Russell Simmons had to pay up $100,000 to his ex-wife Kimora Lee a few months before the family went on a Father’s Day tirade against the music mogul, accusing him of abuse.
The family drama came to light early on Sunday (June 18) when Simmons’ oldest daughter Ming wished her mother Kimora a Happy Father’s Day on her Instagram Story. Simmons replied to this posting by sharing a meme that read: “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
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Kimora saw these comments and took to Instagram Live to issue a scathing rebuttal against her ex-husband, accusing him of acting like they’re still close despite her having blocked him on social media years ago. Their youngest daughter Aoki then joined in the conversation, posting mean-spirited messages from her father and a muted video where he appeared to be raging at her on FaceTime.
Aoki said the music mogul suffers from a mental health issue, and that as a family they’ve given up trying to repair their relationship.
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As the drama has continued to unfold, RadarOnlinelearned that Simmons actually was forced to cough up $100,000 to Kimora Lee a few months before his daughters accused him of abuse. Russell had previously sued his ex-wife and her investment banker husband back in 2021, accusing them of stealing 4 million shares he owned in the energy drink Celsius without his permission.
In his suit, Simmons said the couple used the funds to pay for legal fees associated with the husband’s federal fraud case, of which he was found guilty and ordered to pay back $43.7 million as part of his sentence.
However, in November 2022, Kimora was awarded $100k in legal fees as part of the case after she emerged victorious from a breach of contract claim. The case remains ongoing.
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In the wake of his family’s criticisms, Simmons offered up an apology on Monday (June 19), writing on Instagram that “God is testing” his daughters.
“God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok, be strong. . . they are called growing pains,” he wrote alongside a photo of Ming and Aoki. “As you know, we grow through adversity and struggle . . . you read my books and heard me preach your whole childhood . . . reach back to old lessons and remember to ‘smile and breathe’ [heart emoji] ‘smile and breathe.’”
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He continued: “You are the watchers of this world . . . so let go . . . be at ease . . . God is driving and he is working on you [heart emoji]. DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling . . . but know this . . . there are no conditions . . . for sure i love you guys more than i love myself.”
