| schema:text
| - The widespread belief that health and wellness icon Richard Simmons — who died in July 2024 at age 76 — wore a headband during his memorable high-energy workouts on TV has long persisted, even going viral on social media.
For instance, on Reddit (archived), TikTok (archived) and Instagram (archived), posters have prodded their followers for explanations of the apparently missing headband that appears in their collective memory. One account on TikTok even bragged of cracking the code of the false recollection:
There is no verified photographic evidence that Simmons ever wore a headband while exercising. Its absence has even led to the assertion that people's memory of it is an example of the "Mandela effect," a phenomenon in which a large group of people share a false memory of a past event or object.
For decades, Simmons was the face of at-home fitness, known for his flamboyant style and colorful workout attire. He often wore bright tank tops, sparkly short shorts and crew socks, displaying an energetic and kindly aura that captivated crowds and motivated millions. However, while many people recall Simmons wearing a sweatband or headband with his familiar 'fits and frizzy bouffant, he never made this accessory a part of his signature workout wardrobe. The belief that he did may have arisen from pop culture parodies, though even one of the best known of those, Eddie Murphy's character Lance Perkins in "The Nutty Professor," also eschewed a headband.
An exhaustive search through multiple photo archives, including Getty Images, Alamy Stock Photos and Google Image Search, turned up no images of Simmons wearing a headband while working out. His colorful look sometimes featured costume wigs, fun glasses and occasionally even a swimming cap — but no headband.
Richard Simmons, wearing a swimming cap, attended a benefit for Hurricane Sandy in New York in 2013. (Getty Images)
Even on Simmons' dedicated YouTube channel, The Weight Saint, his official Facebook page and official website, there are no photographs or videos showing him wearing a headband in his workout routines (though, ironically, there are photos of fans dressed up as Simmons sporting a headband on his social media).
Simmons' publicist, Tom Estey, who represented him for more than 30 years, confirmed this detail to Snopes via email. "As the publicist (and friend) to Richard Simmons for 30 plus years, I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that he did not wear a headband," he said. "I hope this helps."
Why the Headband Myth Persists
The false belief that Simmons wore a headband fits neatly within the Mandela effect paradigm, wherein groups of people recall things differently from the actual facts. Named after widespread but incorrect memories that anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela's death occurred in the 1980s (he actually died in 2013), the Mandela effect has long intrigued psychologists and the general public. The recollection of Simmons in a headband may stem from the influence of parodies or fan costumes, as well as the association of headbands with 1980s fitness culture.
People magazine, which covered Simmons countless times throughout his years in the public eye, inadvertently contributed to this false belief in a 2017 article about the opening of "Dancing with the Stars" performer Kym Herjavec's fitness studio. The piece referenced Simmons' former studio at the same Beverly Hills location and joked that participants might come "dressed up like Richard Simmons in short shorts and headbands." This passing mention by Herjavec appeared to be the only reference to Simmons' headband by the entertainment outlet.
In addition to the clear lack of evidence of Simmons wearing a headband, our research found that fans who dressed as Simmons have often included headbands in their costumes, adding to the confusion. Similarly, other aerobics instructors and fitness icons from the same era frequently wore headbands, including curly-haired tennis champion John McEnroe, which may have cemented the idea in collective memory.
Even in parodies like Murphy's Lance Perkins character, the headband is absent — a noteworthy fact, considering the character's goal was to resemble Simmons. Despite the lasting impression that Simmons wore a headband, this piece of attire was never part of his actual wardrobe.
Snopes has previously fact-checked other instances of the Mandela effect, including that the Monopoly man has never worn a monocle and whether Fruit of the Loom's logo once contained a cornucopia.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)