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According to Instagram posts by his daughter Aoki Lee Simmons and ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons, hip-hop and lifestyle mogul Russell Simmons has allegedly become unpredictable and has been increasingly abusive to his own family.
Taking to her Instagram Stories Monday, Aoki shared tense text messages with her father, claiming that “he’s been horrible to me for years.” One post appears to show Simmons calling Kimora – Aoki’s mother – a “piece of”. [s]”Hit” and accused her of stealing money from him. Subsequent text images show Aoki claiming that Simmons only calls her to rant and rant about his legal troubles. She shared a muted recording of a FaceTime call in which Simmons visibly screamed in anger and commented, “That’s nobody taking help.”
Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Recordings in 1984, has faced a spate of sexual misconduct and assault allegations more recently. A 2020 HBO Max documentary, On the Record, covers these allegations and includes interviews with his accusers. Simmons sued Kimora in 2021, alleging that she and her then-partner Tim Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs executive, stole his shares in a company to pay a fine Leissner received after he pleaded guilty to financial crimes . Kimora countered and won a $100,000 judgment from Simmons last year.
Rolling Stone has reached out to Simmons, Kimora and Aoki for further comment.
Kimora shared her own concerns about Simmons’ recent behavior on Instagram Stories, and in an Instagram Live warned him what else could happen if he doesn’t de-escalate. She said she has “receipts” proving how he went into a downward spiral. “Please don’t attack my children. You’ve been through so much,” Kimora pleaded. “Please don’t attack my family, which is supposed to be your family.” She added that Simmons appears to be “at rock bottom” and may be desperate for money.
“Please leave us alone, please,” Lee said elsewhere in her live video. She shared a screenshot of her daughter Aoki’s text message with Simmons, in which she claimed she suffered panic attacks over his alleged verbal abuse over the phone, with the caption, “No one should live like this.” No one’s child. That’s abuse.” Elsewhere, Lee noted, “We don’t allow ourselves to be bullied, threatened, or frightened.”
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In her posts, Aoki claimed that Simmons vowed to stop her from certain jobs in the fashion industry, “threatening and bullying” her sister and grandmother, and indiscriminately targeting anyone he felt wasn’t supporting him. She also speculated that he is in the midst of a mental health crisis or “experiencing something akin to dementia” as he “frequently pretends he hates his children and doesn’t know them.” Before that final phase, she said, Simmons was “the best dad ever” and the change was “terrifying.”
Aoki appeared to hint at the need to sever ties with Simmons, at least for now, saying in a comment that she needed to block him. In her recent Instagram Story on the matter, she posted a cheerful photo of Simmons holding her as a young girl and wrote, “I did my best, I’m out of here anyway.”
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