Kimora Lee Simmons’ daughter Aoki Lee Simmons is considering giving up her modeling career.
“You go somewhere and get told over and over and over again, ‘No, no, you’re not pretty enough,’” Aoki, 22, said during a recent Instagram live video, screen-recorded by account LiveBitez. “I think I’m probably wrapping up modeling soon.”
She added, “I’m, like, getting a job in my degree field, but you know, while I’m still here, I should do my best. … I hope it doesn’t sound whiny.”
According to Aoki, she felt disheartened by going to castings that her mother “always got” while she ended up rejected.
“It just feels like one big, fat comparison all the time,” she said. “I get that my mom is always going to be a way better model than me, but it’s annoying to have that comparison sometimes. People are like, ‘It’d be so great to go to a casting that your mom did.’ And I’m like, [nodding], ‘No, it’s not. It’s awful because then when you don’t get it, it feels even more, like, [upsetting].’”
She concluded, “But, while I’m here, I’m gonna do my best!”
Should Aoki leave modeling behind, she has a backup plan to work in government. (Aoki graduated from Harvard University in 2023.)
Aoki is one of the daughters of Kimora, 49, and ex-husband Russell Simmons, who also share 24-year-old daughter Ming. (Kimora, additionally, shares son Kenzo, 14, with ex Djimon Hounsou and son Wolfe, 8, with ex Tim Leissner. She also adopted son Gary when he was 10 in 2020.)
Aoki previously told Us Weekly what it was like following in her mother’s fashionable footsteps.
“My mom was literally trying to coach me while I walked down the runway during [my first] Sergio Hudson show,” Aoki exclusively told Us in April. “I walked by and she yelled, ‘SHOULDERS!’ Since I started my career, my mom has given me a lot of helpful advice, but I also appreciate the amount of space she has given me to make my own way. She’s allowing me to figure it out.”
She continued at the time, “I’m excited for the opportunity to work as a full-time model. I like to be constantly surrounded by so many creative people, and to have the opportunity to collaborate on this level is not something I take for granted. There is so much to learn in this business, so I’m staying flexible and enjoying the surprise of what comes.”
