Weird Stories About Fabio Lanzoni, King Of The Romance Novel Cover
- Video: YouTube
He Was Famously Hit In The Face By A Goose While Riding A Rollercoaster
In 1999, Fabio was at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia as part of a promotional campaign for a new rollercoaster called Apollo's Chariot. During his ride on the super-fast coaster, a goose collided with his face. When the car rolled to a stop at the end of the ride, there was Fabio, his million-dollar face covered in goose blood.
This day has lived in pop culture infamy even after the initial jokes faded from memory.
He Almost Got Into A Fight With George Clooney
In 2007, Fabio and George Clooney almost got into a physical confrontation at a Beverly Hills restaurant. Apparently, Clooney thought he was being photographed by someone at Fabio's table, so Clooney flipped off the camera. Fabio approached Clooney and told him that no one was taking his photo. The pair exchanged words, and it got heated.
Later, both talked to the press about the incident. Fabio, who allegedly told Clooney to "stop being a diva" during their exchange, called Clooney a "low-class scumbag." Clooney conceded that Fabio could probably beat him up, saying, "He’s a big guy. There is a moment when you are actually in the argument and you’re thinking, 'If I do get beaten down by Fabio, that will be far worse than the pain.' I wouldn’t shake that."
He's Interested In Running For Public Office
If a reality star can become president and an action movie star can become governor, then there's nothing stopping a romance novel cover model from running for public office. And Fabio has expressed his desire to do just that. "You never know," he said about a potential political bid. "I'm a people person. I love people."
But he's aware that there are other elements of working as a representative. He said, "In politics, you don’t go that far when you just go for the people."
- Photo: MenDotStyle / YouTube
Riding A Motorcycle Is Part Of His Workout Routine
Fabio's got a workout routine he swears by. It includes an hour of weight training followed by some intensive cardio. Another crucial element of his routine: motorcycles. He told Sports Illustrated:
Once a week I go dirt biking. That’s an amazing, amazing workout. People don’t realize that when you dirt bike with a motorcycle you can lose up to four to six pounds in four hours... You never really sit on the seat of the bike, you’re standing up and moving your body around.
He's also got quite an impressive motorcycle collection and a Lamborghini.
He Supports The Second Amendment
From Scott Baio to Stacey Dash, from Stephen Baldwin to James Woods, the American conservative movement has produced some unexpected voices. One of the most unexpected is that of Fabio, who has done all the normal rounds of today's conservative celebrity: Fox News and unabashed support of the Second Amendment.
"Don’t you ever give up your guns," he urges. "If people lose that right, forget about it. Politicians, they will take everything away from you. And then what are you going to do, protest with a rock? Because that’s what they do in Europe."
- Photo: Toglenn / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
His Home Was Once Robbed Of $200K Worth Of Loot
In 2017, Fabio's Los Angeles-area home was burglarized, and the thieves got away with more than $200,000 worth of goods. He was just one of the celebrities authorities believe was targeted in a home burglary ring aimed at famous personalities. Among the stolen loot: a safe, several watches, and a collection of gold coins.
"You feel violated, angry, upset; it's your home," Fabio said of the experience. He also blamed the crime on California's early release program, in which certain offenders are let out of prison before serving the entirety of their sentences.
- Photo: Romina Espinosa / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
He Saved Hoyt Richards From A Cult
Fabio is a longtime friend of actor and model Hoyt Richards, who has appeared in movies like Six Days, Seven Nights and TV shows like CSI: Miami. In 2016, Richards revealed that he had been involved with a cult, and Fabio helped him escape. Eternal Values was a vegetarian, doomsday cult run by the charismatic Frederick Von Mierers, and Richards had gotten wrapped up with them early in his modeling career. Once he realized he was in too deep, Richards knew he had to escape. He wrote in MEL:
Finally, on the night of July 3, 1999, I escaped for good. I would never have made it without the help of my old friend Fabio, the spokesmodel. At one time we were both with the Ford Modeling agency. I called him in the middle of the night and he paid for a plane ticket to L.A. He put me up in his house for almost 18 months. His maid did my laundry. He even let me drive one of his Porches. To this day I owe him everything.
- Photo: Avon Books
He's "Written" His Own Romance Novels
Well. not really written so much as paid someone else to write. In the mid-1990s, he was offered a lucrative book deal to author his own romance novels, which makes sense considering he's the undisputed God of the Romance Novel Cover. Like many celebrities, Fabio hired ghostwriters to pen his books.
It's no secret; Fabio's been quite forthcoming about it. Among his titles: Pirate, Rogue, Comanche, and Viking.
- Photo: Avon Books
He Says He Let The Love Of His Life Get Away
With an image as romantic as Fabio's, you'd assume he's had a string of loves and love affairs. But that's actually not the case at all. In fact, he says he only ever had one true love, and he let her get away. When he was 23, he met a 19-year-old L’Oréal model named Jennifer.
They dated for six years before Fabio broke up with her. "She had the biggest heart, was always there, was caring and loving," he told The Washington Post in 2015. "But I was too young and too wild."
- Video: YouTube
He Still Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Since 1994, Fabio has been the spokesman for the butter substitute I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Some of his commercials for the brand have achieved a level of notoriety on par with his romance novel covers. And he's a fan of the stuff to boot. Apparently, he brings 25 to 30 containers of it to his family in Italy when he visits them.
"They don’t sell it in Italy and my parents are addicted to it," he told Closer Weekly. "They put it on pasta with some Parmesan cheese."
- Photo: Oasisisgood / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
He Supported His Sister's Decision To Have A Controversial Cancer Treatment
Fabio, pictured with his two nephews, lost his sister Christina to ovarian cancer in 2013. It is one of the great tragedies of his life, though he was able to glean at least some comfort and meaning from it. "Since I lost my sister, I decided to enjoy my life, no matter what," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Throughout his sister's struggle with cancer, Fabio came under fire for supporting her decision to be treated at the controversial Burzynski Clinic, which uses unproven and unapproved methods to treat and "cure" the illness. Though Christina wasn't cured, Fabio claims her course of treatment at the Burzynski Clinic took her from wheelchair-bound to exercising on a treadmill, and her biomarkers for the disease were cut in half.
- Photo: thefabiolanzoni / Instagram
He's An Avid Laserdisc Collector
While he probably was never on the A/V squad in high school, Fabio has become a sort of tech nerd, at least when it comes to his home entertainment system. The system is, in a word, ginormous. There's a 15-foot screen, an HD projector, and an ornate setup of sound equipment including surround sound and subwoofers. He has an extensive collection of Laserdiscs, which he's been accumulating since he was a young man. He's also a big fan of Apple products and the Xbox 360.
- Photo: thefabiolanzoni / Instagram
He Became A U.S. Citizen In 2016
"It was like a beautiful dream... I fell in love with this country," Fabio once said of his arrival in America. And in 2016, he made the U.S. his permanent legal home by becoming a citizen. His immigration experience certainly hasn't softened his views, though.
He has said that immigration laws "are to be respected" and "Just look at Europe and go the opposite way. It's as simple as that... They are doomed."
- Photo: thefabiolanzoni / Instagram
He Takes Special Care Of His Famous Hair
When your hair is one of your meal tickets, you gotta go the extra mile to care for it. And how does Fabio keep his legendary hair in top shape? With a multipronged approach, of course. A diet with a lot of protein is important. An all-natural shampoo free of chemicals and additives is crucial too.
He uses little, if any, conditioner. And finally, he never, ever goes near a blow-dryer.
- Video: YouTube
He Played A Cult Leader In 'Bubble Boy'
Perhaps drawing inspiration from his friend Hoyt Richards's time in a cult, Fabio played a cult leader in the 2001 Jake Gyllenhaal comedy Bubble Boy. His character Gil, the head of an organization that believes the messiah has returned to Earth. Bubble Boy was pretty much a bomb after its release, but over the years, it has achieved - and no pun intended - a cult status.
- Photo: thefabiolanzoni / Instagram
His Fitness Secret? He Hates Sweets
Just a quick glance at that ripped physique and you know Fabio must have a pretty intense health regimen. His diet is full of vegetables and fish and egg whites and few carbs. It includes no sweets, which suits Fabio just fine; he doesn't like them anyway. He told GQ:
My mom used to tell me the first time she put something sweet in my mouth, I was six and a half or seven months, and I spit it out. My worst nightmare was birthday parties because people would want me to eat cake. Mothers would insist and I would say no and they thought I was being polite, and I was like, 'I’m not being polite, what part of no don’t you understand?'
- Photo: Avon Books
He's Appeared On Over 400 Romance Novel Covers
Throughout the course of his career, Fabio has adorned the covers of more than 400 romance novels. His clothing is always slightly different - sometimes his hair or eyes are a different color, but you can always tell which romances have Fabio on the cover and which have cheap imitations.
At the height of his romance-novel popularity, fans could delight to Fabio calendars, Fabio cologne, Fabio music albums, even a Fabio 900 number. Noted cultural critic and writer Camille Paglia said of him: "He worships women and he fulfills their dream of a man who has the physique of a hunk and the emotional sense of an artist or poet."
