Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons was married to Russell Simmons from 1998 to 2009, and they have two daughters, Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons. She had a son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, with actor and model Djimon Hounsou.

She married investment banker Tim Leissner in 2014, and they have a son, Wolfe Lee Leissner. Simmons and Leissner separated in 2022. In 2020, she adopted a son named Gary, bringing her total number of children to five.

Simmons was raised in Florissant, Missouri, after being born in St. Louis. She faced bullying because of her height and multiethnic background. Her mother, Joanne Kyoko Perkins, enrolled her in modeling classes when she was 11 to help build her confidence.

At 13, Simmons was discovered at a model search event in Kansas City and signed an exclusive contract with Chanel. She worked under designer Karl Lagerfeld and closed Chanel's 1989 haute couture show as "The Bride." She later walked for Fendi, Valentino, Emanuel Ungaro, and Yves Saint Laurent, and appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle.

Simmons launched Baby Phat in 1999 as a women's wear offshoot of Russell Simmons's Phat Farm. The label developed into a major lifestyle brand with clothing, jewelry, handbags, footwear, swimwear, infant accessories, and fragrances. Its first fashion show took place at New York Fashion Week in September 1999 at Radio City Music Hall.

As president and creative director of Phat Fashions, Simmons oversaw Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Baby Phat Girlz, and Phat Farm Boys. She parted ways with Phat Fashions and its parent company, Kellwood, in 2010. She became president and creative director of JustFab the following year, served in that role until 2015, and introduced KLS by Kimora Lee Simmons in the 2015 pre-fall season.

Simmons reacquired Baby Phat in 2019. The brand relaunched that summer and introduced a new signature collection in the fall, retaining its focus on woman-led design and female empowerment.

Simmons worked as a television host, actress, producer, and reality television personality. She co-hosted the syndicated music and pop-culture series One World Music Beat from 1998 to 2001 and served as a judge alongside Tyra Banks during the first cycle of America's Next Top Model in 2003.

Her reality series Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane ran from 2007 to 2011, followed by Kimora: House of Fab in 2013. She returned to the format with Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane in 2025. Her acting credits include For Love or Money, Rebound, Beauty Shop, and Waist Deep. She also wrote Fabulosity: What It Is & How to Get It, published in 2006, and received a Tony Award for producing Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.

Simmons has served on the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and supported organizations including amfAR, Keep a Child Alive, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, and The G&P Foundation. She worked with PETA on its Be an Angel to Dogs campaign and participated in the organization's animal-welfare advocacy.

In 2014, she established the Kimora Lee Simmons Scholarship Fund at the Fashion Institute of Technology for students from underserved communities pursuing careers in fashion. She has also worked with The Unmentionables on support for refugee and migrant women and children, partnered with UN Women on gender equality and innovation initiatives, and collaborated with Smile Train on a campaign supporting children with cleft palates.