Russell Simmons appears to be pushing back on his ex-wife’s recent interview, in which she alluded to being shortchanged in the sale of the Baby Phat brand—something he claims he built and later “gave” to her.
Simmons made the remarks via social media to a clip from Kimora Lee’s interview on the Aspire With Emma Grede podcast, where she said she didn’t own a fair share of Baby Phat and received $20 million from the reporter $140 million sale, while Simmons and his associates controlled larger stakes.
“I gave her the brand, which already existed, I put her in baby phat leather shorts the day we met,” Simmons wrote in a comment captured by
The Shade Room. “I found designers / made her famous and marketed the brand with her face. Eventually, she learned and blossomed. She did a good job, BUT NOTE ..Very generous of me.”During the interview, Lee told Grede she was sidelined in the 2004 sale of Baby Phat, claiming she received a disproportionately small share despite the brand’s success being closely tied to her image. At the time of the sale, it was reported that Phat Fashions was sold to the Kellwood Company for $140 million.
“I probably got $20 million of that, or less,” Kimora told Grede.
The former fashion model and entrepreneur said she was unaware that early sale discussions were taking place at the time.
The claims mark the latest chapter in her ongoing feud with Simmons. The pair married in 1998, welcomed their two daughters, Ming and Aoki, in 2000 and 2002, separated in 2006, and finalized their divorce in 2009.
In 2021, Simmons sued Lee and Tim Leissner, alleging they conspired to transfer
nearly 4 million shares of Celsius without his consent—a case that remains ongoing. More recently, Kimora said she has little relationship with her children’s fathers, a claim Simmons disputed on social media.“I gave u 50,000 a month for 20 years,” he wrote. “I was ur best /only friend. I’m the godfather to your other 3 kids, until one day you stole my stock,” the hip-hop mogul wrote on Instagram. “I have been fighting for my kids’ love and my bread ever since. You threatened that if I sued you, I would never speak to my kids again. There are two sides to every story.”
Last month, Leem announced she was dropping “Simmons” from her name, calling the move a step toward clarity and ownership.
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