The well-known American entrepreneur, hip-hop record producer, and author Russell Simmons married Kimora Lee Simmons, a former fashion model who started a successful career in her early teens. Simmons is now a successful fashion designer and entrepreneur.
When she started her modeling career at 14 under an exclusive deal with “Chanel,” the extraordinarily tall Kimora quickly rose to fame.
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Kimora Lee’s Appearance (Height, Hair, Eyes & More)
| Height | 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m |
|---|---|
| Weight | 139 pounds 63 kg |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Skinny |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Facts About Kimora Lee
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Estimate Net Worth | $200 million |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Birthplace | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Birthday | May 4, 1975 |
Kimora Lee’s Net Worth
Kimora Lee Simmons has a massive \$200 million net worth. She started her career as a model before becoming one of the most prosperous fashion entrepreneurs. She serves as Baby Phat’s CEO and creative director. She also has reality shows, including “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane” and “Kimora: House of Fab,” and other lines of cosmetics, jewelry, and perfumes under her name.
See the net worth of other famous entrepreneurs here.
Kimora Lee’s Early Life
Kimora Lee Simmons was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 4, 1975. (1) Joanne Perkins and Vernon Whitlock Jr. gave birth to her. Although an American family adopted her during the Korean War, her mother, of Japanese and Korean ancestry, was raised in the United States.
Her African American father held various jobs, including barber, bail bondsman, federal marshal, and investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As a result of his drug dealing, he received a prison sentence. Her mother raised Simmons following the separation of her parents.
Kimora, raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, had a challenging time in school because the other students made fun of her for being tall and having mixed heritage. She was already 5 feet 10 inches tall when she was 11. Her mother put her in a modeling class the following year to boost her confidence.
Kimora Lee’s Education
In St. Louis, she completed her high school education at Lutheran North. Simmons first met hip-hop businessman Russell Simmons when she was 17 and still trying to graduate high school. She graduated with a business degree in 2018 from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford.
Kimora Lee’s Personal Life
Russell Simmons and Kimora got hitched in December 1998. Ming Lee Simmons, born in 2000, and Aoki Lee Simmons, born in 2002, are the couple’s two daughters. They parted ways in 2006, and their divorce was finally formalized in 2009. She started dating actor Dijmon Hounsou in the summer of 2008, and the two later divorced in 2012. In 2009, she gave birth to their son Kenzo Lee Hounsou. (2)
Wolfe Lee Leissner was born in 2015 after Kimora married Tim Leissner in February 2014. Leissner spent a long time working as a partner at Goldman Sachs. At the beginning of the infamous 1MDB Malaysia corruption scandal, which cost the bank over $1 billion in fines and other expenses, he left Goldman.
Leissner admitted admission to accusations of money laundering in 2018 and consented to erase $43.7 million in earnings. Between 2009 and 2014, Leissner allegedly assisted conman Jho Low in defrauding Malaysia for $4.5 billion. Along the way, the scheme gave Leissner and a partner $200 million in fees.
Kimora Lee’s Career
She gained early recognition in the fashion industry in 1989 after concluding Lagerfeld’s haute couture presentation. She then worked as a model for prestigious fashion firms and well-known fashion designers. She established a competing women’s line in 1998 called Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons. (3)
In 2000, Simmons was subsequently named the Baby Phat brand’s president and creative director. The Kellwood Company acquired Phat Fashions in 2004 for $140 million. In 2006, Simmons was selected to lead Phat Fashions.
In 2019, Simmons declared that she had repurchased the Baby Phat brand. She announced that her daughters Ming and Aoki Lee selected the Baby Phat Beauty Line after a year in August 2020. In 1998, Simmons made his television debut as the host of One World Music Beat. Later, in 2004, she took a job as the host of the syndicated talk shows Life and Style. She has participated in several VH1 specials, including “Party Fabulous” and “Uncut New York Fashion Week.”
In 2003, Kimora served as a judge for “America’s Next Top Model” Season 1. As a judge, she participated in Germany’s Next Top Model franchise. Additionally, Simmons appeared in the reality television program “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane” on the Style Network, which started in 2007 and ran for seven seasons.
She acted in the show, produced four episodes, and took on the role of executive producer for an additional ten episodes between 2009 and 2010. She joined the cast of “Kimora: House of Fab” 2013, another reality show.
Kimora Lee’s Controversies
Campaign-related controversies are nothing new for Kimora. She drew much criticism for how her domestic helper, maids—were portrayed in her print advertisements while pushing her wildly popular line, Baby Phat.
Many black individuals believed she had gone the entire showing off your jewels thing a little too far. Many people who thought the images were offensive, pretentious, and outright degrading to the maids were black.
Regarding her career and luxurious lifestyle, Kimora has never been one to hold back. She is what she is because of that. Even those who claimed to despise her couldn’t help but be jealous of her incredible rise from poverty to wealth, which is why her show was so well-liked.
There is no doubt that the woman has grown up and is now a star in her own right, even though most of her ascent to the title of “Queen of Bling” was facilitated by her marriage to Russell Simmons.
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Kimora Lee’s Humanitarian Works
Kimora Lee Simmons, a fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist, has been named The Unmentionables’ lead Global Ambassador. Combining her commercial savvy and passion for empowering people with her advocacy for human rights, Simmons will assist refugees in obtaining protection from exploitation and trafficking.
In 2017, Simmons and The Unmentionables first collaborated, and since then, her involvement within the group has rapidly expanded. As The Unmentionables’ Global Ambassador, Simmons will collaborate closely with the group to improve the quality of life for displaced communities. Simmons will fight for immigrants vulnerable to sexual exploitation and human trafficking with her unflinching dedication.
Currently, horrible levels of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking are experienced by more than 75% of migrant and refugee children traveling through the Central Mediterranean route to reach Europe. Simmons is devoted to protecting displaced people from these tragedies as part of her ongoing humanitarian work with The Unmentionables.
Kimora Lee’s Real Estate and Other Properties
Kimora purchased a 13,000-square-foot Beverly Hills property for $8.5 million shortly after her split from Simmons in 2006. Years later, Kimora started renting out this Beverly Hills estate for up to $55,000 monthly after purchasing a new, far larger home.
Kimora and Tim spent $19 million buying a New York City apartment in 2014, not long after getting married. They spent $25 million on a 20,000-square-foot, nearly 4-acre Beverly Hills mansion in 2017. Unfortunately, Tim and Kimora lost $9 million when they sold this property in January 2021 for $16 million.
References
- Admin, Kimora Lee Simmons Net Worth: How Rich is the TV Star?, retrieved from https://legitnetworth.com/kimora-lee-simmons-net-worth/
- Suzanne Imandi, Kimora Lee Simmons Net Worth, retrieved from https://otakukart.com/562122/kimora-lee-simmons-net-worth/
- Nathan Grieve, Kimora Lee Simmons Net Worth and Life Story (Updated 2022) How much is Kimora Lee Simmons Worth?, retrieved from https://www.classicalfinance.com/kimora-lee-simmons-net-worth-and-life-story/