‘He Knew Who I Was’

Susan Powter is getting candid about her unexpected run-in with a beloved, multi-hyphenated comedian.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published Thursday, Feb. 27, the ‘90s wellness influencer, 67, shared the time she saw the late Louie Anderson, just three months before the Baskets star died in 2022.

Powter, who now lives a modest life in Las Vegas as an Uber Eats driver, tearfully began, “It was the winter time. Cold and dark. Delivering is hard, and I got a huge order. It was a big order. And I went into a gated community, which I go into all the time, and that’s hard, seeing houses that I used to live in. Like, I used to live there. That affects me, but not that much.”

She admitted that while delivering is already a hard gig, it was especially difficult that day because she knew the customer personally, before she was forced to adopt a quaint Nevada lifestyle.

“I ring the doorbell of this big order, and Louie Anderson opens the door—and he knew who I was. He looked right at me and he knew. And I knew he knew,” she remembered. “He had just had that huge resurrection with that show [Baskets] he did. He did such a good job. He was such a nice man.”

The two didn’t exchange words, though Powter said she felt bad for delivering the large order. As she noted, “food was the trial” for Anderson. “I could feel the shame and the shame,” she recalled.

Although the two knew each other when the former fitness juggernaut was in the entertainment business, she said she appreciated that he didn’t mention anything about her identity when they came face to face.

“I was so grateful to him for being so honorable,” she said. “He knew who I was, and you could feel it.” Three months later, Anderson died at the age of 68 after battling blood cancer.

Related: ‘Stop the Insanity!’ ‘90s Fitness Guru Susan Powter Lost Empire Worth Millions and Survived by Delivering Grubhub: ‘Scary as S—‘ (Exclusive)

At the height of her career, Powter, known for her popular Stop the Insanity! infomercial, was on her way to becoming a household name in the lifestyle space. She wrote multiple books, sold hundreds of copies of her workout program and motivational audio cassettes, was a revered motivational speaker and nutritionist, and hosted a self-titled talk show, which aired for less than one year.

In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, the And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity! A Memoir author added that she, on average, sold nearly $50 million in products annually. However, due to bad money management and trusting the wrong people, Powter hit rock bottom.

“Someone else was handling it. I never checked balances,” she told the publication. “I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake.”

Although Powter’s name has been picking up some buzz since filmmaker Zeberiah Newman proposed the forthcoming documentary, Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, on her life and story, she said she understands nothing will change overnight and continues to deliver for Uber Eats for financial security.

“I’ve got 4,800 total trips,” she shared. “I’m a hard worker and I take care of that food and I’m proud of the work I put in.”

Read the original article on People