What's Really Going On With Richard Simmons

#1

Flamboyant fitness guru Richard Simmons has kept such a low profile in recent years that his lack of publicity has stirred up the press. He basically went MIA until June 2016, when Simmons turned up in a hospital to be treated for reportedly "bizarre behavior." What's really going on with this beloved Sweatin' to the Oldies star?

#2 He was hospitalized for bizarre behavior

Simmons fans flew into a panic when word broke that he'd been hospitalized on June 3, 2016. TMZ said Simmons was taken to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles in the evening hours of June 3rd after exhibiting "bizarre conduct." Sources said the 67-year-old star was "acting in an unusually strange manner just before midnight when someone at his Hollywood Hills home became sufficiently alarmed to call 911." Paramedics examined Simmons on the scene and instructed him to go to a hospital for evaluation, according to the report.

Simmons told the masses to keep calm and carry on. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and concern after hearing I was in the hospital," he said in a statement to People magazine. "I was dehydrated and needed some fluids and now I am feeling great! Summer is here—drink plenty of liquids. Big hugs and kisses for caring."

#3 Has he been taken hostage in his own home?

In March 2016, the New York Daily News published a shocking story saying Simmons' friends feared he was being held against his will inside his Hollywood Hills mansion by his long-time housekeeper.

Simmons' rep, Tom Estey, quickly shot down that report. "Richard, after 40 years of being in the spotlight, is now simply taking a break from the public eye and working behind the scenes to continue to help those millions of people worldwide in need of his assistance and on several projects to be announced soon," Estey told People.

Simmons personally called the Today show a few days later to further refute the report. "No one is holding me in my house as a hostage," he said. "I do what I want to do as I've always done."

#4 Who is this housekeeper?

Simmons told the Today show that rumors about his housekeeper keeping him hostage in his own home are "very silly," He said Teresa Reveles "has been with me for 30 years. It's almost like we're a married couple."

Though the pair spend a lot of time together, Reveles reportedly has a place of her own. According to the Daily Mail, Simmons bought her a $175,000 home years ago that is worth about $700,000 in 2016.

#5 He's trying to get some R&R

During his Today show chat in 2016, Simmons said he hurt his knee and simply wanted some privacy as he healed. During the recovery process, Simmons said his other knee began giving him trouble, and he realized it was time to take care of himself for once. "I don't want to do anything. I don't want to be traveling anymore. It has taken its toll on me," he said, adding that his decision to step out of the spotlight was not made lightly. "This was not over a day; it was over some time." It sounds like the Energizer bunny that is Simmons simply needs some well-deserved time to recharge.

#6 He spoke with police

According to TMZ, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department visited Simmons in January 2015 to conduct a welfare check after a long-time friend emailed the L.A. County District Attorney's elder abuse unit. The friend was concerned that Simmons was being held against his will.

Cops told TMZ that Simmons "couldn't have been nicer and more gracious…he was articulate, lucid, relaxed and appreciative of their concern." Police asked Simmons if he'd cut people out of his life; he said he had, but not anyone he considered close. Perhaps that's the disconnect. Maybe all these rumors have been started by folks who mistakenly think they're BFFs with the aerobics legend. The LAPD also reported that Simmons produced an address book and noted that he speaks to plenty of his friends on a daily basis. He said the cops could even reach out to his close contacts. They passed.

#7 He's enjoying some "me time"

Though many fans and friends have been worried sick about Simmons, he says he's enjoying his "me time." He told the Today show that he walks, drives, gets fresh air, and, yes, works out in his gym at home. This sounds like perfectly reasonable behavior for a senior citizen who has lived an extremely active life and spent much of it in the spotlight. It's should be totally acceptable for Simmons to retire and wind down, but it seems his adoring public isn't ready to part ways.

#8 There's now a podcast dedicated to his disappearance

According to People magazine, a former Daily Show producer recently created a podcast, Missing Richard Simmons, which, you guessed it, is dedicated to Simmons' disappearance from Hollywood.

"I thought it was just me and then I learned he wasn't returning anyone's calls and he taught his last class in February 2014," the creator, Dan Taberski told the magazine. "That's what this podcast is about and what became of him. I was interested in him before he disappeared and this just magnified it."

"I want to find the man behind the persona," Taberski, who reportedly has never met Simmons, added. "I think people have forgotten how important he is and how he made it and changed fitness and how he made it for regular people instead of hard bodies who wanted to get harder."

#9 He'll be back

As the seemingly relentless convention of concern mounts, Simmons has tried to quell his fans' fears. "For all the people that were worrying about me, I want to tell them that I love them with my whole heart and soul and that not to worry, Richard's fine,” he told the Today show. "You haven't seen the last of me. I'll come back, and I'll come back strong."