Kimora Lee Is Leaving the Simmons Name Behind in New Lifetime Documentary

Kimora Lee is ready to tell her story on her own terms. After decades in the spotlight, the former supermodel and Baby Phat founder is stepping forward with a new name, a new documentary and plenty to say about the life behind the glamour.

At 51, Lee has dropped the Simmons surname and is opening up about her experiences in the Lifetime documentary Kimora Lee: On Her Own. The film promises a personal look at her rise from teenage modeling sensation to fashion mogul, while also exploring the difficult moments that played out far away from the runway.

Lee began making waves in fashion when she was just a teenager. Her early success put her in the orbit of legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, who made her a muse at Chanel. She also became an important figure for young models of color trying to make their way through the world of high fashion.

In the documentary trailer, Lee looks back on that period with a mix of pride and caution.

“Here’s the thing about my life,” Lee says at the beginning of the trailer as footage of her modeling in the ’90s flashes across the screen. “It was glamorous. I was the youngest model in the history of Chanel.”

Of course, glamorous does not always mean easy. Lee hints at the darker side of growing up in such a demanding industry.

“I’ve seen the monsters,” she says in the trailer.

That line sets the tone for what appears to be a much deeper conversation than a simple trip down memory lane.

Lee famously met music and fashion mogul Russell Simmons when she was 16 and he was in his mid 30s. The two began dating soon afterward and eventually married in 1998. They welcomed daughters Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Simmons before separating in 2006 and later divorcing in 2009.

Their relationship was also closely connected to Lee's growing fashion career. Together, they helped take her Baby Phat idea and turn it into a multi-million-dollar brand, making the name a major part of the fashion and pop culture conversation.

But after the marriage ended, the family story became much more complicated.

Simmons has faced multiple sexual assault allegations in recent years, while he has also filed a lawsuit against Lee accusing her of stealing stocks. The ongoing conflict has kept the former couple in the headlines long after their marriage ended.

For Lee, the emotional cost appears to have been significant.

“It’s been a painful ride,” Lee says later in the trailer, which shows raw footage of her crying into the camera and saying, “I’m just asking that you leave us alone.”

That moment gives viewers a glimpse of the person behind the polished fashion image. The woman who once commanded attention on the runway is now showing a much more vulnerable side.

Lee's life has continued to grow and change since her marriage to Simmons.

She welcomed son Kenzo with actor Djimon Hounsou in 2009. She later married former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner, and the couple welcomed son Wolfe in 2015. They also became parents to adopted son Gary.

Lee and Leissner filed for divorce this year. Leissner is currently serving a two-year federal sentence for financial fraud, adding yet another complicated chapter to Lee's personal life.

While her family has faced plenty of public attention, Lee has also continued building her own identity. That includes her connection to Baby Phat, the brand she created and helped turn into a major fashion name.

And now, even her name is part of that new chapter.

Dropping the Simmons surname seems to represent more than a simple change. It fits with the larger message of the documentary: Lee wants to separate herself from the relationships, controversies and struggles that have followed her and reclaim her identity.

Kimora Lee also returned to reality television with Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, an E! series that gave viewers another look at her life as a businesswoman and mother. The show follows Lee as she balances her business empire with life as a single mother of six, proving that even with a fashion empire, being a mom does not exactly come with a day off.

The series brought Lee back to the reality TV world years after Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane ended. This time, viewers got to see her navigate everything from family changes and raising her children to business challenges and the everyday chaos that comes with having a very full plate. The season wrapped its finale in December 2025, adding another chapter to Lee's long-running reality television story.

The reality series originally aired on the Style Network from 2007 to 2011 and followed Lee as she balanced her career, businesses and family life. Viewers watched her design clothes, manage staff, work on advertising campaigns and prepare for major events, all while raising Ming and Aoki.

The show offered plenty of the glamorous lifestyle its title promised, but it also showed the busy reality of being a mother and businesswoman.

Now, years later, Kimora Lee: On Her Own appears ready to revisit some of those themes from a very different perspective.

This time, Lee is not simply inviting viewers into her fabulous world. She is looking back at everything that came with it, including the struggles that were harder to see.

Despite the difficult moments teased in the trailer, Lee does not appear interested in ending her story on a sad note.

Instead, she leaves viewers with a message that sounds very much like a declaration of independence.

“When life gives you coal, press it into a diamond,” she says pointing into the camera with a smile.

For someone who has spent decades being watched, discussed and photographed, the documentary could give Lee something she has not always had: the chance to control the narrative herself.

From teenage Chanel model to fashion mogul, reality TV star and mother, Kimora Lee has lived a life that has rarely been quiet. Now she appears ready to tell the story behind the headlines, without the Simmons name attached.

Kimora Lee: On Her Own premieres Sunday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET.