Kimora Lee Simmons posted with her family of five children in a rare photo for a back-to-school giveaway in August 2022 in Los Angeles.
The 47-year-old fashion mogul and model stood center of the show with her arms around her youngest, Wolfe, 7, who she shares with Tim Leissner, daughters Aoki, 20, and Ming, 22, who she shares with Russell Simmons, Kenzo, 13, whose father is actor Djimon Hounsou and her adopted son Gary, 12.
This back-to-school giveaway was hosted by Lee Simmon's iconic company Baby Phat, the Boys & Girls Club of America, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Crayola.
She said at the event, "Even though it's a stressful time, it's also probably a very relieving time for the parents, so I want to help the parents get the kids off in style."
So who are her children, and what has she said about parenting a brood?
8 Who Is Kimora Lee Simmons?
Born in 1975 in St. Louis, Kimora Lee Simmons started working as a model aged 13 when she was discovered while attending a modeling class.
By age 14, she was walking the runway for iconic brands like Chanel. In 1998, she married hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. The couple created Phat Fashions, with Kimora serving as lead designer for the Baby Phat label.
She has also appeared in reality shows like Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane and Kimora: House of Fab.
7 Who Is Kimora Lee Simmons' Adopted Son Gary
Kimora adopted Gary in 2020, when he was aged just 10.
“He joins the family as Kimora’s two daughters have gone off to college,” the fashion designer’s rep told Us. “Ming Lee Simmons is a sophomore at NYU, and the next youngest (daughter Aoki Lee Simmons) is a freshman at Harvard. Both have started their college careers and join Kimora as the faces and creative vision behind their newly relaunched family business, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons. Kimora now has all boys at home. Gary joins sons Kenzo Lee Hounsou and Wolfe Lee Leissner.”
6 Kimora Lee Simmons Welcomed Son, Wolfe, With Husband Tim Leissner
Kimora Lee Simons welcome son Wolfe Lee Leissner, in April 2015 with husband, banker and former managing director of Goldman Sachs, Tim Leissner.
However, Tim was accused of being involved in the 1Malaysia Development Scandal. In the trial, he revealed that he was still married to his second wife Judy Chan Leissner and had shown fake divorce documents to Kimora. The pair have since split.
5 Kimora Lee Simmons' Custody Battle Over Kenzo Lee Hounsou
Kimora also shares a son, Kenzo Lee Honsou, with Blood Diamond actor Djimon Hounsou.
Hounsou and Simmons had a long legal battle over Kenzo, with the Guardians of the Galaxy actor requesting joint custody from the Baby Phat founder. In an interview with TMZ, the Oscar-nominated actor claimed Simmons purposefully kept Kenzo from him on Father’s Day, and she has accused him of being an absentee dad.
The 6-foot tall teenager loves basketball and sometimes helps his mother with branding deals.
4 Aoki Lee Simmons Is Kimora Lee Simmons' Harvard Student
Born on Aug. 16, 2002, Aoki Lee Simmons is the youngest daughter of Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons.
In May 2019, it was announced that the then-16-year-old Aoki Lee got accepted into Harvard University. On her Instagram page, Aoki Lee revealed that she studied classics at the prestigious Ivy League university and is expected to graduate in 2023.
She is beauty, as well as brains. While studying at the prestigious school, she walked in her mother footsteps, strutting the runway in the Pyer Moss haute couture presentation. In September 2021, Aoki Lee partnered with JustFab to launch her own capsule collection.
Aoki is signed to Nomad Management and has posed for major brands and designers like Calvin Klein, Pyer Moss, and Baby Phat. Earlier this month, Aoki faced criticism on TikTok after commentators questioned her career choice. In fact, one user even asked why the “articulate and obviously educated” student would want to model in the first place.
3 Who Is Fashion Icon, Ming Lee Simmons?
Ming Lee Simmons also followed her mother's footsteps into the fashion industry. She partnered with Boohoo as an ambassador for the popular clothing brand.
“When I first got the opportunity to work with boohoo, I was really excited because they were offering a chance for me to design my own collection and put my own thoughts and heart into it,” Simmons told ESSENCE. “I’ve given a lot of input to my mom and my sister when we work together, but this time I am doing it myself, and I am really excited about that.”
2 Kimora Lee Simmons Is A Strict Mom In Comparison To Russell Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons revealed she's a no nonsense mom with daughters Ming and Aoki.
“And I probably feel like a lot of the times the mom and the dad. Their dad is a little bit more hands off. He’s not as much as involved or the disciplinarian and now they’re adults," she sys about their mogul father, Russell Simmons. That’s definitely me to keep you on the straight and narrow and not do anything crazy."
Kimora was just 17 when she met 64-year-old Russell met at a New York Fashion Week. Despite the 18-year age gap, the two married in 1998. After a successful reality show about their family life together and fashion collaborations, the couple separated in 2006 and later divorced a few years later.
1 Kimora Supports Children, No Matter Their Passions
Kimora has come under fire for her smart daughters choosing fashion over education. Simmons has declared that "It's important to explore all your passions."
“I love it that she’s trying to follow in my footsteps. But also, I think it’s a pain because if I had had some of what they have, maybe I wouldn’t have been a model. But I think it’s just looking at different sides of a coin,” Kimora said in defense of Aoki, who decided to purse modeling despite going to an Ivy League school.
“Why am I going into a field that doesn’t necessarily require a degree, or require a whole lot of book smarts, when I have a lot of education?” Aoki addressed in TikTok. “One, because I love it. I think we should normalize you liking something. You don’t have to do what you’re immediately good at.”
“I started my career at a very young age, so I know how that can be,” Kimora explained as she tries to help her daughters balance work and education. “And I was a parent at a very young age — 12 or 13-years-old, so I know how that is, moving around these big cities, so I think it’s just keeping your eye on your kids, being involved, doing the best you can. I’m not perfect, but showing up. I’m there for my kids every single day. Every single day.”
