Richard Simmons is spilling secrets from his talk show appearance heyday, as he continues to dispel rumors about his well-being.
The fitness guru took to X to share several stories from when he was a guest on shows hosted by Martha Stewart, Rosie O’Donnell, Roseanne Barr, Wendy Williams and more.
As he claims, his experience with Barr wasn’t a positive one.
Simmons said they first met on a plane and they shared a pleasant exchange. After her sitcom took off, Barr also hosted a short-lived talk show and had him on as a guest.
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Richard Simmons claimed in a thread on X that Roseanne Barr tried to “force feed” a hamburger on her talk show. (Getty Images)
“When we were talking, I noticed something on the table in between us. It was a hamburger with everything in it,” he wrote.
He alleged, “She asked me ‘Richard, you can’t always eat healthy.’ She got up and tried to force feed me the hamburger pushing it in my mouth. I was not amused. I snapped. I grabbed the hamburger and shoved it in her mouth and walked off the stage. This is something I was not proud of.”
“She screamed and yelled at me when I was leaving the stage. Her executive producer, Jeff Wald, told me she was going to sue me, and I told him I will sue her first,” he further claimed.
Simmons said he wished Barr well after their run-in on the set of her talk show. (Getty Images)
Simmons said they ran into each other 15 years later. According to him, she said, “‘I just wanted to say hello.’ I said hello back, and she went on her merry way.”
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“Roseanne now lives in Hawaii and has a huge macadamia nut farm. I wish her well,” he wrote, concluding the story.
The 75-year-old shared that his energy was apparently disruptive for Nicki Minaj backstage during “The Wendy Williams Show.”
“I was in my dressing room singing. All of a sudden someone was pounding on my door,” he wrote. “I opened it to find a man who looked like a bodyguard. He said, ‘Nicki Minaj is putting on her make-up, and you are disturbing her’…. he said, ‘Shut up.’ As Steve Martin would say … ’Well, excuse me.…'”
Representatives for Barr and Minaj did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
According to Simmons, a bodyguard for Nicki Minaj allegedly told him to “shut up” backstage at the “Wendy Williams Show.” (Getty Images)
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Simmons noted he “cared” for Williams, and has “added her to my prayer list” following the announcement of her dementia diagnosis.
He went on to recall more positive experiences, like appearing alongside Celine Dion on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”
“While we were talking, I bent my knees and scooped her up in my arms. Put me down Richard, and we all had a chuckle,” Simmons said of his interaction with Dion, who later invited him to a concert in Las Vegas.
“Ms. D is also going through some medical problems, but each day she is growing stronger. To be continued…” he said, referring to Dion’s ongoing struggle with stiff person syndrome.
Simmons recalled having a great time with Celine Dion when they appeared on “The Rosie O’Donnell” talk show together. (Getty Images)
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Describing his stop at “The Martha Stewart Show,” he said, “She was a little serious at first. This lady is so talented, I think she has butter and pastry cream in her veins.”
“Later in the show, I took two carrots and placed it on my head like horns. She looked at me and said, ‘Richard can you behave,’” he wrote.
In the multiple lengthy threads on X, Simmons also wrote about run-ins with Ellen DeGeneres, Phil Donahue, Charlie Rose, Dr. Phil, Sally Jessy Raphael and Ricki Lake.
Earlier this week, the “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” star also posted a video to YouTube of a voice message over a static cartoon drawing of himself.
Richard Simmons attends the 87th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2013 in New York City. A year later, Simmons left the public eye, occasionally commenting via social media or his representative. (Scott Roth/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“Hi everybody, it’s Richard. Happy May 6, 2024. Thank you so much for reading my messages. Roses are red, violets are blue, do you know how much I love you? Have a beautiful day. Bye for now!” he said in the video shared Monday.
The clip is the first time Simmons’ voice has been heard in years, but some remained skeptical about its authenticity.
Simmons wrote, “I really enjoyed doing my voice message to all of you. Some people thought it is AI. But I think you all know my voice. I plan to do more in the future.”
He continued, “Some shows sort of made fun of what I said, and their remarks really hurt me. One lady thought I sounded like Barney the purple dinosaur. Have a beautiful day,” signing the post “Love, Richard.”
Simmons released a voice message on YouTube this week but denied he used AI. (Bobby Bank/WireImage)
Simmons has been out of the public eye for 10 years, only recently ramping up his social media presence in the past few years as he addresses rumors about his health.
He’s also become engaged in a back-and-forth with Pauly Shore over a potential upcoming biopic about his life.
