Why Kimora Lee Simmons and Her Daughters Ming and Aoki Are Hesitant to Return to Reality TV (Exclusive)

Kimora Lee Simmons and her daughters aren't so sure about returning to reality TV. ET's Deidre Behar spoke to the 48-year-old entrepreneur and former Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane star about why she and her daughters -- Aoki, 20, and Ming, 23 -- aren't ready to jump back into the reality TV game.

"We just traded a look of alarm," Aoki joked when a possible reality TV return was brought up, before telling her mom, "I don't know. It's up to you."

"Oh, it's up to me? I don't know," Kimora admitted. "... I don't know if I could actually get back into it. Sometimes it seems so..."

"Dystopian," Ming chimed in, before pointing out, "No one knows what it's like behind the camera."

Kimora agreed, noting that the idea of a show "seems a little invasive at times."

"It's also one of those things where you're on social media all the time and people just feel they have the right to comment on everything that you do and the way you look," Ming added, with Aoki noting that "there wasn't social media, there were no phones" when their reality show aired from 2007 to 2011. 

Kimora agreed with her daughters, telling ET that "people can be really mean."

"Having your life in the spotlight is probably a lot," the proud mom said. "I can say that 'cause I did that as youngster growing up, and you guys obviously were born into that. I think it's tough. It has a certain side to it."

Though reality TV life certainly has its downsides, Kimora said the whole thing is "also very fun."

"The world sees them grow up," she said of her kids. She's also mom to Kenzo, 14, Gary, 13, and Wolfe, 8.

"We did pretty good. Our heads are still on," Kimora said of raising her tots. 

As such, Kimora said it's a "tossup" as to whether or not her family would ever sign on for another show.

"Not not interested," Ming joked, with Kimora quipping of her girls, "Not not interested, just can be bribed."

"Can always be bribed," Aoki agreed, with her sister concurring, "Oh, I can always be bribed."

At the end of the day, Kimora said she'll "never say never."

"It's 50-50, but I do think it's refreshing, because the girls have grown up, so it's nostalgic," she said. "... Also then to see them growing into their own, they're young adults, and to see the things that they embark on and their journey. And also, don’t forget, we have the boys at home -- they have three brothers -- and so I think it's kind of like 2.0, or it could be."

While the girls aren't so sure they want to be on reality TV, they're all for their mom appearing on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Kimora, however, isn't as ready to jump on that opportunity. 

"I’m very competitive, but these are my friends, so I don't want all that behind-the-back snarkiness," Kimora said of the show's cast. "I'm close to Kathy [Hilton] and she says, 'Yeah it's a little bit snarky.' I don't like that. I'm more honest than that. I'm straightforward... I don't want any engineered drama. I love all these girls, all these ladies, in real life, so I don't know."

Though the family's reality TV future is unclear, business-wise there's plenty in the works. Aoki recently finished her studies at Harvard and plans to attend law school, while Ming has graduated from NYU and is working with her mom on her line, Baby Phat. The pair are working on a DTC Launch this summer, which will give them a direct, hands-on opportunity to collaborate as colleagues.

"I definitely like designing and I like helping my mom with Baby Phat," Ming said. "That's really fun 'cause I get to see a lot of my ideas come to life. I think in the future maybe starting my own fashion line would be literally so fun."

As for Kimora, she's "so happy today" and "so proud" of her girls. 

"I'm super, super proud of them and being super proud of them I'm super proud of myself," she said. " ... It's the most nail-biting journey, but you're so, so proud... I have five kids and they're pretty good kids, and they're active members of society, and they're engaged, and they're conscious, and they're happy, and I think that's saying a lot."  

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