Business mogul and former model Kimora Lee Simmons took to Instagram Friday to dispel the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against her ex-husband, fellow business mogul Russell Simmons.
In the long post, Kimora wrote that she has known Simmons for 25 years and that the accusations against him don't describe the man that she has come to know. They were married between 1998 and 2009.
“These allegations against him are nothing like the person I have known in all that time,” she said in the post. “I have known him to be a caring and supportive father who has worked tirelessly to uplift disenfranchised communities.”
Kimora references the #MeToo movement generally stating that she remains supportive of the women stepping up to hold men accountable for their actions. However, there is no mention of the women who have accused Russell in her statement.
Over the past six to seven months, there have been an estimated 13 women who have alleged sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior. By many reports, six of those women have accused the Def Jam co-founder of rape. A damning Los Angeles Times report featured several high-profile victims' stories that accused Russell of rape and sexual misconduct.
Actress Natashia Williams-Blach, massage therapist Erin Beattie, Rapper Sherri Hines, Lisa Kirk and "Insecure" star Amanda Seales were the latest group of women to come forward with lewd stories about Russell Simmons.
This past Wednesday another woman, filmmaker Jennifer Jarosik, has filed a lawsuit suing the mogul for $5 million. She accused Russell of attacking and raping her in 2016.
Russell Simmons released a statement Thursday in response saying, “All of my relations have been consensual.” He vowed to “relentlessly fight against any untruthful character assassination that paints me as a man of violence.”
