Aoki Lee Simmons, model and daughter of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, is publicly pushing through a flood of growing pains. Over the past two weeks, the 21-year-old made headlines after exposing her relationship with 65-year-old Vittorio Assaf, a successful restaurateur.
However, days after the announcement, she told followers that she “doesn’t have a boyfriend,” and now she’s turned off her comments on Instagram.
On April 11, Aoki shared a photo of herself in a black bikini on the beach weeks after her whirlwind vacation with Assaf in Saint Barthélemy. She shared three emojis of a blue heart, a jellyfish and a tropical fish in her caption as well as disabled her comments so fans can’t react.
This follows a cryptic message she shared on her Instagram Story which features a screenshot from an April 2023 interview actress Chloë Sevigny gave to The Cut. In it, Aoki wrote over the image, “Her words also mine atp.”
Sevigny wrote about how her parents Janine Malinowski and H. David Sevigny acted when she was living in Brooklyn Heights after she graduated from high school. It was the first time she was out of their supervision and was staying in a space with five roommates. In her reflection, she talked about how “terrifying” it was, especially for her mother that she was living on her own.
“I do know for my mom it was very terrifying, but I checked in a lot, and my dad would always remind her that there was more good in the world than bad,” she said.
According to the Oscar nominee’s piece, her parents were “pretty worried about drugs.” While she admitted to doing some, she noted that she “never liked doing them” and that she never did a hard drug like cocaine.
“The Dead Don’t Die” actress said that this was her “big year of going out.”
Aoki seemed to immediately connect with Sevigny’s story. However, it is unclear if her comment is in reference to her spring break trip to St. Barth’s that made international headlines.
Pictures started to float on the internet of the Harvard graduate and Assaf kissing while vacationing on the French West Indies earlier this month. Their age difference had many taken aback, noting that the Serafina restaurant owner was a year younger than her father.
💞Kimora Lee Simmons Was In High-school & Only 17 Years Old When She Started Dating Russell Simmons Who Was 35.
— Bolanle O #Blog #News #Art (@Stereogoddess) April 8, 2024
Now Their Daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons Who’s Only 21 Is Dating Restauranteur, Vittorio Assaf Who’s 65 👀 pic.twitter.com/N9tmvxK5Cv
No one seemed more upset than Aoki’s mother, Kimora Lee Simmons, who was 17 when she began dating the 35-year-old Def Jam founder. The Baby Phat proprietor took to social media to express her disapproval. Russell, on the other hand, stood by his daughter, making a post to celebrate his unconditional love for her.
Days after the pictures emerged, Aoki made an Instagram Live while riding around with her “boyfriend” as she dropped hints about the designer brands that she liked while he laughed in the background. The two seemed to enjoy each other’s company, as Aoki talked about being the happiest she’s been in some time.
I hope Aoki Lee Simmons is okay. This feels… yeah. pic.twitter.com/LPNYxWse3D
— Sassington, M.C. (@MissSassbox) April 6, 2024
Still, the relationship could not stand the test of public (or familiar) scrutiny and less than two weeks after it was made public, it was over.
Kimora is likely elated that the relationship is a dud, according to purported insiders close to her.
“Not only is it ‘over,’ it was never a thing. Aoki is learning to navigate her private life in a public sphere,” People magazine reports it was told by an insider close to the family.
“And that can be difficult,” the source continued. “However, Kimora was concerned to see her daughter in that kind of relationship due to what she herself went through.”
