In a recent television appearance, fashion designer and former reality star Kimora Lee Simmons opened up about the challenges of starting a family in her twenties, describing herself with humor as having been “like a child bride.”
Simmons, now 50, became a mother for the first time at age 25. Looking back, she admitted she felt too young and unprepared at the time, despite believing she “knew everything.” She was married and had welcomed two children by the time she reached the age her own daughters are now.
The mother of five shared that parenting remains a constant, evolving responsibility. While her older daughters maintain their own apartments, they also keep rooms at her home, leading Simmons to joke that motherhood is a “never-ending job” where the challenges simply mature along with the children. She humorously noted that her eldest, now 25, sometimes “acts like she’s 17.”
A significant part of the discussion focused on her solo parenting journey. Simmons clarified that she is the primary—and often sole—caregiver for her children, with no active co-parenting arrangement in place. She recounted a moment from the interview where she initially softened this reality, only for the hosts to point out the full truth. “I do it by myself,” she stated frankly.
The designer also touched on a personal pattern of making excuses for others in the past, a habit she says she has now outgrown. “We’re not doing that at this age,” she affirmed.
This interview comes as Simmons prepares to return to reality television after a 15-year break with a new series. When questioned about her decision to step back in front of the cameras, she quipped about a love for “torture and punishment.” She revealed that friends and family, witnessing the lively dynamics of her life, had persistently encouraged her to document it all, eventually convincing her to reconsider.
