while sending a positive message to his fans.
"For as long as I can remember, people have made fun of me," Simmons wrote. "And people still to this day make fun of me."
"But you know what? I am glad to be me!" he added. "And you should be glad that you are you."
The "Sweatin' to the Oldies" star also recommended three songs for his followers to help them get through difficult times, including "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "I Am What I Am" from the Broadway musical "La Cage aux Folles," and "This Is Me" from "The Greatest Showman."
"These songs will uplift you," he concluded, before signing off, "Love, Richard."
Earlier this month, Simmons was in the headlines after it was announced that a biopic about him was in development and that Pauly Shore would play him in the feature-length film.
Shore also played Simmons in a short film titled "The Court Jester," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 19.
Simmons addressed the biopic in a Facebook post on Jan. 17.
"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," he wrote. "I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful."
"Thank you for all your love and support," he added.
The production company behind the film, Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization, subsequently issued a statement on the matter to Variety.
"While we would love to have [Simmons] involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story," the statement read.
"We know he is deeply private and we would never want to invade that," the statement continued. "However he is an amazing person that changed millions of peoples' lives, and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized."
