Fitness icon Susan Powter lost millions: How Raquel Welch, Jane Fonda, Suzanne Somers thrived

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, celebrities such as Raquel Welch, Suzanne Somers, Jane Fonda, Arnold Schwarzenegger and more used their voices – and toned physiques – to kick-start what would become the beginning of a multibillion-dollar phenomenon. 

In a recent interview, fitness icon Susan Powter – who rose to fame as the face of the “Stop the Insanity!” infomercial, host of “The Susan Powter Show” and author of many diet and weight loss books – opened up about her rise to stardom and the financial strain that followed.

“Yes, there was money, but I never had $300 million in the bank account,” Powter, whose fitness packages grossed around $5 million, told People magazine. “I never made the money that I generated.”

Though Powter filed for bankruptcy in 1995, she’s still very grateful for the platform she had and is hoping to reignite that fire with her new book, “And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity! A Memoir.”

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“What I feel now is the possibility of possibilities,” she said. “There were days and days, months and months and years of not feeling that. I lost hope, but I’m filled with it now. I have never been more excited.”

From releasing personal workout videos to selling wellness-related products, Powter and others were monumental in creating a cultural movement – one that is still very active today.

Here’s a look at some of the most influential celebrity fitness icons. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

From his early bodybuilding days to action-packed films, Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most celebrated names in the fitness community. From the get-go, the “Terminator” actor has been a strong advocate for inclusivity and a champion for health and wellness. 

“Young, old, rich, poor, black, white, straight, gay, man, woman, ‘disabled,’ able-bodied – and anything in between; no matter who you are and what your situation might be, fitness is for you,” he wrote in the February edition of the “Arnold’s Pump Club” newsletter, per Men’s Health. 

“Fitness gives each of them, and all of us, a way to overcome whatever challenges we face. It’s the great equalizer. Two hundred pounds is 200 pounds whether you live in a mansion or are struggling to put food on the table. The barbell doesn’t see your race or sexuality or gender or bank account or anything – it’s just asking to be picked up, no matter who you are.”

Throughout the years, Schwarzzengger – who has won the Mr. Olympia contest seven times – has put his name on various protein supplements, gyms, apparel and more. However, it was his 1982 workout video, “Shape Up with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” that earned him mega recognition within the fitness world. 

To this day, Schwarzenegger remains extremely active in his fitness efforts. 

Suzanne Somers

While she was best known for her roles in “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step,” the late Suzanne Somers earned a fortune from her time as a spokesperson for the ThighMaster in the 1990s. 

During an appearance on the “Hollywood Raw” podcast in 2022, Somers said of her earnings: “I grew up poor. And I live a good life… $19.95 times 10 million, so kind of do the math. We’re probably at 15 million now.” After some calculations, the estimated earnings amounted to nearly $3 million.

During an interview with Entrepreneur in 2020, Somers explained how she fell into the role of spokeswoman. 

“I had bought this pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes that were at that time, 500 bucks. I was in my dressing room and thought, ‘Oh my husband is going to think this is so crazy spending this much money.’ But for me, they were perfect,” she said. “So I walked out of my dressing room in my underwear and I said to my husband, ‘Like my new shoes?’ And he said, “Great legs!’ And I went, “Oh my God, that’s the commercial!’ That’s how we started the commercial if you recall. We sold 10 million ThighMasters right out of the gate. It still sells to this day even though we don’t advertise.”

“I’ve written 27 books on health. I’ve done 16 or 18 years of series television, I’ve given lectures – and the thing I am best known for is the ThighMaster! I think it was the tagline: ‘You just put it between your knees and squeeze.’ It was the right product, the right place, the right timing, the right spokesperson – the right everything. It was a perfect storm,” she added. 

Somers died in October 2023 at the age of 76. 

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch, best known for her 1960s roles in “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.” was dubbed a sex symbol at the early stages of her career. 

But she was so much more than that. Her toned physique motivated fans to kick it into gear and get fit with “The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program,” which was released in 1984 but is still sold to this day. 

The program focused on Hatha yoga postures as well as her take on style and beauty. 

Welch died in February 2023 after a “brief illness,” her rep, Steve Sauer, told Fox News Digital at the time. 

“Word today that actress and sex symbol Raquel Welch has died. She passed away earlier today after a brief illness, that’s all we know, but there was nothing brief about her life or impact on Hollywood,” Fox News’ Neil Cavuto said while paying tribute to the late actress on “Your World” last year. 

“Men ogled her, fellow stars clamored to be in movies with her – a lot of movies. From ‘Fantastic Voyage’ to ‘Bedazzled’ to ‘One Million Years B.C.’ and ‘The Three Musketeers,’ which personified pretty much her sense of humor. But Welch personified something else – beauty, and she knew it. Time magazine once called her the most beautiful woman on the planet, Empire magazine one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history, and TMZ one of the most sought after female stars throughout the 1960s and ’70s.”

Susan Powter

While building a successful career as a fitness guru in the ’90s, Powter was secretly fighting her own battle behind the scenes. 

“They started to produce the ‘me’ out of me,” Powter, who is promoting her new book, “And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity! A Memoir,” told People magazine. 

“And that happened when the money got to here [raising her hand up high]. Then, it was like, ‘Oh, Suze, don’t say that. No, no. It’s a little too much. Oh, you’re shocking. Shocking.’ But that’s the same shock that got me there.

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“I worked very hard on [‘The Susan Powter Show’]. Shooting three shows a day. I did it with everything I had,” she added. “But it was mortifying. They put me in pearls. Look at me. Do I look like the pearl type? And I didn’t have any say. All those segments, I can’t even watch them now.”

Through her infomercial, Powter offered a health package that combined a low-fat diet with an exercise regimen. According to The Washington Post, the $79.80 package included five audio tapes, an exercise video, a recipe collection, a guide to food-fat content and a caliper to measure body fat. 

At the time, Powter was selling approximately 15,000 of these packages each week, grossing in the $5 million range, according to the Post.

But due to mismanagement of her finances, she filed for bankruptcy in 1995. 

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“I wasn’t running my company; it was a 50/50 deal,” said Powter, who eventually attempted to separate herself from the business deal she was in at the time. “There was nothing but lawsuits in the ‘90s.”

“Yes, there was money, but I never had $300 million in the bank account,” she said. “I never made the money that I generated.”

Now, Powter said she’s looking forward to reconnecting with people around the U.S. as she begins to promote her book and is eager to continue building her legacy. 

“Those women will hear my voice, and they’ll be like, ‘Well, goddamn, she hasn’t changed one bit.'” she said. “What I feel now is the possibility of possibilities. There were days and days, months and months and years of not feeling that. I lost hope, but I’m filled with it now. I have never been more excited.”

Jane Fonda

Though she made a name for herself as an award-winning actress at a young age, Jane Fonda quickly earned her place as a fitness guru in the 1980s.

Her first exercise video – “Jane Fonda’s Workout,” which was based on her book “Jane Fonda’s Workout Book” – was released in 1982 and went on to sell over a million copies as a bestseller for several years following its release. Fonda reportedly sold 17 million videos in the 1982–1995 series, according to Vogue. 

Fonda went on to create over 20 more workout videos, becoming one of the highest-selling fitness series of all time. 

To this day, at 86 years old, Fonda is still a champion for health and wellness. 

“I want young people to stop being afraid about getting older,” Fonda told Vogue in 2022. “What matters isn’t age, isn’t that chronological number. What matters is your health.”

Denise Austin

Denise Austin has sold more than 24 million exercise videos and DVDs throughout her career, authored a dozen books and starred in a fitness television show.

Earlier this year, the  “Fit Over 50” founder told Fox News Digital she’s “dedicated” to continuing her mission within the fitness world. 

“Now I’m dedicated to women who are wanting to be fit over 50 because I’m 66 now, and I want people feeling good,” Austin said. “Wake up happy, feel strong. We need to work out our 640 muscles from head to toe to get strong and feel good.”

Richard Simmons

Simmons, who was known for his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout videos, made more than 65 fitness videos that sold over 20 million copies, according to NPR. 

Simmons was beloved for his upbeat and goofy personality and for connecting with regular people who wanted to get fit using his unintimidating workout videos. 

“My food plan and diet are just two words – common sense. With a dash of good humor,” he told The Associated Press in 1982. “I want to help people and make the world a healthier, happy place.”

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After decades in the limelight, Simmons suddenly stopped teaching at his workout studio in 2014 and retreated from public life altogether.

He died on July 13, 2024. 

Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright and Brie Stimson contributed to this post.