Aoki Lee Simmons stood by the comments she made about her dad Russell Simmons’ behavior in an Instagram Story on Wednesday, June 21. The model, 20, spoke out against the “sexist, racist, honestly foul” backlash she received from many different men in her comments and DMs, and she said that by speaking out, she’s following the exact advice her dad, 65, told her about standing up for herself, her mom Kimora Lee Simmons, 48, and her sister Ming Lee Simmons, 23.
After a post calling out the misogynistic comments she received, Aoki shared a photo of herself and Russell and said that he wouldn’t stand for the misogynistic comments. “Until a short time ago, this is the man who told me ‘always defend and look after your mother, girls’ and ‘never let a man curse at you’ ‘you call Daddy if a man ever tries to yell [at] you or scare you, that’s never okay! Real men don’t shout at women and girls,'” she wrote. “So to all the toxic men in my comments using ‘I’m defending him’ to be foul and talk about all the grievances you have with women, you can save it. It’s pathetic. He would agree. I know that for sure.”
In one last slide, Aoki shared two more quotes with advice from her father, telling her to “defend your mother and sister” and not to “let any man talk to you crazy.” She finished by saying that she was “just following instructions” from her dad.
Aoki’s Instagram Story came days after her mom Kimora accused Russell of “threatening my kids’ lives” on Father’s Day. The Harvard grad also shared a series of screenshots of texts between herself and her dad, where she said that he would “harass” her friends and boyfriend if she didn’t respond. She also shared a video of him yelling at her. “He’s been awful to me for years and that’s just the truth,” Aoki wrote. She said that the family believed that he may have been suffering from mental health problems or dementia.
Russell took to his Instagram and appeared to address the controversy and seemingly apologized for his behavior on Monday, June 19. While he didn’t say who he was apologizing to, the post came shortly after Ming shared a video of him yelling. “DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling,” he wrote. “For sure I love you guys more than I love myself.”