Kimora Lee Simmons said she is doing ‘okay’ after she and her two oldest daughters went public with abuse allegations against her music mogul ex-husband Russel Simmons.
‘I’m always OK. I’m a tough chick,’ the model, 48, said Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans.
‘I’m a single mom of five kids.
“That’s why I’m here because so many women are here,’ she explained.
‘So much black girl joy, brown girl joy, all the shades of joy. So, it just feels good for me to be in a room like this.’
Okay: Kimora Lee Simmons said she is doing ‘okay’ after she and her two oldest daughters went public with abuse allegations against music mogul Russel Simmons (Pictured in New Orleans July 1)
Controversy: The current controversy began when Kimora shared video from a muted FaceTime conversation between Russell and their daughter Aoki, in which the record producer was reportedly berating the recent Harvard graduate
The fashion designer dazzled in a sleeveless gold mini-dress as she took the the stage.
Kimora, her oldest daughters, Ming Lee, 23, and Aoki, 20, found themselves embroiled in controversy when Kimora shared a video of her ex reportedly berating Aoki on a muted FaceTime call.
Explaining why she shared the clip, Kimora wrote to her followers: ‘I’m so sorry to have to do this. But this man has been threatening my kids’ lives.’
Russell and Kimora were married for nine years before divorcing, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
‘I’m hearing so much more now,’ she continued. ‘We won’t be bullied, threatened, or afraid. Who [gives a f***].’
‘No one should live like this,’ she added. ‘No one’s child. This is abuse. Not okay. The threats, not okay. The fear mongering. Not okay.’
Tough: ‘I’m always OK. I’m a tough chick,’ the model, 48, said Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. ‘I’m a single mom of five kids’
!['I'm so sorry to have to do this,' Kimora wrote as she shared the video.' But this man has been threatening my kids' lives. I'm hearing so much more now. We won't be bullied, threatened, or afraid. Who [gives a f***]'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/03/17/72303481-12259711-Kimora_wrote_via_Instastory_on_Monday_I_m_so_sorry_to_have_to_do-a-26_1688403018711.jpg)
‘I’m so sorry to have to do this,’ Kimora wrote as she shared the video.’ But this man has been threatening my kids’ lives. I’m hearing so much more now. We won’t be bullied, threatened, or afraid. Who [gives a f***]’
Aoki also shared a text chain with her dad, explaining she had blocked him because she suffers from panic attacks as a result of his behavior.
The young Harvard grad also spoke out about the backlash she received following the allegations on Instagram.
‘I wonder how your mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, girlfriends, wives, would feel seeing some of the sexist, racist, honestly foul comments and messages some of you “men” are leaving me,’ the model wrote in an essay.
In a slide featuring her father’s photo, Aoki said that the Def Jam Recordings co-founder always told her to ‘never’ let herself be mistreated by men and to always ‘defend’ her mother and sisters.
‘Until a short time ago, this is the man who told me “always defend and look after your mother girls” and “never let a man curse at you,”” she wrote of her father.
‘”You call Daddy if a man ever tries to yell [sic] you or scare you that’s never ok! Real men don’t shout at women and girls.”‘
Aoki continued: ‘So to all the toxic men in my comments using “I’m defending him” to be foul, and talk about all the grievances you have with women, you can save it.
‘It’s pathetic. [Russell] would agree I know that for sure.’
Text: Kimora also published a text from Aoki to her dad, explaining that his behavior caused panic attacks and she had blocked him in order to put her ‘health and well-being first’
Backlash: ‘I wonder how your mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, girlfriends, wives, would feel seeing some of the sexist, racist, honestly foul comments and messages some of you “men” are leaving me,’ Aoki wrote following online backlash (Pictured in Los Angeles May 19)
Russell resigned from Def Jam and his other businesses in 2017 following multiple accusations of sexual harassment and rape.
The former music producer who now calls himself a Biz Yogi, and offers his fans lifestyle advice, has since publicly apologized, for his rant saying he was ‘DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling.’
He also shared a photo of himself with his daughters when they were younger, telling them, ‘But know this… there are no conditions… for sure i love you guys more than i love myself.’
The movie producer is suing Kimora and her former husband Tim Leissner for allegedly stealing 4M shares of his stocks in 2018.
Kimora and Tim share son Wolfe, eight. The former model is also mom to son Kenzo, 14, from her previous relationship with actor Djimon Hounsou and to Gary, 13, whom she adopted in 2020.
