Plans for Pauly Shore to star as iconic ’80s fitness guru Richard Simmons in a biopic were announced in January. The news was met with condemnation from Simmons himself, who noted that he wasn’t attached and didn’t approve of the project. As Simmons has continued to prove unwilling to give the film his blessing, Shore told a Netflix Is A Joke live show audience that the movie’s being made “whether he likes it or not.”
Shore said, “I’m also gonna be starring in the Richard Simmons biopic…whether he likes it or not, Richard. Just another f–king bump in my f–king road,” according to a report from Variety. “
Earlier this year, Shore starred as Simmons in an unrelated short film, “The Court Jester.”
After news of the biopic was announced, Shore said in a statement, “I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s 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.”
Simmons soon made it clear that he was not happy about the film. He posted to
Earlier this year, Shore had told a crowd that Simmons was supportive of him at the time and wished him good luck before a standup show.
After banter about the length of the show, Shore added, “So anyways, several years ago, people started to tell me I look like Richard Simmons. And I said I thought more like Billy Crystal.”
“Anyways, I’m a comedian, I like to f–k with people, I like to have a good time, and that’s really what this is about,” he concluded.
