Kimora Lee Simmons is known for her list of rich and famous exes. Many of these relationships have been full of drama, but we can’t deny how the supermodel leveraged her connections to elevate her life. A term called “hypergamy” best describes her life. It’s defined as “the action of marrying a person of a superior caste or class.”
That’s not to downplay her own accomplishments, though. She had a successful run as a model during her teenage years. She’s also the face of various ventures, including KLS designer label and Baby Phat.
Anywho, when she’s not building her empire, she’s getting entangled in her hot mess relationships. Here’s the truth about her messy dating history.
A young model
Kimora Lee Perkins was born on May 4, 1975, in St. Louis, Missouri. According to The Guardian, her parents weren’t married at the time of her birth, and her dad was out of the picture before Kimora was even born. She was raised mostly by her mother in a St. Louis suburb while her dad reportedly spent time behind bars for unknown charges.
While in school, Kimora was picked on by the other kids due to her half-Asian, half-Black ethnicity. She was also extremely tall for her age, but she was able to work her height to her advantage when at the age of 11 her mom enrolled her in modeling classes. By the age of 14, she was on her way to Paris and soon became the face of Chanel.
Wooed by an older man
At the age of 17, she was walking down the runway during New York Fashion Week when she was spotted by 35-year-old Def Jam exec, Russell Simmons. According to The Guardian, he immediately began to woo the exotic beauty. The website stated, “Russell sent ridiculous flowers to Kimora’s agency”.
Kimora was impressed, but her friend and fellow model, Tyra Banks, warned her about Russell’s playboy reputation. How did Tyra know he was up to no good? Because Russell had sent Tyra the exact same flowers he sent Kimora. Kimora decided to ignore her friend and followed her heart instead.
Things go sour
As Kimora Lee Simmons gained a reputation in the modeling industry for being a brat, she started booking fewer and fewer shows. Her relationship with Russell was in shambles as well. She told The Guardian they were on-again-off-again for years. Kimora stated, “He was a playboy, and I am a bit crazy because of it today.”
She took off for Milan to escape the craziness, and Russell started to realize he messed up a good thing. He ended up begging Kimora’s mom for her number to show that he had changed. He even took up veganism and yoga to get him away from the partying and all the other models.
Here comes the bride
They eventually patched things up and Kimora Lee Simmons moved into his Beverly Hills mansion. In December 1997, they jetted off to St. Barts and joined Diddy on his massive boat. On New Year’s Eve, Russell proposed. According to New York magazine, they planned to tie the knot right there on the boat on New Year’s Day. However, the staff became fed up and the captain put his foot down. Russell said, “We were having parties every night – dinner for 40, lunch for 50 – and none of them were planned in advance. The captain finally threw us off the boat.”
There was some good news though, they had time to plan an actual wedding, which eventually took place in December 1998. According to the New York Times, a civil ceremony took place at the courthouse, before they flew to St. Barts for a nondenominational ceremony officiated by Russell’s brother, Rev. Run of Run-DMC.
From love to turmoil
The couple welcomed their daughter Ming Lee in January 2000. And in August 2002, their daughter Aoki Lee came along. With two healthy, beautiful daughters, a massive empire of record companies, clothing lines, reality shows, and a growing fortune, Kimora and Russell seemed to be the ultimate power couple. Even Tyra Banks had to admit that they made a good pair when she told People magazine that Kimora “turned the man about town into a loving husband and papa.”
While Kimora’s life was definitely in the fab lane, her and Russell’s marriage stalled after seven years. He dropped a bombshell in a statement to People magazine in March 2006, where he revealed they had been “separated for some time” but were still living in the same house. He also said he and Kimora were committed to co-parenting and would remain business partners.
So what went wrong? Many people assumed Russell’s wandering eye was the reason for the split. But while chatting at a charity gala, Russell put the blame on Kimora. Page Six shared that Russell stated, “Kimora is very strict. She restricted me for many years. I just got her foot off of my neck.”
Kimora moves on
Before either of them could be bothered to officially file for divorce, Kimora Lee Simmons moved on with actor and model Djimon Hounsou. According to The Daily Mail, they met in 2007, but due to the status of her marriage, Kimora wasn’t looking for a relationship.
It was hard for her to open up, too. She told Harper’s Bazaar, “I have a lot of hang-ups in life with men. I’m not very trusting.” But, Djimon changed her outlook. He took her to Mr. Chow restaurant on their first date, and Kimora found him to be “deeply compelling and utterly sweet.”
She was convinced he was the total package. She said, “Now I have someone who has the heart, the soul, and the hotness.” Obviously, Djimon was just as enchanted by her. He told the publication he was initially captivated by her beauty, but he was also impressed by her intelligence and her family values. He added: “She’s the least high-maintenance lady I’ve ever dated.”
Kimora finally filed for divorce from Russell in March 2008, citing irreconcilable differences. However, it turned out to be perfect timing. In January 2009, E! News reported Kimora and Djimon were expecting a baby. A week after her pregnancy announcement, her divorce from Russell was finalized. According to USA Today, Russell agreed to pay $40,000 per month in child support until their daughters turned 19.
A commitment ceremony
With her failed marriage in her rearview mirror, Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon traveled to his homeland of
Benin in March 2009. According to Us Weekly, the couple solidified their relationship by having a commitment ceremony. However, they made sure to emphasize the ceremony wasn’t an actual marriage and wasn’t recognized in the U.S.
She gave birth to their son Kenzo in May 2009. And in a 2010 red carpet appearance for Djimon’s movie, entitled The Tempest, Kimora gushed about how proud she was of her man and how happy she was to be in his world. Everything appeared to be going well up until it all fell apart.
Money troubles?
According to the New York Daily News, the couple split in 2012 after having a big argument about money. A source told the paper, Djimon walked out on Kimora and it may have been fueled by her ex-husband Russell Simmons’ decision to stop paying for the couple’s lifestyle. According to the source, the Queen of Fabulosity was allegedly living her life like she was the Queen of England. The source threw even more shade by saying, “He is a calm, super-nice person and she’s such a diva. I couldn’t believe they got together in the first place.”
A few months later, after a five-and-a-half-year relationship, they confirmed their split to People magazine.
A secret marriage
Kimora Lee Simmons was back on the market, and everyone was shocked in 2014 when rumors circulated that she was dating Bryan “Birdman” Williams of Cash Money Records. Birdman even gave Kimora a shoutout and called her the love of his life, in a since-deleted Instagram post. However, her ex-husband, Russell Simmons, popped up and squashed the rumors. In a tweet, Russell announced Kimora was actually happily married to another man named Tim.
Tim turned out to be German investment banker Tim Leissner. Sources speculated they tied the knot during a December 2013 family vacation to St. Barts where they were both photographed wearing wedding rings.
They welcomed their son Wolfe in April 2015, making Kimora a mom of four. Life definitely seemed on the up and up for the family or was it?…
Tim’s in trouble
Tim was a Goldman Sachs partner in Asia up until 2016 when he was forced to resign following his involvement in a Malaysian banking scheme. Charges were filed in 2017, and according to Forbes, he pleaded guilty and, in 2018, he agreed to forfeit $43.7 million dollars. Additionally, he was permanently barred from working in the industry.
Kimora even got swept up in the scandal when The New York Post reported her fashion line was financed by the money in question. Kimora clapped back by denying the allegations and stated she funds her own business and her husband has nothing to do with her professional life.
A custody battle
Things got even messier for her in 2019 when she and Djimon got entangled in a custody battle over their son Kenzo. Djimon complained to TMZ that he wasn’t able to see his son for Father’s Day. Sources close to Kimora responded it was his own fault he hadn’t seen his son because he didn’t make any plans with him.
From there, they worked on a private custody agreement. But according to The Blast, things got crazy when Djimon suddenly asked for joint custody. Page Six reported Kimora’s people were fearful Djimon was trying to take Kenzo to Africa. And guess who else got involved? Kimora’s ex-husband Russell Simmons, of course.
Russell spilled some tea that Djimon hadn’t paid Kimora any child support. And in terms of taking Kenzo to Africa, Russell approved of the trip, but on one condition. Russell demanded Djimon sign an agreement pledging to bring Kenzo back home afterward. Djimon refused to sign the agreement and as of this video, the custody battle rages on.
Trouble in paradise?
Even though her past relationship was a huge source of stress and drama, Kimora and Tim had some happy news to announce in January 2020. People magazine reported they expanded their family by adopting a 10-year-old son named Gary. But just five days after the announcement, Us Weekly reported Tim was seen “canoodling with a mystery woman”. The source said Tim’s relationship with the woman appeared to be romantic. The publication added that Kimora hasn’t shared a picture of Tim on her Instagram account since Father’s Day 2019.
While we hope this is just a small bump in the road for the mother of five, we wish her and her family the best.
Let us know your thoughts on Kimora’s dating history or drop us a comment on our YouTube channel!