Kimora Lee Simmons Reveals She Earned ‘$20 Million Or Less’ From Baby Phat Deal Worth Over $100 Million

Kimora Lee Simmons Reveals
She Earned ‘$20 Million Or Less’ From Baby Phat Deal Worth Over $100 Million

Kimora Lee Simmons is reflecting on a major business move from her past, revealing the financial reality behind the sale of her once-dominant fashion empire, Baby Phat.

During a recent appearance on the “Aspire With Emma Grede” podcast, Kimora Lee Simmons shared new details about the deal that reshaped her career. The brand, originally launched as a womenswear extension of Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm, quickly grew into a cultural staple in the early 2000s, generating over $1 billion in revenue at its peak.

In 2004, The Kellwood Company acquired Baby Phat and its parent company in a deal reportedly valued at $140 million. However, Simmons says her personal earnings were far less than many might assume.

“You live and you learn, I probably made — I think we ended up selling … it for 100-and-something million dollars. I probably got $20 million of that, or less. And the entire sale was based on Baby Phat,” she said.

Simmons also revealed she “missed all of the preliminary conversations,” adding, “I wasn’t privy to the fact that these [conversations] took place.”

After the brand shut down in 2010, Simmons reacquired Baby Phat in 2019, reintroducing it to a new generation while tapping into nostalgia from its original fanbase.