You might think that as the son of hip hop legend Rev Run, Jojo Simmons has been living life on easy street.
But over the years he’s managed to find himself in some sticky and sometimes tragic situations.
Here are some of the most shocking stories and rumors that show even the Simmons kids have had their struggles.
Jojo Simmons’ Beef With Juelz Santana
Rev’s third child and eldest son, Joseph Jr., better known as Jojo Simmons, is now in his mid-30s.
Jojo spent his early years trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps by becoming a rapper.
But that lifestyle got him into a crazy situation in 2013.
At the time, Jojo was involved in a feud with rival rapper Juelz Santana.
He released songs aiming shots at Juelz, and the whole thing escalated pretty quickly.
Juelz had connections with several Skull Gang members.
One of these was a gangster called Hynief.
And apparently, one day that year, Hynief came upon Jojo and cornered him.
Jojo Simmons Was Threatened By Gang Member
After threatening him, Hynief posted a photo on Instagram of Jojo calling Juelz to apologize to him.
The photo showed the gang member holding Jojo up by his shirt.
Which must have been a terrifying experience for Jojo.
He was then widely mocked for being forced to apologize.
But he actually maintained that responding with violence would’ve been a mistake.
Although that nearly happened anyway.
After the ordeal was over, Jojo got some support from some alleged members of rival Crips gangs.
It was claimed that they threatened retaliation to any further violence from Juelz’s friends.
The Birth Of Jojo Simmons’ Daughter
Luckily, things have calmed down for Jojo in the years since.
The main reason he gives for this was the birth of his daughter Mia in 2016.
He shares Mia with his now wife Tanice Amira, who he married in 2019.
His newfound domestic life made him look at things a little differently.
In an interview with Hollywood Life in 2018, Jojo stated that his daughter had forced him to mature.
And that he’d become more focused since her birth.
Jojo Follows His Uncle’s, Russell Simmons, Footsteps
He has also retired from rap, choosing instead to follow his uncle, legendary Def Jam founder, Russell Simmons.
He started the recording label Who’s House Entertainment with his friend Femi Iloyi.
Jojo and Femi had worked together on music for TV networks and shows before taking this huge step.
And it looks like it’s paid off.
His business ventures have combined with a regular spot on Growing Up Hip Hop from Season 5 onward, and seen him secure a net worth of $2 million.
Jojo Simmons’ Altercation With Father-In-Law, Buck
But even now that he’s settled down and wifed up, Jojo’s life is not totally free of scandal.
And what’s wild is that some of the most shocking recent incidents to befall him are connected to his marriage.
A couple of years ago, it was reported that Jojo was assaulted by his own father-in-law.
Tanice’s father Buck Johnson grabbed some headlines after he made his feelings about his daughter’s man very clear in an episode of Growing Up Hip Hop.
For several episodes leading up to the crazy altercation, it had been obvious that tensions were rising between Jojo and Buck.
Why Buck Johnson Dislikes Jojo Simmons
Buck had openly expressed that he didn’t like Jojo, which Tanice believed was stopping him from spending enough time with his grandkids.
In one episode of the reality series, the two men finally sat down to hash things out in a recording studio.
But this ultimately made things worse instead of better.
They tried to have a civil discussion but it quickly turned into a shouting match, with Buck claiming that he had always been there to bail the young couple out financially, which Jojo disputed.
When Jojo asked what the root of Buck’s dislike for him was, Buck revealed that he was hurt over not walking Tanice down the aisle at the couple’s wedding.
However, Jojo revealed to Buck that this had actually been Tanice’s idea.
Why Buck Threw A Bucket Of Ice On Jojo Simmons
Tempers flared, and Buck eventually told his son-in-law that he was “done” with their conversation.
He wanted Jojo to leave, but neither wanted to be the one to back down.
After Jojo remained seated, Buck snapped.
He grabbed a bucket of his from their table and threw it over Jojo in a moment that shocked everyone on set as well as the viewers at home.
Jojo decided not to retaliate and left the scene with his entourage, but not before throwing Buck a parting shot.
He shouted at his father in law as he left, “You threw ice, that’s what girls do on Love & Hip Hop.”
Jojo Simmons’ Wife, Tanice, Asked Father To Apologize To Her Husband
Obviously, this was a pretty uncomfortable situation for everyone involved including Jojo.
But it had to be most tragic for Tanice to be caught in the middle of her loved ones quarreling.
She later confronted her dad about the attack, telling him that she thought he should apologize to Jojo.
However, when she asked Buck to call her husband, Buck clearly wasn’t interested.
He told her, “I’m not apologizing. I thought about that.”
He explained that he acted after feeling that he had been disrespected by Jojo.
Buck said, “If I feel disrespected, I’m gonna disrespect whoever, whenever, whoever. I don’t care.”
Viewers Speak Out On Jojo Simmons And Buck’s Beef
Most viewers who watched the ordeal seemed to side with Jojo.
In a clip of the fight that’s appeared on YouTube, one commenter wrote that “Jojo sat there way too long arguing with a fool.”
Another suggested that Buck resented Jojo because of his famous family.
As well as having Rev Run as a father, Jojo’s uncle is legendary music mogul Russell Simmons.
What’s more, the only reason he and Buck were sitting down together in the first place was that Jojo’s mom Valerie Vaughn had pushed for them to sort things out.
Luckily, Jojo managed to keep the peace of his family in mind when Buck attacked him, and didn’t fight back.
Why Was Jojo Simmons Arrested?
While this may have been a sign of Jojo’s growing maturity, his checkered past proves this wasn’t always the case.
A few years previously, Jojo let his impulses get the better of him when he was arrested for possession of illegal substances.
He also faced charges of resisting arrest and attempted reckless endangerment.
And the way he tried to evade arrest was pretty dramatic.
Jojo was caught by police officers handling the illegal substance in his BMW.
When they approached, he tried to escape by throwing the car into reverse, but ended up hitting another parked vehicle.
The scandal proved to be pretty embarrassing for the then-19-year-old Jojo.
Vanessa Simmons Supported Her Brother, Jojo
However, even then, his tight family unit was determined to protect him from the public.
Shortly after his arrest, his big sister Vanessa showed her support on Twitter.
She wrote, “As humans we all make mistakes. They make up your life lessons and experiences.”
She went on to add, “Jojo is ok, he just made an oops.”
Jojo Simmons Avoided Serious Punishment
In the end, Jojo was able to avoid any serious punishment after pleading guilty to one count of disorderly conduct, and was sentenced to one day of community service.
He and his dad would go on to address the situation on their show Run’s House.
So although wealthy kids like Jojo can get into difficult situations like the rest of us, quite often they’re able to get away with it without doing too much damage.
With his crazy days behind him, Jojo is now focused on raising his own family and keeping the Simmons name going with pride.
