Aoki Lee Simmons’ exiled and estranged hip-hop mogul father Russell Simmons is getting firmly “blamed” for her “insane” romance with a person 43 years her senior.
In photographs that shocked the globe, Aoki, 21, and restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, 64, ended up seen packing on the PDA for the duration of a trip to St. Barts.
The pair was spotted on Tuesday, April 2, kissing on a beautiful beach front in the Caribbean, according to photographs attained by Webpage Six. The Serafina co-proprietor then took photographs of the model as she posed in the sand right before they took a dip in the ocean jointly.
A resource verified their marriage to Men and women on Friday, April 5, indicating they are “enjoying each individual others’ company.”
Aoki is the youngest daughter of audio legend Russell, 66, and product and mogul, Kimora Lee Simmons, 48. Assaf, for his portion, hails from Milan, Italy, and has been a staple in the New York restaurant earth given that confounding Serafina Restaurant Team.
Following visuals of their PDA emerged, there was flurry of outrage from supporters and even her mother Kimora seemingly confirmed her disapproval of the union by reposting a since-deleted video clip of a mom panda furiously pulling absent her baby cub with her tooth and wrote: “On my previous nerve proper now!”
Aoki Lee, Vittorio Assaf and Russell Simmons Unfold Photographs/MEGA / Bennett Raglin/WireImage
Having said that, Kimora’s embattled ex-partner, Russell, whom she was married to from 1998 to 2009, experienced a decidedly distinct reaction sharing a throwback snap of Aoki from June 2022 along with a heartfelt information about his “unconditional love” for her.
He recalled that they had an “all-close to wonderful day” previous Father’s Day, the working day before a now notorious viral video demonstrating him berating his daughter and bringing her to tears all through a FaceTime contact.
But although the music legend threw assistance guiding his little one, and has continued to do so with more Instagram posts more than the weekend, it has only served to put him below hearth.
Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, ‘loved up’ with Vittorio Assaf, 64, Unfold Photos/MEGA
The entrepreneur, who has been in self-imposed exile in Bali for the previous few several years pursuing a barrage of historical sexual assault allegations made against him, has boasted about courting a string of ladies his daughter’s age as an more mature gentleman and in accordance to ex Kimora Lee started off dated her when she was a teenager in the market.
His gushing posts about Aoki have therefore been achieved with condemnation from followers who have branded him an “enabler” and a “deadbeat dad” who caused Aoki Lee’s “daddy issues”.
“This is your fault Russell. You shouldn’t be enabling this. The man is your age and you see nothing at all wrong!” mentioned just one follower in his comments segment. A different wrote: “You’re to blame for this insane s-t.
“You ran absent to Bali following getting accused of misconduct and remaining your daughter at a essential age when she requires advice and now are publishing pictures of her. You and Aoki never even discuss.”
A 3rd wrote: “These are textbook daddy troubles for Aoki. I don’t forget you made that inadequate female cry and then you doubled down immediately after it was built public. She’s acquired an additional daddy now. Stand back again!”
When a fourth extra: “You should be outraged about this. Not publishing sweet pics like you approve. She’s a developed female yes, but this is blatantly a cry for aid and her on the lookout for an more mature man to guideline her mainly because you aren’t in her everyday living.”
Aoki’s family built headlines in June, 2023 when her more mature sister, Ming Lee Simmons, Russell and Kimora’s other daughter, shared a Father’s Working day tribute to Kimora, without having addressing Russell.
Russell subsequently took to Instagram, seemingly alleging that Kimora interfered in his partnership with his little ones. “Stop telling fathers they ought to have fought harder to see their young children and start inquiring moms why he had to combat at all,” read through a quotation he shared at the time.
Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee with Ming (L) and Aoki (R) in 2005 Shane Gritzinger/FilmMagic
Aoki afterwards chimed in, publicly refuting Russell’s statements. “My father is not effectively, for several years, he needs enable and won’t take that he refuses to accept he is not himself,” she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram notice, putting up screenshots of their earlier texts.
“He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma… He lashes out at Everyone who does not say, ‘Ooh Russell almost everything is good.’ Nicely it’s not great.”
Aoki even accused her father of verbal abuse, which Russell has denied. Kimora, for her component, fervently supported her daughter speaking out through her Instagram Story. Last September Aoki reported she felt proud of how she managed her infamous public drama with her father before that 12 months.
“I really do not regret it,” she advised Teenager Vogue at the time referring to her determination to phone out her dad on line. “Part of it was previously out there. There had been factors I considered it was fair to publish mainly because it was taking part in out in, like, a silent bubble.”
Russell issued a community apology to each Aoki and Ming, 23, afterwards that month. “God is tests you a minor little bit, it’s Okay, be powerful,” he wrote via Instagram. “They are identified as escalating pains … as you know, we expand via adversity and struggle … you study my books and read me preach your full childhood … get to again to outdated lessons and bear in mind to try to remember ‘smile and breathe’ ❤️ ‘smile and breathe’ … you are the watchers of this environment … so permit go … be at ease…”
Aoki also instructed Teen Vogue that she has uncovered to cope with not currently being near to her dad. “[A celebrity I recently met was] like, ‘Oh, I saw your factor. I did the very same factor when I was, like, 20, and it was high-quality.’”
She insisted hers is a “normal family” inspite of their public drama, but declined to comment on the many sexual misconduct claims built from her father, which he has also denied. Russell was accused of assault by 18 gals in 2018.
