PAULY Shore has embodied Richard Simmons in the trailer for the new film, The Court Jester, about the reclusive fitness guru.
The trailer, showcasing Encino Man actor, was posted to The Lewis Brothers YouTube channel on Wednesday.
The video description of the Jack Lewis-directed film provided a brief synopsis of the project.
It read, “Pauly Shore plays Richard Simmons in a new short film coming soon to The Lewis Brothers video channel.”
In the trailer, Pauly, 55, is shown made-up and dressed to look like the world-famous aerobics instructor.
He sports a curly, red-haired wig and a sparking, bedazzled tank top that Richard, 75, made famous during his training sessions and while making public appearances.
The clip captured the former MTV VJ providing an uplifting message to an overweight production assistant.
Pauly, as Richard, can be heard telling the PA to “like yourself” and that his “weight doesn’t matter.”
He asserted, “If you like yourself you’re going to be fine.”
True to life, Richard’s weight-loss programs catered toward the same clientele and he also inspired his customers to love themselves no matter where they were on their weight-loss journey.
In the comment section, one fan wrote, “Richard Simmons is an incredibly fascinating man and I’m very eager to see how this turns out.
“I also think Pauly Shore is long overdue for some sort of career revival and I really hope this helps him achieve that.”
Another person commented, “Short film!? This needs to be a Feature! I need no less than 120 minutes of Pauly as Richard Simmons.”
“Dear Hollywood, please give us this one,” added a third.
They continued, “Please give the people what they want, which is 120 minutes of Pauly Shore absolutely serving as Richard Simmons. Please and thank you.”
A fourth commenter remarked, “Flawless casting.”
I’m really excited about this,” wrote a fifth.
A sixth person stated, “Pauly is the perfect pick for this. I hope it’s as successful as it should be and Pauly gets to do more movies.”
“So happy for Paulie and Richard!,” added another.
ABOUT RICHARD
Richard Simmons has always been known for his energetic personality and eccentric fitness videos.
Richard was born on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He is known for his Sweatin’ to the Oldies line of aerobics videos which he uses to promote weight loss.
Before his exposure on television, he began his career when he opened his gym, Slimmons, in Beverly Hills, California. He later gained popularity from television appearances and his consumer products.
Among his media appearances, he appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.
In August 2022, FOX premiered a documentary on his whereabouts, called TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons, in mid-August 2022.
After nearly a decade in silence, the wellness expert on August 26, 2022, expressed his gratitude for the “kindness and love” he had received in the past days following the premiere.
“Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love! Love, Richard,” he captioned the post that featured a picture of a happy face emoji holding a “thank you” banner.
Prior to his comments, several rumors swirled around Simmons, including one where he was allegedly being held hostage by his housekeeper.
However, his brother Lenny denied all of the strange reports and said that Simmons is looking after himself and is doing just fine.
“After 40-some-odd years, he just decided that he wants to rest,” said Lenny in 2017, adding that his brother is in good health and “just wants time for himself.”
Simmons’ spokesperson, Tommy Estey said: “He’s helped millions of people lose millions of pounds. And for 40 years, he took care of everyone but himself.”
Simmons himself made a statement in 2016 after several probes into his whereabouts, saying he just “wanted to be a little bit of a loner for a while”.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Simmons sort of came out of retirement by re-releasing archival footage of his workouts on his YouTube channel.
“We have had an overwhelming request for Richard to return in some way as a comfort to all dealing with the pandemic,” a rep told Fox News at the time.
“We thought we would start by re-releasing some workouts and other inspirational content on his YT channel. Richard is very touched by the outreach.”
PERSONAL LIFE
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Richard has an estimated net worth of approximately $20million, as of August 2022.
His main source of wealth is said to be from his career as a fitness expert and coach.
He also earns income from brand endorsements and sponsorships.
As of the time of writing, it is not immediately clear if Richard Simmons is single.
Since he has not publicly discussed his relationship, it is unclear if he is secretly dating, or if he is currently single.
It is also unclear if he has any children.
