httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na9ZZ4ZjVa8
Tom Estey says his long-time client Simmons “Does not want to be in the public eye right now.”
“Richard Simmons has been in the public eye for 40 years, and he’s opted out,” Estey says.
The statement comes following a report in The New York Daily News entitled “The Haunted Twilight of Richard Simmons.” It cites sources both on and off-the-record that state Simmons, 67, “Stopped returning calls and emails more than two years ago, behavior that is highly out of character.” The report suggests Simmons is being “Held against his will” and is purposely being kept away from friends and family.
Estey denied the report outright and insists Simmons is now content being behind-the-scenes.
Similar reports of Simmons’ alleged problems have surfaced in the past.
TMZ reported in 2014: “Something is seriously wrong with Richard Simmons … he disappeared for almost the entire year … and we’re told t’s a physical problem that has led to debilitating depression.”
At the time, Simmons put out a statement himself addressing the concerns, saying he had suffered from a knee injury.