How Kimora Lee Simmons Reacted to Daughter Aoki Lee's "Shocking" Romance With Man 44 Years Older
Kimora Lee Simmons detailed how "shocking" it was to find out her 23-year-old daughter Aoki Lee Simmons sparked a brief romance in 2024 with restauranteur Vittorio Assaf, who is 44 years her senior.
Kimora Lee Simmons was thrust into the fab fast lane when she found out about her daughter's love life.
The Baby Phat founder detailed her reaction to learning that her and ex-husband Russell Simmons' 23-year-old daughter Aoki Lee Simmons sparked a brief romance in 2024 with restauranteur Vittorio Assaf, who is 44 years her senior.
For Kimora, she was particularly overwhelmed to discover the news when photos of Aoki and Vittorio, 65, packing on PDA in St. Barths began circulating online.
"It went from 0 to 100 really quick, and I was like, ‘Aoki, I didn’t even know this was a thing,'" she recalled during a Dec. 8 appearance on Amanda Hirsch's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. "I found out when the world found out. So that was what was so shocking."
Kimora went on to admit that she wasn't the biggest fan of the pairing especially since she's had similar dating experiences of her own.
"Having gone through not exactly the same but similar that big age-gap relationship, let’s just call it that," she continued, "I do think it’s predatorial."
Still, the Kimora: Back the Fab Lane star was careful not to overreact when she confronted her daughter.
"I didn’t say it in that way because it was this fast,” she explained, snapping her fingers. “And it blew up to be so much, so then you can’t be the mom that’s like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ But that definitely was the thing."
Luckily, Kimora who is also mom to daughter Ming Lee Simmons, 25, with Russell, as well as sons Kenzo Lee Hounsou, 16, with ex Djimon Hounsou, Gary Lee Leissner, 15, with ex Tim Leissner, and Wolfe Lee, 10, who she welcomed through adoption in 2020 feels like the romance was over as quickly as it started.
"I don’t even think that was a moment for them or I should say the opposite," she shared. "I think it was just that: a moment. I don’t think it was anything else."
And ultimately, Kimora believes it's important to let her kids "make their own mistakes," even if those mishaps happen under a microscope for her family.
"That’s the whole thing we were saying about living out your life in public," she said. "I think that’s very, very, very tough."
