'Missing Richard Simmons' Is 2017's 'Serial'
Richard Simmons has been missing for 1,099 days, at least to anyone outside his team. As chronicled by the New York Daily News last year, Richard Simmons "disappeared from public life" three years ago, cutting off the world and some of his closest friends from access to his life. Now, in a "Serial"-style podcast, former Simmons student and friend Dan Taberski tries to sort out what's really happened to Richard one episode at a time.
Here's the first episode:
What Is It?
Missing Richard Simmons rehashes the story told by Andy Martino last year in the New York Daily News, while providing new reporting and insights from the creators own personal experiences with Richard.
So far, three main theories have emerged from the three episodes that have been released:
1. He is recovering from surgery on his knees.
2. He is in mourning after the death of his dog.
3. His housekeeper and friend Teresa Reveles is holding him hostage.
The three theories emerged in the New York Daily News article, but podcast creator Dan Taberski corroborates ideas and sources in "Missing Richard Simmons" that were questionable when the Daily News article was released. In particular, new interviews add credence to the anecdotes and intentions of Simmons one-time masseuse, personal assistant, and close friend Mauro Oliveira, who has been active in spreading the theory that Richard's housekeeper has been controlling his activity to the point of holding him hostage.
How Good Is It?
It's hard to not get sucked into "Missing Richard Simmons. As Vulture puts it, there's "a ton" to love about this show:
It's lusciously produced, weaving together interviews, narration, and time and place with such verve that it makes each episode a joy to consume. It features a fascinating mystery centered around a compelling figure… that the show fleshes out as a near-saintly individual who, at the same time, remains eminently unknowable. And perhaps most intriguingly, it's also refreshingly earnest; the show carries itself with an intense sweetness, an optimism so bright it shines with burning heat.
Despite its recipe for podcast perfection, critics are already raising ethical issues with making a viral podcast investigating the life of a private citizen, who has made statements refuting the speculations of the Daily News and others. Charley Locke outlines the ethical questions in Wired:
[T]he circumstances outside the show are weird enough to make Taberski's venture more fraught than other investigation podcasts. In the three years since Simmons disappeared, TMZ has reported rumors that range from elder abuse at the hands of a housekeeper to the idea that Simmons might be transitioning to a woman; Simmons and his spokesperson have rebutted them all. Simmons isn't participating in the podcast, and clearly wants to be left alone; by pursuing him regardless, Taberski's podcast has the potential to be invasive and a little tawdry — especially when it shares stories about Simmons' uncontrollable crying jags and lonely phone calls in the middle of the night.
While the questions raised above are certainly valid, the increasingly successful podcast is already reaching massive amounts of listeners. The show seems to have hit a podcasting sweet spot, reaching number 1 and number 2 this week on the iTunes podcast chart and Stitcher, respectively. If there's a damage to be inflicted by the podcast, it's probably already been done.
Where To Find It
You can listen to the first episode below, or find them all on iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcast's website.
