Russell Simmons & Kimora Lee: A Complicated Relationship Timeline

Their relationship once lived in the pages of fashion magazines and on red carpets. Now, it’s playing out through social media call-outs and interviews laced with unfinished business. Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons have long presented a public image of post-divorce cooperation with co-parenting, business ventures, and quiet respect. However, there has been a dramatic shift in recent years, and the past few weeks have all but shattered it.

Now, Kimora is back in the spotlight with her new reality series, Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, opening up more of her life as a mother of five and an industry veteran. Still, while her daughters, Ming and Aoki, stand confidently in the frame, their father remains notably absent. Russell Simmons has spent the better part of a decade living in Bali, under the weight of sexual misconduct allegations that never quite went away.

Following the reality show's release, Russell took to social media to push back, accusing her of alienating their daughters and of taking his money. Kimora responded with receipts and, more importantly, with reminders that their daughters are adults. She also said Russell’s energy would be better spent facing the legal firestorm waiting for him back home.

Simmons was already a significant figure in Hip Hop by the time he met Kimora in 1992. He was the co-founder of Def Jam and a force whose name carried weight in both music and fashion. Kimora Lee was just 17, a high school student and runway model signed to Chanel, known for her striking presence and international campaigns. He was 35.

The age gap raised questions, but in the press, their relationship was framed as high-profile and glamorous. They were the mogul and the model, seen together at fashion weeks, charity events, and launch parties. In 1998, they married, and by that time, Kimora had evolved into a fashion entrepreneur in her own right, founding Baby Phat as a spinoff of Russell’s Phat Farm.

They built a brand, a family, and a media presence that helped define early-2000s Black celebrity culture. Yet, behind the curated image, there were rumors of infidelity and shifting dynamics. The same visibility that elevated their marriage also exposed its cracks.

In 2000, Kimora gave birth to their first daughter, Ming Lee Simmons. Two years later, their second daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons, was born. With parenthood came a shift in how they were seen. They were no longer just a stylish couple, but a growing family building a legacy in real time.

Their daughters were raised in the same spotlight their parents thrived in. Baby Phat became more than a clothing brand because it became a family business, with Kimora often seen with Ming and Aoki at various fashion-related events. In interviews, Kimora emphasized her role as both a mother and CEO, while Russell publicly praised her business acumen and parenting.

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From the outside, it looked like a balance. However, over time, Kimora's image and control of the brand began to stand apart from Russell’s. She was seen as the more present parent, even as she managed multiple businesses and philanthropic efforts. The girls, too, grew up more visibly in Kimora’s world than Russell’s.

Even after their divorce, Russell and Kimora remained financially entangled. They continued co-parenting and attended functions together, presenting a united front. Still, in 2021, their financial history became the subject of legal filings that painted a different picture.

That year, Russell filed a lawsuit against Kimora and her then-husband, investment banker Tim Leissner. He alleged they had conspired to fraudulently transfer and sell shares of Celsius, an energy drink company both men had invested in. According to Russell, those shares were used to help Leissner pay off a $44 million fine tied to his involvement in the massive 1MDB embezzlement scandal. Simmons claimed the transfer was unauthorized and demanded the return of his shares or equivalent compensation.

Kimora's legal team dismissed the lawsuit as harassment and “extortion.” In a public statement, they accused Russell of weaponizing the legal system to punish Kimora during a time when his own public reputation was unraveling. The lawsuit exposed a financial disagreement and offered the public a glimpse into the breakdown of trust between two people who had once built an empire together.

What had once been handled privately was now laid bare in court documents, signaling a move from quiet distance to open hostility.

In late 2017, Russell Simmons began to withdraw from public life. This came after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, including rape, harassment, and coercion. These allegations span decades. At least 18 women have publicly come forward, some sharing their stories in press investigations and the 2020 documentary On the Record, which featured former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon and detailed patterns of abuse inside the music industry.

Simmons denied all allegations and said his relationships were consensual. Still, as the accounts gained traction and credibility, he began stepping down from his companies, including Def Jam, Rush Communications, and his fashion brands. He vacated board positions, canceled speaking engagements, and distanced himself from public platforms that once gave his voice prominence.

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Russell had relocated to Bali by 2018, where he remains. Critics point out that Indonesia has no extradition treaty with the United States, a detail many believe is no coincidence. Simmons has insisted that he moved for spiritual reasons and maintains that he has not fled legal accountability. But the timing and the volume of the allegations have made that claim hard to separate from public perception.

Moreover, these allegations didn’t just affect his reputation. They complicated how the public views his past relationships, including with Kimora. Though she hasn’t directly addressed the claims against him in detail, her silence has often been interpreted as protective for herself and their daughters.

Since relocating to Bali, Russell Simmons has maintained a low physical profile but a surprisingly active digital presence. He often posts about yoga, spirituality, and mindfulness, reshaping his brand around peace and detachment. His physical distance hasn’t protected him from criticism. If anything, it has amplified it.

Further, his presence in Bali has long been viewed with skepticism. While he claims the move was about personal transformation and healing, many see it as a strategic decision to avoid the legal and cultural consequences waiting for him in America. Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., and although no criminal charges have led to arrest warrants, the optics, especially in the #MeToo era, are damning.

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Meanwhile, his attempts to remain a public figure in spiritual and wellness spaces have been met with resistance. Critics argue that Simmons has tried to bypass accountability by rebranding himself as a teacher and elder while leaving a trail of unresolved accusations in his wake.

The cracks that had long existed behind the scenes began to spill out into public view in 2023, when Russell’s relationship with his daughters, especially Aoki Lee, took center stage.

In a now-viral video, Aoki shared a screen recording of a FaceTime call with Russell, during which he appeared to be yelling aggressively. The video was part of a larger series of posts in which she accused her father of emotional manipulation and erratic behavior. She said he "completely changed" and called it "terrifying."

Ming Lee also made her position clear, posting a Father's Day tribute to Kimora, not Russell. While neither daughter gave interviews at the time, their digital statements were pointed. Silence became a soft confrontation, made more powerful by their age and autonomy.

Kimora publicly backed her daughters, saying they had the right to set boundaries and speak for themselves. While she didn’t detail everything that led to the breakdown, her tone suggested a long pattern of private strain, and it could no longer be managed behind closed doors.

When Russell took to Instagram in December 2025 to accuse Kimora of “turning the kids against him” and “stealing” from him, her response was direct. She said what many suspected—their relationship had been strained for years, and their daughters were making their own choices, informed by their lived experiences.

On social media, Kimora defended her daughters, reminded the public that they are adults now, and called out Russell for deflecting. Why are you typing from thousands of miles away in a non extradition country?" she said. "Go negotiate and Answer your Accusers."

In the early 2000s, Kimora and Russell were a kind of aspirational Black celebrity archetype. However, time has a way of stripping away public image. What’s left now is a timeline layered with discomfort, beginning with a teenage romance marked by a power imbalance, decades of silence that turned into lawsuits and leaked calls, and daughters choosing presence over nostalgia.

Russell Simmons remains in Bali. Kimora continues to raise and protect her children, build her brand, and, when necessary, correct the public record. This isn’t just the unraveling of a former couple. It’s the collapse of a curated image. And in its place is something messier, but more honest.

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