Russell Simmons is putting his own spin on the viral Migos “Hotel Lobby” trend, using an AI-generated video featuring himself and ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons as renewed attention surrounds their decades-long relationship.
On Thursday, Sept. 24, the music executive, who posts on Instagram as @UncleRush, shared a digitally generated clip showing AI versions of himself and Kimora performing along to “Hotel Lobby,” the 2022 song by Migos rappers Quavo and Takeoff.
But Simmons’ post quickly became about more than the trend.
Alongside the video, he reflected on his history with Kimora, describing their relationship as 15 years of dating and marriage followed by another 20 years as “very close friends and co parents.”
“We worked good as a team,” Simmons wrote, while also referencing their “conscious uncoupling and coparenting.”
His post arrived as a clip from Kimora’s upcoming documentary resurfaced online, in which she recalls meeting Simmons while she was a teenager working in fashion.
Kimora says she was 16 when she met Simmons, whom she describes as being 18 years older. She remembers seeing him regularly at the end of runways before he later approached her backstage.
“I definitely was like, ‘Who is the weird guy at the end of the runway?’” Kimora says in the documentary footage.
She also recalls supermodel Tyra Banks attempting to keep her away from Simmons. According to Kimora, Banks kept her at her apartment for a weekend so she would not return home and check her voicemail.
Kimora says she initially interpreted Banks’ actions as interference but later viewed them as an attempt to protect her. She also speculates that Banks may previously have had a romantic encounter with Simmons.
Against that backdrop, Simmons’ social media post focused on the relationship they built over the years, including their marriage, eventual separation and co-parenting.
He congratulated Kimora on her upcoming documentary and wished her success in what he called her “next chapter.”
Their daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons, however, responded directly in the comments.
“Shit like this is why Ming and I don’t follow you,” she wrote, referring to herself and her sister Ming Lee Simmons.
Simmons also said he remains available to their three godchildren and ended his message by wishing Kimora well.
The AI-generated “Hotel Lobby” clip has therefore landed amid a broader public revisit of the former couple’s relationship, with Kimora’s documentary offering her recollections while Simmons uses his post to emphasize the long-term connection he says they maintained after their marriage ended.
