If you’re of a certain age you will remember the Thighmaster commercials starring Suzanne Somers, which were all over the place in the early 90s. They’re these coiled devices you put between your thighs and squeeze, exercising your adductors and your other thigh muscles. It turns out that Somers and her husband, Alan Hamel, own all of the business now, but at one point they were 50 percent owners. In a podcast interview with Hollywood Raw, Somers says they’ve sold about 15 million units at $19.95 so “you do the math.” Outlets are running with the headline that Somers is claiming to have made $300 million off Thighmasters. That’s their gross profit though. The actual amount she made is surely a fraction of that, especially considering that she admitted their former partners were spending too much. It’s still a huge amount of money. Here’s more of what she told Hollywood Raw via Yahoo!
[Suzanne Somers] revealed that she has made approximately $300 million from the exercise device she started selling in the 1990s.
“We stopped counting when we sold 10 million of them, but they continue to sell and sell,” Somers said on the Hollywood Raw podcast.
Pressed for a number, Somers said, “It’s $19.95 x 10 million, so you kind of do the math,” adding, “We’re probably at 15 million [sold] now.”
The math puts the total at approximately $299.5 million. And that’s not factoring in some versions of the product that sell for more. For instance, on her website there’s a “gold” version, which retails for $49.95 (though it’s currently sold out). There’s also the $79.99 “toning system” package with a ThighMaster, ButtMaster and a DVD.
Somers, who talked on the podcast about growing up “poor,” put her hands to her cheeks when she was told the ThighMaster made nearly $300 million. Then quipped, “But I spent a lot. You should see my clothes.”
As for ownership of the product, she owns it “outright,” she said. She and husband Alan Hamel “had partners, 50-50, and they got drunk on money when it all started selling. They overspent to the point where they could no longer afford to be in their side of the business. We bought them out. We have 100 percent…”
Somers said on the Hollywood Raw podcast that her key to amassing a fortune selling products — also including memory renewing supplements — is that you ” have a passion about whatever” it is.
“I wanted to keep my legs looking great… so there was a weird passion there,” she said. “All the other things we sell now, I have a passion about. I don’t want to put chemicals on my skin. I don’t want my brain shrinking… For someone who played the dumbest blonde on television, I have a really good brain,” referring to her iconic TV character Chrissy Snow.
You can tell by the way she responded that she didn’t see 300 million, but I bet she’s doing well regardless. She has various product lines and also sells makeup, skincare and clothing on her website. She also touts alternative medical treatments, including anti-aging hormones. I truly wonder if she’s vaccinated, but I can’t find any information about that either way. She talks a lot about not using “chemicals” on her skin and eating all organic “non-toxic” food. Plus she’s spread misinformation about surviving breast cancer. Whether she’s vaccinated or not, she’s not talking about it.
Photos credit: Avalon.red
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