Richard Simmons, the reclusive fitness mogul whose sudden disappearance from public life spawned a hit podcast, might soon return to public life, thanks to a business deal. And in the latest odd twist in Mr. Simmons’s story, it may be a result of that podcast. 
 
 Prominent Brand + Talent, a management company co-founded by Mr. Simmons’s manager of three decades, announced on Wednesday that it had acquired exclusive rights to represent Mr. Simmons for merchandising, endorsements and licensing opportunities. The trade publication License first reported the deal. 
 
 Michael Catalano, Mr. Simmons’s manager, said in an interview that Mr. Simmons might be willing to come out of his self-imposed exile to help promote products that result from the deal. If Mr. Simmons does appear in public, it would be the first time he has done so since February 2014, when he stopped showing up to teach his class at Slimmons, his gym in Beverly Hills, Calif. He abruptly became a recluse and has not been seen since, spurring concerns about his well-being. 
 
 “All I can say, at least for now, is it is possible,” Mr. Catalano said of whether Mr. Simmons would get involved publicly. “But it is yet to be determined, I would say.” 

 Fitness icon Richard Simmons, who rose to fame more than three decades ago with his eccentric workout videos before mysteriously vanishing from the spotlight, may be gearing up to make a comeback in the public eye with a new business deal. 
 
 Simmons signed a deal for "merchandising, endorsements and licensing opportunities" with the licensing firm Prominent Brand and Talent, his rep told ABC News Wednesday. 
 
 Simmons was directly involved in pursuing the new business deal, according to Michael Catalano, Simmons' longtime manager and the co-founder of Prominent Brand and Talent. The new deal was first reported Wednesday by trade publication License. 
 
 The new business move comes as the reclusive workout icon was thrust back into the public eye with the rise of the extremely popular podcast, "Missing Richard Simmons." 
 
 The iTunes No. 1 podcast looks into what happened to the fitness celebrity, who reportedly hasn't been seen in public for more than three years. Ever since Simmons retreated to his West Hollywood home in early 2014, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories began to swirl. 
 
 Catalano denied many of the rumors surrounding Simmons' disappearance -- including the theory that he is being held hostage by his housekeeper -- telling ABC News that Simmons just wanted to step back from the spotlight and live a more private life. 
 
 "People are talking about him, so he might as well make some money off of that," Kristina Monllos, a reporter for Adweek who specializes in brands, marketing innovations and pop culture, told ABC News. 
 
 If any new products emerge from the deal, Simmons could come out of hiding to promote them, according to Catalano.
– Richard Simmons might be making a comeback. More than three years after the fitness guru abruptly vanished from public life, his long-time manager says Simmons has signed a licensing deal that could see him return to the spotlight, reports the New York Times. Michael Catalano says Simmons, who's been keeping to his Hollywood Hills home, has signed a deal that covers merchandising and endorsements with Prominent Brand + Talent, a management company Catalano co-founded. The company says it plans to release "a global line of thoughtful motivation and inspiration-based products," per License. And that might mean that Simmons will emerge to promote them. “All I can say, at least for now, is it is possible,” Catalano tells the Times. Though Catalano says he's "conflicted" about Dan Taberski's controversial "Missing Richard Simmons" podcast, which probed Simmons' reclusive turn in February 2014, he acknowledges that it raised Simmons' profile, especially with younger people. "People are talking about him, so he might as well make some money off of that," Adweek reporter Kristina Monllos tells ABC News. (The popular podcast has more than a few critics.)