Richard Simmons Mystery w/Diane Sawyer

[NJCher]

Watched this because I genuinely didn't know what happened to Richard Simmons. What a surprise at the end. I would never have guessed this is how he died.

In case you're wondering, the mystery was what happened to Simmons for 10 years. Once everywhere--TV, talk shows, etc.--he simply disappeared. He stayed home for 10 years with only his housekeeper and one other person, a cook or chef, I think, for companionship. He rarely went anywhere and if he did, he wore a disguise. He died at 76.

Obviously he had plenty of money for a nice home, which was behind a gate with strongly worded warning signs about bothering him posted outside. The house was a bit odd, though, because it had dolls all over the place. Richard had an obsession with dolls.

The show blamed his being bullied in school for his feelings of insecurity, which he never got over. If you ever need to explain why we don't fat shame, this is the show to point to.

It also seemed to be that he'd lost his looks due to aging, but if you see pictures of him, he still looked fine, just older.

I won't reveal how he died in case anyone wants to watch it on Hulu, which is where it's being re-broadcast.

[hlthe2b]

1. There were all those rumblings about the housekeeper behaving in nefarious ways at the end

(stealing? controlling him? other?) Was that addressed?

[NJCher]

3. No, not at all

Last edited Thu May 14, 2026, 12:26 PM - Edit history (1)

She seemed pretty straight up.

There was, however, one thing that kind of bothered me. I would have to reveal his cause of death to explain it though so after people have had a chance to see the show, I might come back to this thread and explain what that behavior was.

[dflprincess]

5. She did

but I don't understand why she waited until 9:30 the next morning to check on him.

[murielm99]

2. I watched it, and

saved it on Tivo. It is just sad. He did so much for others, and still felt depression, shame and sorrow.

[NJCher]

4. If there was a thesis statement

For that show, your post summarizes it.