Susan Powter on Her ’90s Fitness Fame, TV Struggles, and New Beginnings

Susan Powter, the iconic fitness guru of the 1990s, has opened up about her unexpected rise to fame and the subsequent struggles she faced in the entertainment industry. In an exclusive interview, Powter, now 66, reflected on how she transitioned from a 260-pound single mother of two to a national fitness sensation with her “Stop the Insanity!” infomercial and bestselling books and videos.

Powter’s journey began when she started teaching exercise and nutrition to fellow homemakers in Texas. Her unscripted and unrehearsed approach in the infomercial resonated deeply with women, leading to her appearance on nationally syndicated daytime talk shows and a $2 million advance for her first book. Despite the huge success, which included being spoofed by SNL and named one of PEOPLE‘s 25 Most Intriguing People of 1993, Powter soon realized she had handed over too much control and money to her business partners.

The experience of filming her syndicated television show, “The Susan Powter Show,” in 1994 was particularly mortifying for her. She felt constrained by the producers’ attempts to mold her into a persona she wasn’t, and the lack of creative control was overwhelming. This led to a series of lawsuits and eventually, bankruptcy. Powter admitted that she never retained the bulk of the money she generated, stating, “Yes, there was money, but I never had $300 million in the bank account.

After feeling betrayed by her business partners, Powter made the decision to leave the limelight and move to Seattle, where she adopted a third son and raised him as a single mom. She later came out as lesbian in 2004. In Seattle, she adopted a simpler lifestyle, teaching cooking and fitness classes and taking up photography. However, by 2018, she found herself struggling financially and had to resort to delivering for Grubhub and Uber Eats in Las Vegas.

In recent times, Powter has found a new sense of hope. She has started receiving a Social Security check, which has provided her with some financial stability. Additionally, she is collaborating with filmmaker Zeberiah Newman on a documentary about her life, “Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter,” which is being executive produced by Jamie Lee Curtis. Powter has also released her memoir and is planning an RV tour to reconnect with her fans, this time on her own terms).