The Def Jam co-founder declares, 'i love you guys more than i love myself,' after his ex Kimora Lee Simmons accuses him of threatening their children Ming Lee and Aoki Lee.
- Jun 20, 2023
AceShowbiz - Russell Simmons is trying to make amends with his children after he was accused of verbal abuse. The music mogul has quickly apologized to his daughters Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons after their apparent fractured relationship was made public.
Posting a picture of his two daughters, whom he shares with ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons, the Def Jam co-founder wrote on Instagram on Monday, June 19, "God is testing you a little bit, it's ok, be strong. . . they are called growing pains . . . 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 remember 'smile and breathe' [a heart emoji] 'smile and breathe'. . . you are the watchers of this world . . . so let go . . . be at ease . . . God is driving and he is working on you," the 65-year-old continued being cryptic, before making his intention clear.
Seemingly admitting his mistakes, the record executive added, "DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling." He went on declaring his love for his daughters as writing, "but know this . . . there are no conditions . . . for sure i love you guys more than i love myself."
Russell's apology comes in the wake of his daughter's allegations that he's "been awful to [her] for years." Sharing screenshots of her conversation with her daughter, Aoki said that her father "hasn't given [her] a dime in years" and even threatened to ruin her modeling career.
Aoki explained that she "stopped talking" to him because he was "giving [her] panic attacks to the point [she] was placed on emergency medication every time [they] spoke." She continued, "You were putting so much anger and rage on me every phone call." She said her father would be "cursing" and "screaming" that "it got to the point I could not hear your voice without having an anxiety attack."
Aoki also shared a screen recording of a FaceTime call that was muted but showed her father shouting at her. The 20-year-old believes her father's "mentally ill or experiencing something like dementia" because "he really acts like he hates and does not know his children frequently."
Jumping to her daughters' defense, Kimora later claimed on her Stories that her hex-husband "has been threatening my kids lives." She told her ex, "Leave my kids alone. 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."
In a video, Kimora also explained that Russell cut his daughters out financially a few months ago as he told his kids that he's "broke."
