Connect with us

Fitness

Susan Powter, ‘Stop the Insanity’ fitness icon, says she lost millions of dollars

Published

3 hours ago

on

Susan Powter, ‘Stop the Insanity’ fitness icon, says she lost millions of dollars

play

Susan Powter is stopping the insanity.

The ’90s fitness guru revealed in an interview with People magazine published Wednesday that she lost millions of dollars after the success of her iconic “Stop the Insanity!” infomercial due to money mismanagement.

Powter, who lives now in a senior community for low-income residents, opened up about her life in the People interview, as well as her new book, “And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity! A Memoir,” and an upcoming documentary produced by Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

“If sadness could kill you, I’d be dead,” said Powter, who once sold $50 million in products each year, according to People.

Powter was once on the cusp of superstardom with her own syndicated TV show but left it all behind over frustrations with production — then she lost everything, turning to working as a food delivery driver in recent years.

“I didn’t recognize me any more” amid the change, Powter told the outlet.

Powter rose to fame in the ’90s as an advocate for fitness but preached against dieting. She lost over 130 pounds in a “Revenge Body”-like story à la modern-day Khloé Kardashian. After giving up a TV contract, Powter moved to Seattle and adopted her third son as an infant after publicly coming out as a lesbian.

“I’ve known desperation,” Powter said. “Desperation is walking back from the welfare office. It’s the shock of, ‘From there, now I’m here? How in God’s name?'”

Susan Powter ‘never checked balances’ before losing millions of dollars

She realized her money was being mismanaged and got involved in lawsuits with business partners, telling People that “there was nothing but lawsuits in the ’90s.” In 1995, she declared bankruptcy.

“Someone else was handling it. I never checked balances,” she said. “I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake.”

Eventually, the money was gone. “I knew how much control I gave up. I didn’t know what got paid where, but I had no property. There was no fund left for my children,” Powter told the outlet.

In the 2000s and early 2010s, Powter had become a cautionary tale.

By 2018, life had gotten “scary” when Powter traded in a campground where she lived in a RV for a dangerous Las Vegas complex with weekly rent. She picked up shifts working at food delivery companies Grubhub and UberEats, which she described to People as “so hard” and “horrifyingly shocking.”

Richard Simmons’ final days: Fitness guru deferred medical care to spend birthday at home

These days, Powter is still delivering food and plans to continue doing so, but life improved after the former television personality received a $1,500 Social Security check last year.

“This is a very real thing that many, many women go through,” Powter said.

She added: “I’ve got 4,800 total trips. I’m a hard worker and I take care of that food and I’m proud of the work I put in.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading