Pauly Shore Responds to Richard Simmons’ Disapproval of New Biopic

This week, it was announced that Pauly Shore will be starring in a new biopic about the life of fitness guru Richard Simmons. Soon after the news was revealed, Simmons issued a rare statement, expressing his disapproval over the new project. Now, Shorse has responded to Simmons’ statement, saying his “hope” is that Simmons will “change his tune.”

OK! Magazine reports that multiple journalists approached Shore about Simmons’ statement. In response to the first, Shore said of Simmons, “Every day is a different day, you never know what he’s gonna say the next day.” He added, “Well, I love Richard, and I’m kind of just feeding off the people online.” Later, Shore told another reporter, “If you know anything about me, I don’t come from a vindictive place. My whole attitude is if we build it, he’ll come.”

Shore continued, “So my hope is that once he sees the short and what we are wanting to do with it, he’ll change his tune. I love him and I love what he represents, which is why we wanna do it.” The comedian then added of Simmons, “He’s such a great character and it would be a good opportunity for me to get back out there as well. People miss me and they miss him.”

On Thursday, Deadline reported that Shore and producer Mark Wolper from The Wolper Organization — a subsidiary of Warner Bros. — are developing a full-length feature film about the life and career of Simmons. This comes after Shore is currently starring as the pop-cultural icon in a new short film, The Court Jester. Notably, The Court Jester is premiering this weekend in Park City, UT, amidst the Sundance Film Festival.

In a statement, obtained by Deadline, Shore said that he is “really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s life with the world,” then added that “we all need this biopic now more than ever.” Reflecting on Simmon’s life, Shore noted how the fitness guru strongly advocated for “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 took to Facebook to respond to the news, writing, “Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read,” Simmons wrote in a statement shared by Deadline. “I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”