'90s fitness icon Susan Powter admits 'frightening' reality after losing multimillion-dollar empire
Susan Powter once built a multimillion-dollar fitness empire that defined a generation.
Decades later, at 68, the "Stop the Insanity" icon is facing a reality she calls "frightening" — aging without health insurance, financial security or a safety net.
Powter was once a staple of the early 1990s, with her popular fitness infomercial business, but she eventually lost everything after her company filed for bankruptcy in 1995.
During a recent interview, Powter said she didn’t think she would be able to change her lifestyle after her downfall.
"No, I had lost hope. Not having an infrastructure at 68 years old, and there’s no health insurance. It’s frightening," Powter said on the "Today" show.
Her words reflected a fear that may confront millions of aging Americans as financial security slips away.
"I didn’t go from Hollywood to Harbor Island in three years … That’s the welfare hotel I stayed in … What happened was the loss of hope and fear. As you get older, and when the infrastructure isn’t there, it’s frightening. No health insurance…" she said.
After years in the spotlight, at one point, Powter lost everything — her business, her financial security and eventually her footing.
She found herself barely making ends meet in Las Vegas, working as an Uber Eats driver to survive.
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In one final Uber ride, Powter picked up "Today" host Al Roker for an interview — a stark juxtaposition of where she’d been and where she is currently.
"You kept pushing through," Roker said.
WATCH: SUSAN POWTER REMEMBERS PAINFUL MOMENT SHE DELIVERED UBER EATS TO FRIEND LOUIE ANDERSON AFTER EMPIRE COLLAPSE
"I wasn’t going to go down like that," Powter replied.
One Starbucks delivery she made with Roker earned her just $2.20.
When asked if there was anything she would miss about this chapter, Powter candidly replied, "I wouldn’t say miss. I want an opportunity to reconstruct, to do properly what I did the first time … Seeing the love in real time online [from fans] — that’s the most healing thing for me."
As she completed her final Uber Eats delivery, the moment carried weight — not because her circumstances had suddenly changed, but because Powter realized that her outlook had.
The fitness expert shared what her next journey would consist of.
"Everything is next. Nothing has changed, but absolutely everything has, because of possibility. Hope, a chance. Literally the most grateful I’ve been in my whole life."
WATCH: '90S FITNESS GURU SUSAN POWTER GRATEFUL SHE CAN HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER HER MONEY IN CURRENT ERA
She later reflected on what that shift in perspective means — not just for her, but for the countless Americans aging without financial or medical security.
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"A chance, a possibility to move forward and heal. It doesn’t have to automatically change, but I know things can and will. I very much lost hope that was possible. And a lot of people have lost hope."
Powter continued to reveal what she plans to include in her next life adventure.
"Everything. The plan is everything. I’m so proud to say that. I’m going to get an RV. I’m going to go out to America. I’m going to meet the fabulousness out there. That’s what I’m going to focus on."
Powter has a documentary called "Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter," produced by Jamie Lee Curtis. It premiered in November 2025 and explores her rise to fame and her fall.
She previously told Fox News Digital that she walked away from everything following lawsuits and mismanagement of her money by people she trusted.
Powter said if she could go back and give herself advice, it would be more of "an umbrella of awareness and safety," saying things can work … "Just keep going. Things can change. Things can shift. Things can work out. I kind of lost hope in that for a while. Like, I literally did not believe it would ever be any different. I would just comfort [her past self] and say, ‘Things change, stuff changes, just hang on.’"