Celebrity Gossip

Russell Simmons’s Kids Are Publicly Feuding With Him – Here’s Why

Russell and Kimora’s youngest daughter, Aoki, was born on Aug. 16, 2002. Similar to her sister, Aoki also started her modeling career at a young age. As a kid, Aoki often walked beside her mom and sister at several fashion shows, including for Child Magazine and Baby Phat. After helping relaunch her mother’s clothing line in 2019, Aoki made her official runway debut in July 2021 by walking in Pyer Moss’s fashion show as part of Paris Couture Week, per People. Later that year, Aoki also landed her first brand partnership with Just Fab.

Outside of modeling, Aoki made headlines in 2019 when her mother announced that she got accepted to Harvard University at just 16 years old. After graduating from the Ivy League school in June, Aoki told People, “I feel grateful, proud and relieved — in that order! It’s a surreal feeling to be done with something that was such a huge part of my life. Now, like every other graduate, I’m on to the next chapter.” She gave a shout-out to “the village of people” that helped her along the way, including her mom, sister, and little brothers. (Kimora is mom to sons Kenzo, Wolfe, and Gary.)

Although Aoki and Ming’s relationship with their father has been rocky, Russell was still a part of their lives as teenagers. In a June 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Russell had nothing but kind words to say when talking about his daughters. “They teach me humility. Every day teach me everything. They’re such beautiful little minds, you know, and I learn so much from them,” he said. “I learned about purpose with them. You know, there’s nothing — before you have children, there isn’t nothing you would lay your life down for. You say it. And I think almost any parent feels that. I don’t think I’m unique when I say that.”

In 2015, Aoki and Ming accompanied their father to the annual Art for Life Benefit event and then went with him again in 2017. While they haven’t attended another public event with him since then, Kimora confirmed in May 2020 that she was still on good terms with Russell despite the pair divorcing over a decade prior in 2009. “I admired his kindness, his spirituality, he’s a very deep-thinker, a very good person with a very big heart,” she told Us Weekly at the time. “I think just a little bit of those things have rubbed off on myself and the kids. I think it’s for the better and all that makes things all the better. We’re friends and he’s very supportive. We get along and it’s pretty easy.”

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