Kimora Lee Simmons is proving that she is not going to let anything get or, for that matter, keep her down. The 48-year-old is staying strong after public feud with daughters’ father, 65-year-old Russell Simmons.
“I’m always okay. You guys know I’m a tough chick,” the former model told reporters at the Essence Fest. “We’ve been through a difficult time and I like for people to say, ‘I love Aoki. We love Ming.’ “
She continued, “I want the girls to know, because they’re young and impressionable, that it’s okay, people go through things. The world loves you. If somebody forms an opinion of you based on two seconds of something they don’t know, then you’re not missing them.”
During the press conference at Essence Fest, Kimora acknowledged the challenges of being a single parent. She debunked the misconception that famous single moms have it easier and argued that the struggles are universal.
“I have famous friends who’ll say ‘I’m a single mom, it’s so tough,’ and the next day they get rammed in the press [with people saying], ‘How can you say this? Your life is not like our life,’ and that is not true,” she said.
She concluded saying that, “If you are a single parent, you understand what single parents go through … You understand that family unit, you understand that struggle … You understand that having children is like having a broke bestie: You love them to death but they can never contribute to the dinner. Those things are universal.”
The Baby Phat designer’s comments come weeks after she accused her ex-husband of threatening her and their children, 20-year-old Aoki Lee Simmons and 23-year-old Ming Lee Simmons.
Kimora’s youngest daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons, came to her mother’s defense publicly, posting on social media a video of the Def Jam founder yelling at her during a FaceTime conversation. The Harvard graduate posted, “This is not someone who will accept help. 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.”
She continued, “Some of us do think he’s mentally ill or experiencing something like dementia. He really acts like he hates and does not know his children frequently.”
Kimora Lee shares daughters 20-year-old Aoki Lee and 23-year-old Ming Lee with ex-husband Russell Simmons. Lee shares son Kenzo with ex Djimon Hounsou. She shares eight-year-old Wolfe and 13-year-old adopted son, Gary, with estranged husband Tim Leissner.
