Kimora Lee Simmons says she felt a "little embarrassed" when she saw pics of her 21-year-old daughter kissing a 65-year-old ... especially because she feels like Aoki got played.
We caught up with the fashion mogul Thursday in NYC, and asked her all about Aoki's short-lived tryst with restaurateur, Vittorio Assaf -- she doesn't think it was ever a real relationship, and even referred to him as just a toad Aoki kissed.
KLS adds she feels her daughter was set up ... and, while she doesn't exactly come out and say what she means by that, she certainly implies the vast age difference screwed with her daughter's head.
Then, the bombshell ... Simmons says she felt embarrassed her daughter publicly hooked up with the guy, but it didn't stop her from showing Aoki love and support after the images of her and Vittorio surfaced.
That being said, Mama Simmons did mete out a slight punishment.
ICYMI ... paparazzi snapped 21-year-old Aoki making out with Vittorio on a Caribbean beach -- leading to public disgust and, ultimately, a quick ending to whatever relationship they had just days after the photos surfaced.
Her father, hip-hop icon Russell Simmons, weighed in on the drama at the time, but Kimora mostly kept her opinions to herself.
We also asked her about Diddy -- her kids are close to his twins, Jessie and D'Lila -- and, she says the girls attended her 49th birthday dinner recently.
As for the allegations against Diddy ... check out the clip for yourself. Kimora's not wading too far into that drama, if she can help it.
Kimora's name came up in connection with Diddy months ago -- a 2004 interview resurfaced, in which she claimed Diddy threatened to hit her while she was pregnant. She acknowledged Diddy, ultimately, did not hit her and later apologized.