Aoki Lee Simmons is just 21 years old. She’s often praised for everything that she’s already accomplished in her life.
She graduated from Harvard University in May 2023 with a degree in classics and government. She was just 20 years old at the time.
Her mother, Kimora Lee Simmons, is a model turned entrepreneur, and Aoki is following in her footsteps. People Magazine described her as an up-and-coming model, who has already worked for huge fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Lacoste.
Despite her many accomplishments, it’s her personal life that’s been getting her a lot of media attention recently. According to Page Six, Aoki’s latest romance caused a lot of online controversy, and even her mother was concerned.
The news outlet was the first to report that she was seen kissing 65-year-old restaurateur Vittorio Assaf while on vacation in St.Barts in early Apri. There were photos of the pair swimming in the water and lying on the beach together. But when Aoki posted some pictures of the island on her Instagram, she didn’t include any photos of Vittorio.
Page Six also reported that when Aoki went on Instagram Live, she allegedly kept referring to the person she was with as her boyfriend. In a video showing her followers the property she was staying at, she even claimed he was the second boyfriend she’d ever had.
During her video tour, she reportedly commented on Vittorio’s shoes on the floor, pointing out how big they were. She said that it was something that made her happy and revealed that the owner of the shoes was 6-foot-4.
Kimora Was Concerned After Seeing the Photos
An insider told People Magazine that Aoki and Vittorio were spending time together and enjoying each others’ company. They also claimed that the duo met there in St. Barts. The outlet spoke to another source who claimed Aoki was learning to navigate her private life in the public sphere.
However, Kimora was reportedly concerned about seeing her daughter in that kind of relationship after her own experiences. One of Page Six’s sources claimed that Kimora was angry that her daughter was allegedly dating the founder of Serafina restaurants.
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Buzzfeed reported that Kimora appeared to respond to the news with an Instagram post that she shared after the beach photos came out. The post was a video of a mother panda trying to control her baby cub as it ran around her. Kimora captioned it with: “On my last nerve right now!”
Aoki’s father Russell Simmons reportedly had a different take on the alleged romance between his daughter and the Italian businessman.
He shared with TMZ that Aoki had warned him that the beach photos would be in the news. He explained that he was not going to kick and scream about her choices. All he could do was offer his advice and unconditional love.
Aoki Claims She Was Never With Him
Just 4 days after the news about Vitorrio and Aoki’s relationship came out, People released an article with a very different headline. According to a source close to the Simmons family, the pair weren’t really seeing each other. They said that not only was it over, it was never a thing.
Page Six also reported that the two weren’t an item. They revealed that one of their sources had spoken with Aoki, and she claimed that she was never with him.
The source also commented on how bizarre they found Aoki’s Instagram Live from her last day in St. Barts.
According to The Cut, the video was of her pointing out her favorite shops while passing them in a car. She was talking to an off-camera man whom she called baby and referred to as her boyfriend.
The Page Six insider claimed that the way Aoki was behaving was absurd because she wasn’t even like that. She didn’t care about jewelry. She didn’t have Hermes.
Aoki reportedly didn’t care about expensive things like that – she was more of a geek. Aoki’s personal life also became public news last year when she had an online feud with her dad.
Aoki Honored Her Mom on Father’s Day
US Weekly reported that on Father’s Day in 2023, Aoki reportedly snubbed Russell when she shared a photo of herself with her mom and wrote a tribute to her instead of him. Russell took to his Instagram and shared a message that was allegedly directed at Kimora which read: “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
The next day, Aoki responded by sharing a video about her father, where she called him out for his flaws. In the since-deleted video, she said that her father was not well. He needed help and wouldn’t accept that, and he refused to acknowledge that he was not himself.
According to US Weekly, her mom also joined in the social media fight when she shared an Instagram story telling Russell to leave her kids alone. She allegedly referenced his SA allegations too when she claimed that his online comment was an example of how he maneuvered with the world and women all around him. She added that his threats, lies, intimidation maneuvers, and tactics were sad.
Russell eventually returned to Instagram to post an apology message to Aoki and her sister, too. He said that he was deeply sorry for being frustrated and yelling, but that there were no conditions – he loved them more than he loved himself.
In an interview with Teen Vogue in September 2023, Aoki said that she didn’t regret sharing the video about her father and that it felt good to have her say. She also claimed that despite everything, they were a normal family who were going through normal family struggles.
