Famous fitness instructor Richard Simmons has spoken out against a biopic being made about him.
On Wednesday, comedian and actor Pauly Shore announced that he would be starring in the unnamed film as Simmons, who was an instructor and motivator for over 40 years before leaving the public eye.
Simmons, 75, made a rare statement on social media saying he had “never given my permission” for the film that’s being developed.
He wrote on social media: “Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore.”
Image: Simmons leads an aerobics class at an American high school in 2003. Pic: AP
“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 added.
“I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support. Richard.”
Simmons, known for his trademark enthusiasm and humour, was one of the pioneers in the fitness world, providing eating programs and exercise regimes worldwide.
He starred in 65 fitness videos, which sold more than 20 million copies, according to his website, and had his own TV show series, The Richard Simmons Show, which ran for four years and received several Emmy Awards.
Shore’s statement announcing the biopic read: “I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’ life with the world.
“We all need this biopic now more than ever. Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self!
“Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.”
The actor also replied to a tweet that said Simmons “doesn’t have to sign off” on the project, with “yup”.
Variety reported that the film is currently in development at Warner Bros subsidiary The Wolper Organisation, with additional casting under way.
The biopic announcement follows an unrelated short film also starring Shore as Simmons. The short film, titled The Court Jester, will premiere at Sundance film festival on Friday.
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Unreleased Beyonce music – along with footage and show plans – has been stolen from a car in Atlanta, police say.
The vehicle had been rented by the star’s choreographer and a dancer last week.
But on 8 July – just before she was about to begin a four days of performances in the city – the SUV’s back window was smashed, and two suitcases were taken.
Two MacBook laptops, Apple headphones and luxury clothes are also missing – alongside the five thumb drives containing the songs.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect, but their identity has been withheld.
“Light prints” have been detected at the scene, and the robbery was captured on CCTV.
MasterChef presenter John Torode says an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in a report as part of a review into the behaviour of his former co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
There were also two standalone allegations made against other people.
In a statement posted on his Instagram page, Torode said he was one of those people, but added that he had “no recollection of the incident” and said he “did not believe that it happened”.
He commented: “Following publication of the executive summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld.
“For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion.
“The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened.
“However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
An investigation into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour” on MasterChef has found that more than half of the allegations against him have been substantiated, including one of “unwanted physical contact”.
MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.
The report also said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef “untenable”.
The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants.
There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were substantiated. All were related to MasterChef.
While the majority of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.
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Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place post-2018.
Additionally, the report summary found that there were also 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. Those people were not named in the summary.
The investigation found that complaints had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.
Image: Gregg Wallace on MasterChef. Pic: BBC/ Shine TV 2024
While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures prior to 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.
While the investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.
Sky News has tried to contact Gregg Wallace for contact today.