Russell Simmons loves his daughter no matter what.
The Def Jam Recordings co-founder sent a heartfelt message to his 21-year-old daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons, a day after Page Six exclusively published head-turning photos of her making out with 65-year-old restaurateur Vittorio Assaf.
“Throw back from last fathers day nyc …bode bikram yoga express class .. vegan lunch cryotherapy vitamin drip … all around amazing day ❤️,” Russell, 66, captioned the post on Instagram Saturday. “@aokileesimmons love you always im always waiting for any call any time ❤️.”
Many fans could not believe that the record executive may actually be supportive of his daughter dating someone who is practically the same age as him.
“Maybe it’s just me but the timing of this post is wrong,” one person commented.
“Looks like she replaced you,” another quipped.
A third person added, “She’s busy gettin the bag like her mom taught her 🤮.”
Russell was previously married to Aoki’s mother, Kimora Lee Simmons, from 1998 to 2009, and they are 18 years apart.
While Russell seemed to be trying to play nice, though, Kimora appeared to have a slightly more combative reaction.
The Baby Phat co-founder shared a cryptic post via her Instagram Story Friday of a mama bear being protective of her cub, that appeared to hint she is not cool with Aoki and Assaf’s May-December romance.
The model wrote over the obscure video, “On my last nerve right now!”
Russell has had tension with his kids over the years, which is why he may not want to ruffle feathers.
In June 2023, Aoki’s older sister, Ming Lee Simmons, shared a Father’s Day tribute to her mom — instead of him.
Russell then took to his Instagram Story to say, “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
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“The father you have is the perfect father for the evolution of your soul and the lessons that you needed to learn in this lifetime,” a second quote he shared at the time read.
Aoki then got involved by blasting her dad in since-deleted messages, accusing him of being “awful to [her] for years.” She also posted a muted video of Russell yelling at her, for which he later apologized.
Although her parents have been vocal the past 24 hours, Aoki has not commented on her relationship.
She and Assaf debuted their romance after they were photographed passionately locking lips and smiling at each other during a picturesque vacation at St. Bart’s this week. They were also seen swimming together, and the businessman even took some photos of her as she posed on the white sand.
The rising model shared some snaps of herself posing in a bikini during the trip, but did not include any photos with Asaaf or give him credit.
Aoki usually keeps her dating life very private.
However, the end of Assaf’s marriage to model Charlotte Bonstrom in 2021 was a scandal. She shockingly left him for her twin sister’s ex-husband, Thierry Gillier.
After their split, the Serafina co-founder began dating 24-year-old model Nya Gatbel.
