In 1998, Russell married Kimora, a former model and the CEO of Baby Phat. The pair started dating years before they got married after meeting at New York Fashion Week in 1992. At the time, the Phat Farm exec was 35, and Kimora was 17 and a high school sophomore.

Russell and Kimora welcomed their first child, Ming Lee, two years after their wedding day, on Jan. 21, 2000. Following Ming Lee’s birth, Kimora gave birth to their second daughter, Aoki Lee, on Aug. 16, 2002.

Many who were around for Kimora and Russell’s respective Baby Phat and Phat Farm reigns recall seeing their daughters on the runways of many of Kimora’s shows. However, in recent years, both Ming and Aoki have focused on their academics and modeling.

In May 2023, Kimora announced on Instagram that Ming graduated from New York University (NYU) and said her daughter’s “journey” was a labor of love. That same month, the Fabulosity author shared more happy news when Aoki completed her undergraduate program at Harvard at age 20 while strutting down the runway during Fashion Week.

“My baby girl is a HARVARD GRADUATE!!!” Kimora wrote under photos of her and Aoki. “AND with a double major! AND one of the youngest in recent history to do so at only 20 years young! This is CRAZYY! IM SO SO SOO PROUD!”