Kimora Lee Simmons’ Husbands: A Deep Dive Into Her Exes & Her Family
What To Know
- Kimora Lee Simmons has returned reality TV with Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane.
- The show highlights her life as a single mother of five.
- Her romantic history includes two past marriages.
Kimora Lee Simmons is making her reality TV comeback with her new E! show, Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane. Over a decade after her first foray into the genre, the model-turned-businesswoman is giving viewers a glimpse into how she balances the professional and personal as a single mom to five kids.
Though she’s happily single while the show airs — Simmons recently told People that “life doesn’t ever revolve around a guy, ever” — Kimora Simmons’ relationships have made headlines ever since she cemented herself in the fashion and entertainment world. Now that she’s back on your TV screen, you may be in need of a refresher on her romantic history, including her ex-husbands and past boyfriends, and her kids. Scroll for everything you need to know.
Who is Kimora Lee Simmons dating?
As mentioned, Simmons doesn’t have a special someone at the moment, according to that December 2025 interview. She’s currently focused on raising her kids and her career.
Who are Kimora Lee Simmons’ ex-husbands?
The reality star’s most recent relationship was with former investment banker Tim Leissner, with whom she married in 2014 and shares two kids. Their separation became public knowledge in 2022, but their exact relationship timeline is unclear. It was made even more complicated when Leissner claimed in court that he married Simmons while still legally wed to his previous spouse, according to the New York Post. He confessed to Photoshopping divorce documents.
Earlier this year, Leissner was sentenced to two years in prison for playing a part in $4.5 billion scheme to take from a Malaysian state investment fund, per NBC. Leissner had previously pleaded guilty to bribing government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi in 2018.
Kimora Lee Simmons and Tim Leissner in 2014.
Before Leissner, the fashion mogul was married to Russell Simmons, the cofounder of Def Jam Records. They met in 1992 when she was 17 years old, and he was 35.
“I was in high school, you guys. I was a sophomore,” she told USA Today in December 2025. “That’s a hot mess. A hot mess. And now I’m sitting here at this grand old age of 262 saying, ‘That’s a hot mess.’ But when I was younger, I would’ve thought I was grown. You couldn’t tell me anything. Sixteen is 26 – it wasn’t, though. And that’s the difference. And you only know that with age.”
They married in 1998, had two kids, and divorced in 2009. In that time, Simmons created her brand, Baby Phat, as an offshoot of her then-husband’s Phat Farm fashion line. She’d also already separated from the record executive by the time she started filming Life in the Fab Lane in 2007.
In the years since, Russell has been accused of sexual assault and rape by at least a dozen women. USA Today reported that he admitted to no wrongdoing, but he agreed to $8 million in settlements in 2023 that he has yet to pay. He left the U.S. for Bali, Indonesia, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S.
Simmons doesn’t “have a relationship really” with her kids’ fathers, according to People. “Usually, I would say that I co-parent okay, but the kids are with me full-time. I’m pretty much the primary parent. It’s difficult, but I don’t know sometimes what other people are thinking. Guys are weird,” she said.
Who else has Kimora Lee Simmons dated?
Simmons’ other major relationship was with actor Djimon Hounsou, with whom she never married but had a son. Simmons’ pregnancy was chronicled on Life in the Fab Lane, and the couple called it quits after five years together in 2012.
Who are Kimora Lee Simmons’ kids?
Simmons shares Ming Lee, 25, and Aoki Lee, 23, with Russell. Both of their daughters are pursuing modeling, taking after their mom. The latter also began studying at Harvard University when she was just 16 years old, graduating in 2023. “Mama loves you so much and I’m so super proud of you!” her mom wrote her a message on Instagram. “I know you’ve been through A LOT and God has kept you and us all covered.”
Sixteen-year-old Kenzo Lee, who Simmons shares with Hounsou, also recently starred in his first modeling campaign. Simmons adopted Gary Lee, now 16, in January 2020. His mom told Us Weekly, “I’m blessed and super fortunate to have a boy like him, and it’s been a very painless sensation. He just dropped in like he was born there.”
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Simmons’ youngest is Wolfe Lee, 10, whom she shares with Leissner. The reality star also has a “bonus son” named Jayden. The 19-year-old started living with the family when he was in fourth grade.
“I am most proud of and in love with my beautiful, smart, kind, loving kids!” Simmons, who says her kids are “greatest accomplishments in life,” captioned a family photo on Instagram.
Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. E.T., E!
