Kimora Lee Simmons is responding with a fierce and unwavering stance to her ex-husband Russell Simmons' claims about their two daughters, Ming Lee, 25, and Aoki Lee, 23. In an Instagram Story post on Monday, December 15th, the 50-year-old model and fashion mogul began with a bold statement: "My 'girls' are GROWN WOMEN!"
Kimora continued her message with unyielding determination: "You know these are lies. Why are you typing from thousands of miles away in a non-extradition country? Go negotiate and Answer your Accusers." Her response is a direct counter to Russell's scathing statement on Threads the previous day, where he claimed to have given Kimora $50,000 a month for 20 years, serving as her "best/only friend" and godfather to her other three children, before accusing her of stealing his stock and threatening to cut him off from his daughters if he sued her.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on December 11th, Kimora shared that she doesn't "have a relationship really" with her kids' fathers. She credited her "village" of "friends and family and people my kids can rely on" for helping her navigate parenting her children "full-time." She explained, "Usually I would say that I co-parent okay, but the kids are with me full-time. I'm pretty much the primary parent. It's difficult, but I don't know sometimes what other people are thinking. Guys are weird."
Despite the distance and alleged threats from Russell, Kimora remains resolute in her role as a mother. "Ming and Aoki are older, but I think they still feel very much like I'm 'mom,' and I think that's okay," she added. "For sure they can come to me. They live at home, they travel the world, and they have a place in New York."
Kimora also emphasized that her "life doesn't ever revolve around a guy, ever." She is grateful to be able to be there for her family in ways that others aren't and recognizes the importance of being strong and self-reliant. "If I wasn't this person, I don't know if we would've made it or if we would be okay," she said. "It's been very important to me to be strong and self-reliant, and to constantly be growing."
The ongoing controversy surrounding Kimora and Russell's daughters intensified in June 2023 when Kimora backed up her daughter Aoki's allegations that Russell would "threaten" her boyfriend and friends if she blocked him or took some space. Russell has been accused of sexually assaulting and raping more than 20 women since 2017, spanning over 30 years and including inappropriate behavior in business meetings to attempted assault in a women's restroom in New York City during a night of partying, and an alleged rape at his apartment. Despite these allegations, Simmons has repeatedly denied any violent behavior. Shortly after the accusations of harassment and violent behavior were made public, Simmons relinquished all of his duties as head of the Def Jam empire. The 2020 documentary On the Record, released on HBO Max, detailed the stories of multiple women who came forward to speak out against the entrepreneur.
