It was an uphill battle, a dramatic campaign that took years to complete, but after various memes and fan requests… Pauly Shore has finally become Richard Simmons — in a new short film.
“The Court Jester” was released by the Lewis Brothers on Saturday and displays everyone’s biggest foe: a singing donut.
Because who hasn’t stood before a donut hearing that imaginary sugar song? But Shore’s portrayal of Simmons isn’t about donuts, it’s about everyday people being helped by the man who energized a nation.
Simmons wasn’t the typical fitness guru. In the ‘90s, he was easy to mock but refused to let anyone steal his thunder. He released dozens of fitness videos and helped countless people dance their way to health.
According to his website, Simmons has been a fitness instructor and motivator for over 40 years. He inspired millions of people to lose a collective three million pounds through the promotion of sensible eating habits and fun exercise routines that are motivational and energetic.
In September, the IJR reported about the meme-turned-fan-hopes. The resemblance between Shore and Simmons became more evident after he released his own workout videos, and then, he announced that he was open to the idea of dancing into the role.
He said, “We’re both very physical, we’re both over the top and silly. So there are all those parallels that make sense.”
Now that the dream is realized, Shore told Entertainment Weekly that although Simmon has not authorized the short film, he wishes to gain his blessing. He stated, “My hope is that he sees that it looks good, it feels good, it’s right.”
“Richard Simmons was a very, very, very special man, and he had a huge message,” he added.
Then Shore concluded, “I think that message now is even bigger than it was back then.”