Richard Simmons Says He Never Gave Pauly Shore Permission to Make Biopic

In a rare public comment, retired health and fitness guru Richard Simmons took to social media to dispute say he hasn’t given permission for anyone to make a biopic, including comedian Pauly Shore, who recently claimed he would be starring in one. The two look alike in photos, something that has driven fans to lobby for Shore to play Simmons, and in the past, Shore has told fans that he reached out to Simmons about the idea. Shore plays the role in The Court Jester, a short film he is premiering at Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by Jake Lewis, The Court Jester appears to feature a fictionalized version of Simmons serving as an inspirational figure to a young fan.

Likeness rights are complicated, but since Simmons is a public figure, and the amount of money at play for a short film is pretty negligible, it’s unlikely Lewis, Shore and company technically did anything that’s going to get them in trouble. Think of it as an artsier version of a Saturday Night Live or Funny or Die sketch. Still, the fact that Simmons has previously told Shore he didn’t want to do a biopic has made fans online bristle at the idea.

“Hi Everybody! 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,” Simmons posted on his verified Facebook page. “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. Richard.”

Simmons, omnipresent on TV for years as the host of Sweatin’ to the Oldies and other fitness programs, vanished suddenly in 2014, and has hardly ever been seen since. After a podcast called Missing Richard Simmons called public attention to his “disappearance,” police did a wellness check and revealed that Simmons was not missing or endangered, but rather living a reclusive life.

In 2017, after Simmons had been “missing” from the public sphere for over 1,000 days, his decision to step away from the limelight went viral. He had a surgery, and after leaving his home, returned to police and reporters waiting to see him and make sure he was okay. He posted a thanks to the medical staff who oversaw his surgery, as well as the law enforcement officials who checked in on him upon his return, on Facebook.

“I reached out to Richard…and his representatives said that Richard loves me and my mom (he has known us both for decades), but Richard is politely passing,” Shore told fans in September. “He said Richard, at this time, wants to remain private, which we all need to respect. Richard, we all miss you, love you very much and want nothing but the best for you. You are in all of our hearts. You can always reach out to me if you change your mind. I’m just a phone call away.”