Richard Simmons Says David Letterman is ‘Very Standoffish,’ Won’t Talk to Guests

Richard Simmons is one of those people that aside from early-90’s, fat camp-imposed Sweatin’ to the Oldies sessions, I’ve only ever really seen on David Letterman’s show.

The banter between David Letterman and Richard Simmons seemed kind of good-natured if not pointed toward Simmons, but the workout and diet coach with a positive attitude and very very very short shorts has broken from his nice-all-the-time demeanor to say some bordering on negative things about the cranky Late Show host.

Letterman has had his share of scandals in recent years (none directly involving Richard Simmons), and according to the “Deal a Meal” hawker, the chat show star isn’t very kind to his guests. Simmons explains that while he likes the host and that Letterman looks affable on-screen, when the cameras switch off, he’s not very acccessible, if at all:

“I love David. He’s more complicated than any of them, that David… You know, I’ve never actually met him?…You do the show with him, and when they go to commercial, they remove you. You’re just not allowed to talk to him. Or if you are, he’s very standoffish.”

Richard Simmons was dishing to Men’s Health when he made the assessment, and despite his insistence that Letterman is an okay guy, the fitness guru describes some very nasty behavior:

“Maybe one day, when the time and everything is right. Because I do love him… 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 and he’s all friendly with me again.”

Simmons says, understandably, that he’s not sure he’d ever want to do Letterman again.