VIDEO: Howard and Gary Dell’Abate Share a Heartwarming Richard Simmons Update

Howard shared an update on Tuesday regarding fitness guru and longtime friend of the show Richard Simmons, who recently made news after going dark on social media before returning with a splash. The beloved 75-year-old celebrity has shied away from the spotlight in recent years, limiting his appearances and seemingly staying offline, until last week when he told fans he was dying — and then quickly followed it up with a clarification about how he’s healthy but that we’re all dying, in a sense. On Tuesday, however, Howard revealed one person has been staying in contact with Richard: Stern Show executive producer Gary Dell’Abate.

“I was corresponding with him because, listen, he’s done some really nice things for my family … and I just wanted to make sure he was okay,” Gary told listeners. “I was happy to hear from him. Happy to talk to him.”

Being in the public eye is tough, especially for someone like Richard who’s always expected to be so high energy, so Howard wondered if the fitness guru wasn’t just a little tired. “Maybe it just got to be too much,” he suggested. “Maybe he’s just burned out.”

Co-host Robin Quivers agreed. “Richard was Richard 24-hours a day,” she said. “Very rarely was he quiet and calm and not just Richard.”

Furthermore, Gary explained, Richard put in way more work than anyone realized keeping his friends and fans motivated to stay healthy. “He would spend all day writing letters to people and he would call people,” Gary said. “It’s exhausting.”

Gary recently invited Richard to be a guest on the Stern Show, so he could give an update to all his fans, and Howard genuinely hoped Mr. Simmons would consider the offer. “It would be great because everyone wants to know what’s going on with him,” Howard said. “I would like to do a serious interview with Richard Simmons and get to the bottom of all this stuff.”

“It would be fascinating,” Robin agreed.