Ever since Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane came out, Aoki and Ming Lee Simmons have made big names for themselves.
Both are now supermodels within their own right, steadily rising through the ranks of the modeling world.
Simmons’ Family Drama
But despite their recent success, there’s a lot of family drama going on behind the scenes between the girls and their father, Russell Simmons.
And over the past few weeks, this drama has taken a very interesting turn.
According to US Weekly, a feud between Russell and his daughters became public in June 2023.
On Father’s Day 2023, Ming shaded her father and posted a picture of her mom, Kimora Lee Simmons, to her Instagram Story.
The post also featured a caption wishing Kimora a very happy Father’s Day.
Russell Simmons Fires Back
This not-so-subtle jab clearly didn’t sit very well with Russell, who quickly formulated a response.
On his own Instagram Story, he even blamed Kimora for turning his daughters against him.
Russell said: “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
And this was merely the tip of the iceberg of a feud that would soon become so much bigger.
Aoki Lee Simmons Blasts Her Father Russell
In response to Russell’s quote, Aoki joined in on the drama and posted a series of messages.
First, Aoki released an intense text conversation between her and her father from the previous day.
While the message has since been deleted from the social platform, it was allegedly damning.
After posting these messages, Aoki took to Instagram with a live video where she shared some of what was going on with her father.
Alongside begging her dad to get some sort of help, she also accused him of a long history of family harm.
Russell Simmons Allegedly Threatened His Daughters
Furthermore, she accused him of threatening to ruin her career if she came forward to speak about his behavior.
In the video, Aoki said: “He lashes out at ANYONE who does not say, ‘Ooh Russell everything is fine.’ Well it’s not fine.”
Aoki claimed that Russell had been bullying and threatening her sister for so long.
She also claimed that one time, her dad sent a man to Ming’s house at 2 a.m. just to scare her.
But according to Aoki, Ming wasn’t the only one who was suffering because of Russell.
Aoki’s grandmother, who was in poor health, has also reportedly been harassed and bullied by Russell.
After posting this Instagram video, Aoki also shared a muted video of Russell yelling at her over Facetime.
Kimora Lee Simmons Claps Back At Ex-Husband Russell
In the wake of these tragic accusations, Kimora actually took to the internet herself to respond.
Kimora, not surprisingly, took the side of her daughters, sharing her own evidence to social media.
On her Instagram Story, she told all about her ex-husband and unearthed her own grief with the situation.
Kimora said: “I’m sorry to have to do this. But this man has been threatening my kids’ lives…”
She went on to elaborate on how she’s been the main parent for her children over the years.
Aoki Slammed Her Father
A few months after this drama unfolded, Aoki doubled down on her claims about Russell.
According to Entertainment Tonight, she once again slammed her father during a Teen Vogue cover story.
She said that Russell needs to take accountability for his actions and the harm he’s inflicted on his children.
Aoki finished off by saying that she had no regrets about her public shaming of her father.
Alongside being featured in Teen Vogue, Aoki actually graduated from Harvard when she was only twenty years old.
After this, for a while, things quieted down.
Aoki Lee Simmons’ Relationship With A 65-Year-Old
But recently, the drama has taken an even crazier turn.
According to Page Six, Aoki was caught having a fling with a 65-year-old man named Vittorio Assaf.
Vittorio owns a highly successful restaurant corporation based out of New York City.
The two were spotted sharing a kiss on a vacation getaway to St. Barts in the Caribbean.
This raised a lot of alarms as there was a forty-three-year age gap between the alleged couple.
But regardless, according to sources close to Aoki, the two were involved in a relationship.
Someone close to Aoki told People: “Aoki and Vittorio are spending time together and enjoying each others’ company.”
Kimora’s Disappointment With Daughter Aoki
But this situation soon got out of hand, when Aoki’s family started weighing in on the situation.
Aoki teased that her phone had been blowing up in the wake of the pictures on her Instagram Story.
Allegedly, close friends and family members had been calling her nonstop after the paparazzi leaked those kissing photos.
Even Kimora, who usually supports her daughter, took to Instagram in order to express her disappointment.
Kimora shared a video of a panda bear trying to take care of its cub with the caption: “On my last nerve right now!”
This was clearly implying that she had a problem with Aoki’s budding relationship.
Russell Simmons Came To Daughter Aoki’s Defense
However, unlike usual, Russell actually came to his daughter’s defense during this media frenzy.
Many fans took to social media asking Aoki’s parents to check in on her.
One fan told Russell to call his daughter and make sure that she was okay.
Russell responded to this message saying: “What makes u think I don’t? Of course, I call both of my daughters daily.”
This was the first fans had heard about Russell’s relationship with his daughters since Aoki accused him of harm.
In an interview with TMZ, Russell doubled down on his support of Aoki’s decisions.
When asked about his thoughts on her relationship with the much older man, Russell seemed to shrug it off.
In all fairness though, there was a massive age gap between Kimora, who was 17, and Russell, who was 34, when they first met.
Russell said the following about Aoki: “I’m not gonna kick and scream about her choices… All I can do is offer my advice and unconditional love.”
Is Aoki Simmons Still With Vittorio Assaf?
But regardless of this advice, or Kimora’s disapproval, the relationship between Aoki and her older boyfriend ended up to be incredibly short-lived.
Supposedly, Aoki met Vittorio on the island, and the two had a very short fling.
Sources close to Aoki even said that the relationship between the two of them was barely even a thing.
And so, in April 2024, a few weeks after it started, it was confirmed that the two had officially split.
Kimora Was Concerned About Aoki and Vittorio’s Relationship
Supposedly Kimora was also deeply concerned about the relationship because it reminded her of her own relationship with Russell so long ago.
A source close to the Lee Simmons clan told People about the official split.
They said: “Aoki is learning to navigate her private life in a public sphere. And that can be difficult… Kimora was concerned to see her daughter in that kind of relationship…”
And since the relationship is now officially over, the drama seems to have calmed down for Aoki, Kimora, and Ming.
Russell Simmons’ Sexual Assault Allegations
But Russell has recently found himself in a different kind of hot water.
According to Variety, Russell owes over three million dollars to three different women.
One of the women who Russell now owes money alleged that the music mogul SA’d her.
And this is one of many SA allegations that Russell is facing.
One can only hope that he is brought to justice and that his family is able to escape his alleged harm.
But for now, it would seem that the chaos surrounding the Lee Simmons clan is coming to a slow end.
