Kimora Lee Simmons is opening up about her family life and the realities of parenting five children largely on her own. The fashion icon, entrepreneur, and reality star, 50, spoke candidly about her relationships with her exes — or lack thereof — in a new interview, revealing she operates as the primary parent to all of her kids.
Simmons tells PEOPLE that she “doesn’t have a relationship really” with any of her children’s fathers and has taken on full responsibility for raising them.
“Usually I would say that I co-parent okay, but the kids are with me full-time,” she explains. “I’m pretty much the primary parent. It’s difficult, but I don’t know sometimes what other people are thinking. Guys are weird.”
A Full House — and Full Responsibility
Simmons shares daughters Ming Lee, 25, and Aoki Lee, 23, with ex-husband and music executive Russell Simmons. She also co-parents son Kenzo, 16, with actor Djimon Hounsou, and shares Wolfe, 10, with former investment banker Tim Leissner, who was sentenced earlier this year to two years in prison on bribery and money laundering charges.
In addition to her four biological children, Simmons adopted Gary Lee, 16, from Jamaica in 2020 and is also mom to Jayden, 19, her longtime “bonus son” who has lived with the family since elementary school.
Despite managing a blended family with children in different life stages, Simmons says motherhood has always been her natural calling.
“I’m always ‘the mom,’” she tells PEOPLE. “I mother people all around me. When I hear people say, ‘I’ve come to you as a mom or best friend in my head,’ that’s what I live for.”
A Strong Support System — and a Stronger Mindset
While Simmons acknowledges she receives little involvement from her exes, she credits her “village” — close friends, extended family, and trusted supporters — for helping her raise her children.
She also emphasizes the importance of independence and resilience, especially during challenging chapters in her life.
“My life doesn’t ever revolve around a guy, ever,” she says. “If I wasn’t this person, I don’t know if we would’ve made it or if we would be okay. It’s been very important to me to be strong and self-reliant, and to constantly be growing.”
Simmons adds that even her adult daughters still see her as their foundation. “Ming and Aoki are older, but they still feel like I’m ‘mom.’ They live at home, they travel the world — but they know they can always come to me.”
A Return to Reality TV
After nearly 15 years off the reality TV circuit, Simmons is back on-screen in Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, premiering Tuesdays on E!. The new series serves as a follow-up to her original show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, which aired from 2007 to 2011.
“It’s like chapter two of life,” she says. “Things go in cycles — and I’m living it.”
