Fake Richard Simmons Transgender Pictures Lead To Lawsuit

Fitness guru Richard Simmons sued notorious tabloid the National Enquirer Monday over a series of stories that purported to detail his transition from male to female. Simmons filed a libel complaint in court against the National Enquirer, Radar Online and American Media Inc.

“National Enquirer and Radar Online have miscalculated,” the complaint said, according to a copy obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “The National Enquirer and Radar Online have cheaply and crassly commercialized and sensationalized an issue that ought to be treated with respect and sensitivity.”

The suit brought four counts of libel and an invasion of privacy-false light charge. It also alleged that Simmons’ former associate, Mauro Oliveira, “blackmailed, extorted and stalked him,” though it did not name him as a defendant in the suit.

Simmons, 68, has not been seen in public since February 2014, a fact the National Enquirer apparently used as evidence of his secret transition. The Enquirer published a cover story detailing a sex change complete with photographs it claimed to be of Simmons and several other stories were published between June 2016 and March 2017 detailing the explicit details of his purported transition from male to female.

The lawsuit brought up the controversial and complex question of whether sexuality will affect someone’s reputation.

Courts haven’t fully agreed on the issue in the past. Actor Tom Cruise won a case against a porn actor who alleged the two had an affair, but an appeals court in New York ruled that defamation cases centering on sexuality are “based on the flawed premise that it is shameful and disgraceful to be described as lesbian, gay or bisexual,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Principles of freedom of speech and press may protect their prerogative to mock and degrade the LGBTQ community,” said the complaint. “But freedom to speak is not freedom to defame. Mr. Simmons, like every person in this nation, has a legal right to insist that he not be portrayed as someone he is not. Even the most ardent supporter of sexual autonomy and LGBTQ rights is entitled to be portrayed in a manner that is truthful.”

Simmons has remained out of the public eye in recent years, but his representative, Michael Catalano, adamantly quelled rumors in March.

“I said to him the other day, ‘There are people that think you are a very overweight, depressed woman,” he told People. “And he laughed. He just laughed.”

For all the brash content that appears in tabloids like the Enquirer, they are sued relatively infrequently, mostly due to the difficulty of winning, the exorbitant costs of a lawsuit and the increased scrutiny a celebrity’s person life will come under during such a suit. The Enquirer, however, is currently the subject of a suit filed by television personality Dr. Phil, who sued the tabloid and its sister publications in July for $250 million after it accused him of abusing his wife.

“While we have not seen Mr. Simmons’ complaint, we stand by our reporting about him, all of which was based on solid sourcing, photos and videos,” said a spokesperson for American Media Inc., according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Should he choose to proceed with his lawsuit, we will defend it vigorously, and we look forward to the public vindication of our reports.”