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Fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons has finally shared her candid thoughts on the controversial relationship between her daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons and 65-year-old restaurateur Vittorio Assaf. In a recent appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, the 50-year-old entrepreneur described the short-lived 2024 romance as “predatorial and kinda crazy,” admitting that the situation deeply concerned her as a mother.
The relationship first made headlines in April 2024, when paparazzi photos surfaced of the then-21-year-old Harvard graduate kissing the Serafina Restaurant Group founder during a vacation in St. Barths. Kimora revealed that she was completely blindsided by the news, discovering the relationship through media reports at the same time as the general public. She noted that the situation escalated from zero to one hundred almost instantly, and finding out alongside the rest of the world was particularly shocking.
Despite her alarm, Kimora explained that she chose to exercise restraint rather than immediately confront her daughter. She noted that when a situation blows up so quickly in the public eye, being an overbearing parent can sometimes be counterproductive. She expressed that as a mother, one cannot always react with immediate outrage, as she wanted to allow her daughter the space to navigate her own choices and learn from the experience.
Kimora’s perspective was also shaped by her own past experiences with significant age-gap relationships. She drew parallels between Aoki’s situation and her own history, stating that she views such dynamics as inherently predatorial. She further suggested that Assaf, whom she has known for years in professional circles, carries a reputation that preceded him, adding to her discomfort with the pairing.
While the news cycle surrounding the pair was intense, the actual relationship was reportedly fleeting. Sources close to the family confirmed that the romance was completely over only days after the photos first appeared in the media. Kimora echoed
this sentiment, categorizing the fling as just a brief moment rather than a substantial connection.
Kimora emphasized that while she finds such massive age gaps alarming, she remains committed to supporting her children as they grow. Aoki Lee Simmons, who graduated from Harvard at age 20, has since focused on her modeling career and has not been publicly linked to Assaf since the brief media firestorm subsided.
