All About Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons' Family Drama, from Their Public Comments to the 2021 Lawsuit
- - All About Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons' Family Drama, from Their Public Comments to the 2021 Lawsuit
Skyler Caruso, Nicole PomaricoDecember 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM
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Lester Cohen/Getty; Olivia Wong/WireImage
Russell Simmons and ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons welcomed daughters Ming and Aoki before their divorce in 2006
Since then, the family has publicly feuded on multiple occasions
In December 2025, Russell addressed Kimora's claim to PEOPLE that she "doesn't have a relationship" with her kids' fathers
The Simmons family has been publicly feuding for years.
Kimora Lee Simmons, who met Russell Simmons as a high schooler during New York Fashion Week in 1992, married him in 1998 and divorced him in 2006. The two share daughters Ming and Aoki, whom they welcomed together in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
In addition to Aoki and Ming, Kimora is mom to son Kenzo (with ex Djimon Hounsou), son Wolfe (with estranged husband Tim Leissner) and son Gary (whom she adopted in 2020).
In December 2025, Russell and Kimora's feud resurfaced after the fashion mogul told PEOPLE that she "doesn't have a relationship" with her kids' fathers, prompting Russell to respond to her on social media, saying, "there are two sides to every story."
The mom of five has also accused Russell of being "abusive" to the women in his life. (Eighteen women have previously accused Simmons of sexual misconduct. He has settled with at least five women, according to a November 2025 Rolling Stone report.)
Here's everything to know about the Simmons' public family feud.
Russell and Kimora share two children
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Russell Simmons with Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons
During their marriage, Russell and Kimora welcomed two daughters. Their oldest, Ming Lee Simmons, arrived on Jan. 21, 2000, with her younger sister, Aoki, arriving on Aug. 16, 2002.
Both Ming and Aoki have followed in their parents' footsteps into the spotlight, particularly in the world of fashion.
Aoki, who graduated from Harvard in June 2023, has been modeling for her entire adult life, but announced that she would be "wrapping up" this chapter of her career in October 2024.
“It’s hard to go somewhere and get told over and over and over, 'No, [and] you’re not pretty enough,' " she told her followers during an Instagram Live, adding that going to castings often feels “like one big fat comparison."
In November 2025, Ming opened up to PEOPLE about launching her company, Boulangerie Beauty, which was inspired by her childhood trips to Paris with her mom.
"I wanted to show her that I could do this on my own," she said. "At the very beginnings of this, I asked her for help, but I wanted to prove to myself I could do it."
They divorced in 2006 and Russell sued Kimora in 2021
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Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons
Russell and Kimora tied the knot on Dec. 20, 1998, and went their separate ways in 2006.
“Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other. We will also continue to work side by side on a daily basis as partners in all of our businesses," Russell said in a statement at the time.
It wasn't until March 2008 that Kimora filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized the following year.
In May 2021, Russell sued Kimora and Leissner, alleging that they conspired to make a fraudulent transfer of Simmons' nearly 4 million shares of energy drink company Celsius. That lawsuit is ongoing, per Rolling Stone.
The family fought online in 2023
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Kimora Lee Simmons, Ming Lee Simmons, Russell Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons
The family's first big public feud came in June 2023, when Ming wished her mother a "Happy Father's Day" (and did not acknowledge Russell) in her Instagram Stories.
However, the following day, Russell shared a post to his own Instagram Stories that appeared to address his family. The image featured a black background with white text that read: "Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
He followed up with a second slide that featured a quote, which read: “The father you have is the perfect father for the evolution of your soul and the lessons that you needed to learn in this lifetime.”
Later, Aoki backed her mom and sister, posting a video of Russell appearing to yell at her over FaceTime to her Instagram page. In another post on her Instagram Stories, Aoki said that she once thought Russell was once "the best dad ever" but was going through a "terrifying change."
"This is not someone who will accept help," she wrote at the time. "This is just one screen recording sorry I don’t always remember to press 'record' when he calls my friends, my boyfriend, anyone, to get a chance to threaten and curse and go crazy."
On June 20, Russell posted another cryptic message, appearing to apologize to his two daughters after Kimora accused him of “threatening my kids' lives.” Addressing Aoki and Ming in a post, Russell wrote, “God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok, be strong. . . they are called growing pains . . . as you know, we grow through adversity and struggle.”
He added, “DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling. But know this . . . there are no conditions . . . for sure i love you guys more than i love myself."
Russell said there are "two sides to every story" in 2025
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Russell Simmons
The drama between Russell and Kimora ramped back up in December 2025, when Kimora told PEOPLE that she "doesn't have a relationship, really" with any of her kids' fathers.
"Usually I would say that I co-parent okay, but the kids are with me full-time," she said. "I'm pretty much the primary parent. It's difficult, but I don't know sometimes what other people are thinking. Guys are weird."
Russell responded to her claim in a post on Threads on Dec. 14, appearing to reference his 2021 lawsuit.
“I gave u 50,000 a month for 20 years,” he wrote. “I was ur best /only friend. I’m the godfather to your other 3 kids, until one day you stole my stock.”
He continued, "I have been fighting for my kids love and my bread ever since,” he continued. “You threatened that if I sued you, I would never speak to my kids again. There are two sides to every story.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
