Kimora Lee Simmons thanked Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters Saturday, saying they “very likely saved.” [the] Life of her and her family after a fire in their house.
The 48-year-old fashion designer posted a series of images on her Instagram Stories documenting the damage caused by the fire and showing a group of firefighters tending to the char coming from the home’s chimney.
“The kids and I are fine,” Simmons told more than 2.3 million followers. “I cannot express my deepest gratitude enough to the numerous battalions, leaders and units who accompanied us for hours and possibly saved our lives. ‘THANK YOU SO MUCH!’
It was not immediately clear who was at the site when the fire broke out.
The St. Louis-born celebrity is the mother of five children: daughters Ming, 23, and Aoki, 21, with ex-husband Russell Simmons, 66; son Kenzo, 14, with ex-boyfriend Djimon Hounsou, 59; son Wolfe, eight, with her estranged husband Tim Leissner, 52; and son Gary, 13, whom she adopted nearly four years ago.
Kimora Lee Simmons, 48, thanked Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters on Saturday, saying they “very likely saved.” [the] Life of her and her family after a fire in their house. Pictured in LA last month
The Baby Phat entrepreneur opened up about her parenting philosophy to People last May, saying, “As a single mom, I think about my kids all the time, and that’s it.”
She added: “My children, their friends, my other children, you know, I have many.”
Simmons said her main motivation in life has been to make her children happy: “I feel like that’s the work I do every day to put that smile on their face.” And again, that means ” “Smile” so much.”
Simmons said: “I’m a single mother of five and I know how hard it can be… it doesn’t matter if you’re rich and famous, at the end of the day… you’re a community person, a…” “Caregiver, you are just there and trying to put it all together.”
The famous family hit the headlines earlier this year after Aoki, a model and Harvard graduate, and Kimora publicly discussed their grievances with Russell Simmons in June.
Aoki claimed he verbally abused her earlier this year and shared text messages and screenshots of her communications with her father, whose career was reeling after at least 15 women accused him of sexual misconduct amid the rise of the MeToo movement in late 2017. He has denied all allegations.
In September, Aoki explained to Teen Vogue her motivation for going public with details of her tempestuous relationship with her father, saying his erratic behavior had a negative impact on her mental health.
“Some of it was already out there,” Aoki said. “There were reasons why I thought it made sense to release it because it was happening in a quiet bubble, so to speak.”
Simmons shared a message of gratitude to the professionals who saved her life and home
Four firefighters were fighting the fire, which had damaged the hardwood floors in the house
Simmons was pictured with her five children (left to right) Gary, Kenzo, Wolfe, Ming and Aoki at a charity event in Carson, California last year
Aoki posted texts and videos of her interactions with her father in June, detailing their broken relationship.
She said the Def Jam co-founder was “terrible.” [her] for years” and that she suffered from significant anxiety issues as a result.
Aoki said Russell – who tried unsuccessfully to salvage his reputation with an advertising campaign following the sexual misconduct allegations – had not been well “for years.”
She wrote: “He needs help and won’t accept it.” He refuses to acknowledge that he is not himself.
“He threatened and harassed my sister and my grandmother, he harassed my grandmother in the middle of the night even though her health was poor. [sent] “A man came to my sister’s apartment at 2 a.m. to scare her.”
Aoki said that Russell “attacks ANYONE who doesn’t say, ‘Oh Russell, everything’s fine,'” adding, “Well, it’s not fine.”
Kimora also posted on social media about her ex-husband’s alleged abusive behavior, saying that while she was “so sorry to have to do this,” it was important to make the situation public.
“This man threatened my children’s lives,” said Kimora, who was married to Russell from 1998 to 2009. “We will not allow ourselves to be bullied, threatened or frightened.” Nobody should live like this. Nobody’s child. This is abuse. Not OK.’
Kimora and Aoki were critical of Russell Simmons in June when they complained about his behavior on social media. Pictured in LA last month
In June, Aoki posted texts and videos of her interactions with her father detailing their fractured relationship, including screenshots of a tense FaceTime interaction
Kimora also addressed social media posts depicting her ex-husband’s behavior, saying that while she was “so sorry to have to do this,” it was important to make the situation public
Aoki told Teen Vogue that a celebrity (whom she did not name) assured her that her actions were appropriate.
She said the celebrity told her, ‘Oh, I saw your thing.’ I did the same thing when I was like 20 and it was fine.”
Aoki declined to speak to the magazine about the sexual misconduct allegations made against her father, as the publication reported that she “emphasized a desire not to step out of line out of consideration for everyone involved.”