Aoki Lee Simmons says she has relocated to Bali and has no plans to return to the United States. Simmons shared the update via Instagram Stories, responding to repeated questions about whether she plans to move back. In one post, she wrote, “Move back to the US this move back to the US that. I get to wear a backless sundress every single day & I never have to wear shoes, the answer is no.”
The model also shared glimpses of her current living setup, including views from her bed and photos of her bedroom and bathroom, before ending her sequence with a note to followers: “But I miss you all!”
Why Aoki Lee Simmons Says Bali Works For Her Right Now
The Harvard graduate’s posts centered on everyday reasons for preferring life on the Indonesian island, including the ability to dress casually and go barefoot. Online, some observers have also speculated about whether Simmons is spending time with her father, Russell Simmons, who, according to Essence, has frequented Bali since 2018. Complex reported in 2024 that Russell Simmons moved to Bali in 2018 following multiple rape, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct allegations, which he has denied.
In its reporting, Essence also linked Simmons’ Bali update to comments from the premiere episode of Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, in which she said she initially relocated to Bali for a gap year to recharge after graduating from Harvard, and referenced surfing when asked what she does daily. Simmons has long drawn public attention for balancing modeling with her academic path, and her responses to criticism have been widely covered.
In 2022, she addressed questions on TikTok about why she models despite being Harvard-educated, pushing back on the implication that modeling and education cannot coexist. In that same response, she said she loves modeling and argued that people should “normalize liking something,” while challenging the idea that someone cannot be “smart and pretty.”
