Kimora Lee Simmons, a former fashion model and fashion designer, has welcomed five children with three different men throughout her life. Her first two daughters, Ming and Aoki, were born during her marriage to Russell Simmons from 1998 to 2009. Kimora also has two sons, Kenzo and Wolfe, with exes Djimon Hounsou and Tim Leissner, respectively. In 2020, she adopted her fifth child, a son named Gary, with Leissner.
In March 2023, Kimora opened up about the challenges of being a single parent to five children. “That’s the work that I do every day to keep that smile on their face,” she told People. “That smile means so much.”
Kimora’s eldest child, Ming, was born in January 2000. She has followed in her mother’s modeling footsteps over the years, making her runway debut at a Baby Phat show as a child. In May 2023, Ming graduated from New York University and spoke about how “crazy” it felt to finally be done with school.
Aoki, Kimora’s second daughter, was born in August 2002. Aoki made headlines in 2019 for her acceptance into Harvard University at the age of 16, and she graduated four years later. She has also pursued a modeling career, which she defended in a 2022 TikTok video. Aoki has a contentious relationship with her father, Russell Simmons, and has publicly called him out for being “awful” to her for years.
Kimora moved on with Djimon Hounsou, and their son, Kenzo, was born in May 2009. As of June 2023, Kenzo is a “WHOPPING 6’4″ and still growing,” according to Kimora’s Instagram post. She referred to him as her “young prince” and praised him for being caring, humble, kind, smart, and having a big heart.
Kimora secretly married Tim Leissner in February 2014, and their son, Wolfe, was born in April of the following year. Kimora has been known to share glimpses of Wolfe’s life on her Instagram account. However, news broke in 2022 that she and Leissner were estranged.
Before her and Leissner’s breakup, Kimora adopted Gary at age 10. “He joins the family as Kimora’s two daughters have gone off to college,” her representative told Us Weekly in January 2020. “Kimora now has all boys at home. Gary joins sons Kenzo Lee Hounsou and Wolfe Lee Leissner.” Kimora has described Gary’s transition into their family as “very painless.”
Kimora’s story highlights the complexities of modern family dynamics, with blended families and single parenting becoming increasingly common. Despite the challenges, she has focused on keeping a positive attitude and raising her children to the best of her ability.
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