An AI-generated version of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee rapping Quavo and Takeoff's “Hotel Lobby” is how the Def Jam co-founder chose to address his ex-wife amid renewed tension over their past. Using the social media trend that replaces Quavo and Takeoff in their COLORS performance with other figures, Simmons inserted himself and Kimora into the clip before attaching a surprisingly sentimental message.
“We worked good as a team,” he wrote in the Instagram caption, describing their years together and claiming they remained “very close friends” long after the marriage ended. Simmons congratulated Kimora on her new Lifetime documentary, Kimora Lee: On Her Own, and said that when his own story is told, he will “only remember you fondly.” He also wrote that he remains available for his three godchildren and wished her success in whatever comes next.
The timing makes the affectionate tone difficult to separate from their latest public disagreement. Kimora recently said she was 16 when Simmons began pursuing her and recalled Tyra Banks trying to keep her away from him. She now believes Banks was attempting to protect her, though she initially interpreted the interference as jealousy. People also reported Kimora’s allegations that the relationship later became emotionally and financially abusive. Simmons has denied allegations of abuse.
Read More: Kimora Lee Says Tyra Banks Tried To Protect Her From Russell Simmons
Their Relationship Has Been Anything But Friendly Lately
Simmons responded to the age claim through a spokesperson, arguing that the pair first met in February 1993, when Kimora was 17 years and nine months old. His representative also pointed to older interviews in which she was quoted saying they did not become intimate until she was 18. The statement did not address her recollection of Banks trying to intervene.
Their relationship has deteriorated publicly in other ways. In 2021, Simmons sued Kimora and her then-husband Tim Leissner over millions of shares in Celsius Holdings, accusing them of improperly transferring stock connected to an investment venture. Kimora’s representatives denied those allegations and accused Simmons of using the lawsuit to harass her. She recently told People that the dispute has since been resolved.
The former couple married in 1998 and share daughters Ming and Aoki. Their divorce was finalized in 2009, and although they maintained a friendlier public relationship for years afterward, that image has steadily broken down through legal fights and competing accounts of their marriage. Against that backdrop, the “Hotel Lobby” edit lands somewhere between nostalgia and an attempted olive branch.
Read More: Russell Simmons & Kimora Lee: A Complicated Relationship Timeline
