Russell Simmons Shares Cryptic Apology To Daughters Amid Family Feud

Russell Simmons has spoken up amid allegations of abuse by his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and their children Aoki Simmons and Ming Simmons.

The renowned entrepreneur shared an apology to his kids for taking out his frustrations on them but avoided addressing the allegations directly. The apology, which has not received any response from his loved ones, comes on the heels of Ming wishing Kimora a Happy Father's Day.

While the world expressed their affection for their father figures during Father's Day, Russell's situation vastly differed. According to PEOPLE, the drama began after the entertainment mogul dropped a post seemingly targeted at Kimora that read:

"Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all."

The mother-of-two promptly responded to the claim by taking to her Instagram Story and writing, "I'm so sorry to have to do this. But this man has been threatening my kids' lives. I'm hearing so much more now. We won't be bullied threatened or afraid." In a subsequent update, she penned:

"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."

The model then mentioned Russell's abusive behavior, stating that his "threats and lies and intimidation manouvers [sic] and tactics are sad." Within hours, Aoki had backed up her mom's claims and provided proof of her dad's unacceptable behavior through a FaceTime recording.

Under the clip, which showed the 65-year-old yelling at the Harvard University graduate, she 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."

The 20-year-old then posted screenshots of texts allegedly from Russell, although no name is highlighted. The messages insinuated that Kimora had succeeded in stealing her ex's money and "the love of my kids as she promised." 

The accusatory remark prompted Aoki to respond, "I'll never speak to you until you DIE. Don't ever say that again." In another Story, where she alluded to her dad having mental issues, she typed:

"Prior to his media issues he was really the best dad ever and a great co parent. He and my mom were best friends. We all defended him against anything, and then he suddenly turned on ANYONE who will let him lash out. It's a really just terrifying change to watch."

Hours after the situation gained online traction, Russell took to his Instagram feed to post a five-second clip of his two girls alongside this write-up: 

"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" ❤️ "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 ❤️."

He added that he was "DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling" and concluded with a declaration of his undying love for his children. So far, the cryptic apology has earned almost 400k likes, with several people, including rapper Fat Joe, telling the Phat Farm creator that his family problems needed to remain private.

The Simmons had been in multiple headlines following Russell's lawsuit against his ex-wife and her husband, Tim Leissner, in 2021. Per documents reviewed by The Blast, the New York native accused Kimora and Leissner of transferring and using his shares of a Celsius energy drink company to pay legal fees for the latter.

He asserted that even though the three of them invested tens of millions of dollars in the company, Kimora and her man allegedly "conspired with each other, aided and abetted each other and together engaged in fraud by causing an unlawful conversion and fraudulent transfer" of the shares without his knowledge or consent.

He then argued that the couple transferred his shares to themselves, adding that his accountants discovered a "substantial unexplained change" in his interests in Celsius.

The Def Jam Recordings co-founder sought damages from Kimora and Leissner, believing he should be awarded restitution for interest and equal value for the wrongfully acquired shares.

Additionally, Russell stated that he sent Kimora a letter on May 5, 2021, pleading with her to do the right thing and avoid a legal battle.