Kimora Lee Simmons has defended her daughter Aoki, 21, three months after sharing a disturbing video of her crying youngest daughter being scolded by her father Russell Simmons.
The model, 48, who was married to Russell, 65, from 1998 to 2008 and also shares daughter Ming, 23, with him, accused her ex of abuse in June – when she shared a clip of Russell appearing to angrily berate his daughter . is seen crying and sad during a muted FaceTime call with her father.
Russell later apologized for being ‘frustrated and shouting’ at his daughter – but now Kimora has declared ‘we won’t discuss’ his behaviour,
She said People from the video: ‘Some people said, “Oh, how spoiled she sounds, that you’re never going to work again, that your dad has to go get you… everything?”
“(But) she didn’t say, ‘My dad has to go get everything for me.’ She said: “My father threatened to cancel everything he could because they were his friends and because he was the most popular or powerful, and that is wrong.”
Defense: Kimora Lee Simmons has defended her daughter Aoki, 21, three months after sharing a disturbing video of her crying youngest daughter being scolded by her father Russell Simmons.
Edgy: The model, 48, who was married to Russell, 65, from 1998 to 2008, and also shares daughter Ming, 23, with him, accused her ex of abuse in June – when she shared a clip of Russell angrily berating his daughter who is seen crying and sad during a muted FaceTime call with her father
“I don’t need to do that before adding that Russell has ‘overestimated’ his role in their daughters’ lives.”
She said: ‘At the end of the day you go to bed, you are with yourself. You should be proud of the steps you have taken and certainly not let anyone bully you or push you around… I don’t care if it is your father, your uncle, your friend, someone you don’t know, we’ I’m not going to get it.’
She said she hasn’t spoken to Russell in a few years, calls herself a “single mother” and claims she doesn’t co-parent her children’s fathers.
She also shares son Kenzo, 14, with ex-partner Djimon Hounsou, 59 – who she dated from 2007-2012, and son Wolfe, eight, with estranged husband Tim Leissner, 51, whom she married in 2014.
In 2020, she adopted Gary Lee Foster, then 10 years old,
She said, “Men, powerful men, famous men, rich men, businessmen, whatever you want to call it. There’s something there and I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really have a great relationship with any of them and they’ve left it up to me to just do things myself. I do everything alone. Like I said, I’m a single mother.’
Earlier this month, Aoki said she doesn’t regret taking her complaints to dad Russell after she claimed he verbally abused her three months ago.
“I don’t regret it,” Aoki said Teen fashion.
At the time: Kimora (pictured with Russell in 2003) said: ‘I don’t care if that’s your dad, your uncle, your friend, someone you don’t know, we won’t have it’
Eldest daughter: The star is pictured with daughter Ming, 23, in September 2023
Family: The star is also mother to son Kenzo, 14, with Djimon Hounsou and son Wolfe, eight, with estranged husband Tim Leissner (pictured 2018) – she has a third son Gary Lee Foster who she adopted in 2020 at the age of 10
Aoki shared text messages and screenshots of her communications with her father, whose career collapsed after at least 15 women accused him of sexual misconduct during the rise of the MeToo movement in late 2017. He has denied all allegations.
She explained to Teen Vogue her motivations for making details of her stormy relationship with her father public, saying he had negatively impacted her mental health due to his erratic behavior.
“Some of it was already available,” Aoki said. “There were reasons why I thought it was reasonable to publish, because it was in a kind of silent bubble.”
Aoki posted texts and videos of her interactions with her father in June to reflect their fractured relationship.
Aoki said the Def Jam co-founder had been “terrible to her for years,” and she had suffered significant anxiety issues as a result.
Aoki said Russell – who tried unsuccessfully to salvage his reputation following the sexual misconduct allegations with a publicity campaign – had not been well for “years.”
She wrote: ‘He needs help and won’t accept it. He refuses to acknowledge that he is not himself.
“He threatened and bullied my sister, my grandmother, harassed my grandmother in the middle of the night when she was in poor health, and sent a man to my sister’s apartment at two in the morning to scare her .’
Aoki said Russell “lashes out at ANYONE who doesn’t say ‘oh Russell, everything’s fine,'” adding, ‘Well, it’s not okay.’
Her mother Kimora also posted on social media about her ex-husband’s abuse, saying that while it was “so sad that she had to do this,” it was essential to make the situation public.
In June, Kimora also posted on social media with images of her ex-husband’s behavior, saying that while she was “so sorry she had to do this,” it was essential to make the situation public.
“This man threatened my children’s lives,” she said. ‘We will not be bullied, threatened or scared. No one should have to live like this. Nobody’s child. This is abuse. Not OK.’
Russell later apologized for being “frustrated and yelling” at his youngest daughter He said in part that he was “deeply sorry for being frustrated and yelling.”
In response, Russell told his followers that God had been “testing” him lately, writing, “God is testing you a little, it’s okay, be strong… they’re called growing pains… as you know, we grow. through adversity and struggle.’
The somewhat rambling response also included this message to his daughters: “But know this… there are no conditions… I certainly love you more than I love myself.”
Russell and Kimora Lee were married from 1998 to 2009 and share daughters Aoki and Ming Lee, 23.
Aoki told Teen Vogue that a celebrity (whom she did not name) assured her that her actions were appropriate.
She said the celebrity told her, “Oh, I saw your thing. I did the same thing when I was 20, and it worked out just fine.”
Aoki declined to speak to the magazine about the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against her father, as the publication reported that she emphasized “a desire not to step out of place in consideration of all parties involved.”