Kimora Lee Simmons is doing “OK” after she and her two eldest daughters called out Russell Simmons for his allegedly abusive behavior.
“I’m always OK. I’m a tough chick. I’m a single mom of five kids,” the model said Saturday during an interview at the Essence Festival of Culture (via the YBF’s Instagram Story).
“That’s why I’m here because so many women are here. So much black girl joy, brown girl joy, all the shades of joy. So, it just feels good for me to be in a room like this.”
Kimora, 48, also said that representing fashion at the New Orleans festival felt like “coming home.”
“Everybody’s been like, ‘Auntie Kimora! Auntie’s here,'” she added.
The festival marked the businesswoman’s first public appearance since Father’s Day when she and her daughters Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons blasted Russell, 65, for being “directly harmful” by giving them panic attacks every time they heard his voice.
Aoki, 20, claimed on Instagram at the time that her father would “yell and scream about a legal situation” in which she is “NOT INVOLVED,” adding that “every phone call” with the Def Jam Recordings co-founder was filled with “anger,” “rage,” “cursing” and “screaming.”
“I did not side with anyone over any legal business, he’s been directly harmful TO ME,” she told her social media followers. “He tries to get at my mom by hurting US.”
The college student also posted a screen recording of a FaceTime call that was muted but showed her dad screaming at her.
“It got to the point … I could not hear your voice without having an anxiety attack,” one of her messages to Russell read, which went on to say that although he was “blocked for not respecting [her] boundaries,” she still loves him.
For her part, Ming, 23, wished Kimora a happy Father’s Day online — instead of Russell.
The music executive responded on his own Instagram account by apologizing for his behavior — but downplayed the abuse allegations.
“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,” he wrote to his daughters.
Seemingly in a message to himself, Russell added, “God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok, be strong.”
