Susan Powter, a renowned '90s fitness guru with a net worth of about $2 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, has revealed that she once lost chunks of her fortune following the success of her Stop the Insanity! Infomercial, because she didn't know how to handle her money.
Susan Powter now resides in a senior community that shelters individuals with lower incomes, and in speaking with People magazine on October 23, the diet guru opened up about her struggles post-fame. She revealed that to survive, she had to resort to delivering food to earn a daily wage.
Susan Powter says life was "horrifyingly shocking" for her when she was broke
During the two-hour call on Zoom, the 66-year-old fitness freak touched on what life was like after all her fame came crashing down. Susan Powter, who once boasted $50 million in annual sales alone, now relies on a local charity that gives out free food twice a week. She told the outlet,
"I’ve known desperation. Desperation is walking back from the welfare office. It’s the shock of, ‘From there, now I’m here? How in God’s name?’”
Once on People Magazine’s list of “Most Intriguing People” in 1993, the former mogul dished out a program crafted with healthy recipes, tips to work out better, and audio cassettes that motivated people to keep going. The three times best-seller won people over with her backstory: She was a 260-lb stay-at-home wife in Texas.
Her husband left her and her two kids for another woman, and she bounced back stronger with a revenge bod. She also sought to discredit the diet industry with her “fat makes you fat” tagline. Now, an upcoming documentary titled Top the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, with executive producer, Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, is slated to delve into the rise and fall of the former mogul.
In the '90s, when "there was nothing but lawsuits," Susan Powter realized she was getting the shorter end of the stick in the deal with her managers. Unhappy with the 50-50 split, she decided to sue. The business partners retaliated, and come 1995, Powter was forced to declare herself bankrupt.
"Someone else was handling it. I never checked balances. I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake. 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."
She continued, reflecting on what life was like for her after that:
"I didn't think there would never be another book or video. I've never not worked. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to make a living. But try to get a job as a 60-year-old woman.”
She went on to reveal how she landed a job as a Grubhub and Uber Eats driver, after she had no choice but to move into an RV in one of the more shady areas in LA. She shared that it was "so hard" for her and "horrifyingly shocking." She said, "If sadness could kill you, I'd be dead."
However, about a year ago, she was hit with a health scare. The ordeal was a sign for her to apply for Social Security, which she credits for saving her life.
"That $1500 check shocked the hell out of me. Whoever said money can't buy happiness lied. Liar. It wasn't happiness. It was bigger than happiness. I took the deepest breath. And this is not just a 'you used to have millions and now you don't' story. This is a very real thing that many, many women go through."
In speaking about her long-lost fortune, Susan Powter said,
"The money has been gone for 25 years. I'm not looking for a big fancy-schmancy life, I want to talk to the world, I want to write books. I want insurance, I want a credit card, I want to pay my bills. I want a dentist. But if it does happen, it's going to be well-managed. It's going to go to my kids and to me. I want to give my children back what should have been theirs."
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According to the outlet, Powter met filmmaker Zeberiah Newman in November 2023. It was the latter that proposed the idea of a documentary, and it was an instant yes from her.
Susan Powter still works as an Uber Eats driver, and she pats herself on the back for being a "hard worker."
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