Some might know Suzanne Somers for her screen success, like her role as Chrissy Snow in the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company. Or some might know her as a brand, as she is the author of 27 books on health, wellness, and cooking.
In 1992, she was one of the first celebrity entrepreneurs to use infomercials and shopping on the Home Shopping Network to sell jewelry, clothing, and fitness products. She did that for 17 years, expanding into vitamins and supplements, and has sold over 10 million Thigh Master products over the past three decades.
Now, she has moved into the beauty and wellness space and hopes to expand into retail this year. From her website, she’s focusing on organic cosmetics made with toxic-free ingredients and selling a protein powder to put in your morning smoothie called Gut Renew.
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Now 76, her most recent book is called A New Way to Age: The Most Cutting-Edge Advances in Anti Aging, which teaches readers how to detox and focus on nutrition and healthy natural alternatives.
Somers chatted with Penta about being a pioneer of celebrity branding, her books and what’s next for her.
Your husband picked up the phone when I called, what was it like when you first met him?
When I met my husband, I felt I knew him, from another life or whatever. I just looked at him and thought OK. We have been together 54 years now, it’s everything I have ever dreamed of. We just moved homes after living in the same house for 45 years. It’s not for sissies. When we packed up, I thought the worst was over. The worst was putting back and deciding what you’re going to keep. Now, I have a billion-dollar view here in Los Angeles.
What have you been up to?
I was shocked when I learned my customers wanted the gut renew product. I was also having gut problems and weight gain, things a lot of middle-aged people complain about. I wrote a book called Tox-Sick, about what’s going on in the world right now, we’re under the greatest environmental assault in human history. We are eating chemicals, rubbing them into our skin, and cleaning our home with them. We’re not eating organic food. What do you expect? It happened simultaneously. The book was a big success. It alerted people that it’s not a joke—what do you think will happen to your GI tract if you keep putting chemicals in there? You have to balance your microbiome. We need to edit what we are eating every day.
How did that affect what you put out into the world, product-wise?
I created a line of cosmetics, haircare, household cleaning products, and skincare that’s all organic. I can’t keep it in stock. I have a Facebook Live show which I do three times a week, which I will never give up. With Gut Renew, you start the day with a smoothie that tastes great. It puts everything back into your GI tract that’s being eliminated by chemicals.
You’ve been an entrepreneur for many years, you trailblazed the celebrity brand. How did it happen?
I’ll tell you how it got started. When I starred in the TV series, Three’s Company, we would record to an audience, and I would act in front of screaming girls that dressed like me and did their hair like mine. I went to the producers and said, you have to see what I’m seeing, girls are dressing like me, hot pants and knee socks. “We could sell a line of Chrissy Snow clothes!” I said. It was a no-brainer. The producers started screaming, saying it wasn’t about business, it was about the show. I said “It’s called show business.”’ But they left the revenue on the table. It was the most logical, in-your-face branding ever. And nobody did it at the time. That was the first time I thought to myself, “I could be a brand if I owned myself.”
Do you remember your first big break?
I remember getting my first callback for the Dom DeLuise Show. I was told I would get a callback after my audition, and I asked the receptionist what that meant. Johnny Carson walked in and he asked what I was doing there, he asked for what, and I told him it was for the Dom DeLuise Shows, he said, “I hope you get it.” I had my book of poetry on me called Touch Me. I gave it to him. That was Wednesday, on Friday night I made my debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I was standing behind the curtain to be announced to go onstage, and I was thinking he loved my poetry. He introduced me as the “mysterious blonde in the Thunderbird from the film American Graffiti” and it was 1973. And I became a regular on The Tonight Show. Then that led to Three’s Company. That’s how I got on TV.
What happened after you left Three’s Company?
After I left the show, I was presented with a device from an inventor who wanted me to represent it. She called it a V-Toner and said it was an exercise device for the upper body. I took it in my hands and used it on my lower body, squeezing it between my legs. I created the Thigh Master and how it could be used to tighten up your thighs and a brand was born.
When did you first write your first book?
The first book I ever wrote was called Keeping Secrets, an autobiography. I had a violent, alcoholic father. I sat in my closet and wrote down my feelings. It led me to writing another book called Touch Me, which became number one on the bestseller list. It was a poetry book.
What’s a highlight from being an entrepreneur over the years?
The cookbooks I wrote about dieting and cookware and my Suzanne Somers Grill. We sold a lot of products and sauces to make yourself a gourmet cook. Once I got into it, I loved it, it wouldn’t stop. It was all meant to be. I think branding is powerful and important. I think what’s next for me is retail. Retail is waiting for me.
What messaging are you delivering to your readers in your latest book, A New Way To Age?
Aging is about worn-out parts. We run out of hormones, nutrients, and minerals. What you have to do to handle aging is to find a qualified doctor. That doctor will explain how you have to have lab work. You take a blood test for your hormones to find out where your hormones, nutrients, and minerals are. Then you put back what you lost in the aging process and you get to feel good again. Aging is about restoration, restoring yourself naturally with the right elements.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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