Richard Simmons, America’s favorite unofficial weight loss guru, is not too fond of NBC’s popular show The Biggest Loser.
In a recent interview with MensHealth.com, the 80′s health icon criticized the NBC show for using “terrible” tactics to encourage people to lose weight. Simmons, who has helped people lose weight for over 40 years, is definitely at odds with The Biggest Loser turning weight loss into a competition for material gains.
“I’m not into any show that makes people compete when they lose weight… Voting off people every week because they didn’t lose enough weight, or giving somebody a car or money because they did lose weight? That’s terrible…Who are you competing against? It’s you. You need to be doing this for you and only you.”
In addition to The Biggest Loser, Simmons also took time to put David Letterman and his late night talk show on blast. He threatened to never return to the show because of how he was treated by the host and staff. Richard reveals that whenever he goes on Late Night With David Letterman, the staff completely isolates him from Letterman, who Simmons claims is “standoffish” off-camera.
“Everybody on his show is so kind; it’s like a party fest. And then they take me upstairs and lock me in a room. I’m not kidding! It makes me feel like Patty Hearst… The last time I was on, we went to commercial and I was like, ‘I’d love to meet your wife!’ He was like, ‘You never will.’ And then I was like, ‘And see your son!’ And he was like, ‘You’ll never see him.’ And then we come back from the commercial break and he’s all friendly with me again.”
