Early Life
Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Simmons was born to show business parents and raised Catholic in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He enjoyed Cor Jesu High School (now Brother Martin High School). He was obese throughout his adolescence and by the time he graduated from high school, he weighed 268 pounds. As a young man, he considered being a priest. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Simmons explained he adopted the name "Richard" after an uncle who paid for his college tuition.
His first job, in New Orleans, was selling pralines at Leah's. After starting college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he transferred to Florida State University. While enrolled there, he studied as an exchange student in Florence, Italy. He graduated with a BA in Art. After graduation, Simmons moved to New York City where he worked in advertising, as a waiter, and for cosmetics companies Revlon and Coty Cosmetics.
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