A complete timeline of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons' marriage and divorce
Barnaby Lane
- Kimora Lee Simmons has accused her ex-husband Russell Simmons of "threatening" their children.
- The pair, who were married between 1998 and 2009, share two daughters.
Simmons and Lee first met in 1992.
Simmons, the cofounder of Def Jam Records, first met Lee while she was modeling at New York Fashion Week in 1992, according to People.
Despite Simmons being 35, and Lee being just 17 and still a sophomore in high school when they met, they soon began dating.
In 2020, Simmons said that they didn't begin dating until Lee turned 18 and that Lee's mother approved of their relationship.
"She was legal at 17 but she turned 18 that may her mother and her manager Bethann Hardison approved supported and rushed us (we really didn't need a push)," he wrote on Instagram.
They married six years later.
Simmons and Lee married in a civil ceremony in Manhattan, New York on December 15, 1998.
Later that month, they had a nondenominational ceremony on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy, which was officiated by Simmons' younger brother, Joseph Simmons, best known as Run of the rap group Run-D.M.C.
Lee told Vanity Fair in 2005 that their St. Barts ceremony was almost derailed by one of her bridesmaids "because they wanted Russell" and "couldn't take it."
They welcomed their first child in 2000.
Ming Lee Simmons was born on January 21, 2000.
Tyra Banks, who was a bridesmaid at Simmons and Lee's wedding, was named as Ming's godmother.
Ming, now 23, graduated from New York University earlier this year and is currently working as a model.
Russell and Kimora's second child was born in 2002.
Aoki Lee Simmons was born on August 16, 2002.
Now 20, Aoki graduated from Harvard in May, having been accepted into the Ivy League school at just 16 years old.
Simmons and Lee announced their split in 2006.
Announcing their split, Simmons said he and Kimora had already been separated for some time but that they would "continue to remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other."
Lee officially filed for divorce in March 2008, citing "irreconcilable differences." The divorce was finalized in January 2009.
They appeared to maintain a good relationship after their split.
Simmons remained a part of Lee, Ming, and Aoki's life after they parted ways.
In 2007, Lee began dating actor Djimon Hounsou, and in January 2009, she revealed she was pregnant with Hounsou's child.
Simmons was supportive of the relationship.
"He's a wonderful guy, a very sweet guy. I want her to be happy no matter what," Simmons told People in 2007.
Lee and Hounsou split in 2012.
Simmons even announced Lee's second marriage to the world.
In February 2014, rumors began circulating that Lee was dating rap mogul Birdman after he described her on Instagram as being "the love of his life."
Simmons, however, shut down those rumors, instead revealing that his ex-wife was now married to investment banker Tim Leissner.
"All of us love @OfficialKimora but the fact is she is happily married," Simmons wrote on Twitter. "Tim is has been family for a while now."
But things have since turned sour.
In May 2021, Vanity Fair reported that Simmons was taking Lee and Leissner to court, accusing them of fraud.
Simmons claimed Lee and Leissner conspired to fraudulently transfer nearly 4 million of his shares of the energy-drink company Celsius to their accounts in order to pay Leissner's $44 million bail fee from a 2018 money laundering case in which he pleaded guilty.
Lee filed a countersuit against Simmons in July.
In November 2022, Simmons was ordered to pay Lee over $100,000 after a judge at Los Angeles Superior Court ruled in her favor.
Lee is now accusing Simmons of being abusive toward their daughters.
On Monday, Simmons shared a cryptic story on Instagram which appeared to take aim at Lee.
"Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all," the story read.
Hitting back in a series of stories of her own, Lee accused Simmons of "threatening my kids' lives."
"Leave my kids alone," she wrote. "This narrative of attacking the only caregiver, the only parent in the home with the kids, the mom, AND the kids for one's own shortcomings and embarrassments is dead. Dead. Dead."
Lee also accused Simmons of being "abusive" to other women in his life.
"The same abusive ish," she wrote. "This is how you manouver with the women all around you. Your threats and lies and intimidation manouvers and tactics are sad. Stop it please. Your own flesh and blood? Enough is enough."
Eighteen women have previously accused Simmons of sexual misconduct. He denies all accusations.
Aoki has also spoken out against her father.
Posting a video of Russell appearing to yell at her over FaceTime to her Instagram page, Aoki wrote: "This is not someone who will accept help."
"This is just one screen recording sorry I don't always remember to press 'record' when he calls my friends, my boyfriend, anyone, to get a chance to threaten and curse and go crazy," she wrote.
Aoki also posted a video of herself explaining that although she and her dad used to be close, he has "completely changed" in recent times.
"Some of us do think he's mentally ill or experiencing like dementia," she wrote in another story. "He really acts like he hates and does not know children frequently."
Aoki also shared screenshots of text messages between her and her father to her Instagram story, in which he called Lee a "piece of shit" and accused her of stealing his money.
Representatives for Simmons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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