Russell Simmons recently got caught up in a lot of heat based on allegations that came forth from his family. Moreover, his daughter Aoki and his ex-wife Kimora detailed his abusive relationship with them, sharing a clip of him screaming at his 20-year-old daughter via FaceTime. Also, they shared text messages in which Simmons blames Kimora for his situation and for taking his money. During Aoki’s Instagram Live session expressing her fears and emotions surrounding the situation, the disgraced record exec actually took to the comments to apologize. Also, he recently shared a response to these developments seemingly addressed to Aoki and his other daughter Ming.
“God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok,” Russell Simmons wrote on Instagram. “Be strong, they are called growing pains as you know. We grow through adversity and struggle. You were forced to read my books and hear me preach your whole childhood reach back remember to remember ‘smile and breathe’ [red heart emoji]. ‘Smile and breathe.’ You are the watchers of this world so let go be at ease. God is driving and he is working on you [red heart emoji]. No conditions for sure I love you guys more then I love myself.”

Russell Simmons’ Response

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One particular message from Aoki throughout all this hinted at the Def Jam co-founder’s mental health struggles. “My father is not well,” she wrote on Instagram. “For years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself. He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma, he has harassed my grandma in the middle of the night in poor health, send a man to my sisters apartment at 2am to scare her. He lashes out at ANYONE who does not say ‘oh Russell everything is fine.’ Well it’s not fine.
“If ‘I never get a fashion job again’ like he threatens, I’ll be a lawyer I guess and work in criminal justice,” Aoki continued. “Sure I love my job but if he takes it away from me I won’t die. You don’t threaten my sister and grandma and mother and say ‘who’s gonna believe you I’m Russell Simmons nobody thinks I’m cr*zy‘ well he is.”