Kimora Lee Simmons Reacts to Daughter Aoki's Photos With Vittorio Assaf, 65: 'I Feel Like She Was Set Up'

Kimora Lee Simmons admits she was 'a little bit embarrassed' after pics emerged of her 21-year-old daughter kissing a 65-year-old man.

Kimora Lee Simmons Reacts to Daughter Aoki's Photos With Vittorio Assaf, 65: 'I Feel Like She Was Set Up'

Published:

7:46 AM PDT, May 10, 2024

Kimora Lee Simmons may have been a bit embarrassed after daughter Aoki's beach getaway with a 65-year-old man was revealed, but she also made it clear: "Mama's got your back."

The famed fashion mogul and mom of three said exactly that in a new interview with TMZ as she broke her silence on photos of her 21-year-old daughter and 65-year-old restaurateur Vittorio Assaf kissing while in St. Barts that emerged in early April. 

When asked by TMZ if she knew Aoki "had an older gentleman" or if it was a surprise to her, Kimora called it a loaded question. 

"I don’t think she had an anything," the celebrity mom said. "She’s a young, pretty girl and, you know, I think that we don’t think the toads that we may kiss is gonna be like broadcast in the thing."

Kimora then expressed that she felt her daughter was "set up a little bit" and noted their age difference, though she did not go into further detail on her claim. 

And while she admitted to being a "little bit embarrassed" by the situation, Kimora made it known that she continues to support her daughter. "You know me -- I’m definitely like, 'It is what it is, honey. Come home. Mama’s got your back. He ain’t coming,'" she told TMZ with a laugh. 

Kimora Lee Simmons and daughter Aoki pose together at the 2023 Teen Vogue Summit. - Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Teen Vogue

At the time the pictures emerged, Kimora posted a video on her Instagram Story of a mother panda bear dragging her cub away and added the caption, "On my last nerve right now!"

Mere days after the photos made headlines, ET confirmed whatever was going on between Aoki and Vittorio was over

"Aoki and Vittorio are no longer seeing each other," a source told ET. "Their relationship is done and it was barely anything to begin with."

The source also noted Kimora "was worried about Aoki being involved with Vittorio due to what she went through herself." She and her ex-husband, Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, had an 18-year age gap. The two tied the knot in 1998 and welcomed daughters Aoki and 24-year-old Ming before they announced their split in 2006. 

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