Pauly Shore Plays Richard Simmons in Brand-New Film Teaser (and the Resemblance Is Uncanny)

Fans are about to see actor and comedian Pauly Shore like never before.

On Wednesday, The Lewis Brothers released the official teaser for the upcoming short film titled The Court Jester on their YouTube channel. In the short, Shore portrays the legendary exercise guru, Richard Simmons.

In the 49-second-long teaser, we see the 55-year-old actor as Simmons—and to say Shore fully embodies the fitness instructor would be an understatement.

In one scene, Shore is talking to a crew member backstage of the Ellen DeGeneres Show in the early 2000s. “Where I’m at right now, is that I love myself, every part of myself and I think I can show you how to get here,” he says in the clip. 

According to Variety, The Court Jester is set to premiere at Sundance on January 19, 2024. Alongside Shore, the ensemble cast will include Tamra Brown (Ellen DeGeneres) and Jesse Heiman as David, a television producer who lost over 100 pounds because of Simmons’s exercise videos.

After making its grand debut at the film festival, the short film will be available to watch globally on YouTube. This short film is separate from a full-length film currently being developed by Warner Bros. with Shore again in the role of Simmons. Simmons himself did not seem to support the project, saying in a rare statement that he had never “given my permission for this movie.”

Simmons rose to fame in the 1980s, due to the popularity of his Sweatin' to the Oldies aerobic videos. He made several appearances on Late Night With David Letterman, the Howard Stern Show and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. More recently, the famous instructor has chosen to step away from the spotlight and live in privacy.