According to TMZ, someone at Simmons' Hollywood Hills home called 911 late Friday because the 67-year-old fitness guru was behaving strangely. He was taken to a nearby hospital, the report said.
"Entertainment Tonight" reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that emergency workers were called to Simmons' home and took one person to the hospital. Officials declined to identify that person, according to ET.
In March, the New York Daily News published a story claiming that Simmons hasn't been seen publicly in two years, with one source saying he thinks Simmons' housekeeper is holding him hostage.
Simmons' press representative, Tom Estey, quickly responded, telling USA Today, "Richard Simmons has been in the public eye for 40 years, and he's opted out. It's his right to do it. That's the God's honest truth. There's nothing more to it than that."
In a telephone interview with an "Entertainment Tonight" producer, Simmons said, "I am not kidnapped. I am just in my house right now."
He added, "I love all the people who worry about me, but it was time for me to take some time to be by myself. For the last 40 years, I have been traveling, teaching classes, and I had a knee injury, so I had a knee replacement, which was very difficult for me. … I have really just been taking it easy, staying at home, working out in my gym and doing the things I haven't done in a very long time."