Gladiator star Djimon Hounsou's baby mama is arrested after allegedly hitting him in the face

Djimon Hounsou's ex-girlfriend was arrested last week after allegedly assaulting the Gladiator actor.

The 61-year-old Beninese–American actor told police last month that his ex, Riza Simpson, had used a closed fist to hit him in the face after he asked her to move out of their Atlanta townhouse on December 2, 2025, according to the Atlanta Police Department incident report obtained by the Daily Mail.

Hounsou and Simpson share two children — whom he said were at home when the alleged assault occurred — and he also has a 16-year-old son with his former partner, Kimora Lee Simmons.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Hounsou and Simpson, as well as the Atlanta Police Department for comment, but has not yet received a response.

According to the incident report, Hounsou told police that his children didn't see the alleged altercation because they were upstairs at the time, but they may have been able to hear the commotion.

Then, on Friday, January 16, APD officers reportedly arrived at the same home Hounsou claimed to have been struck at with an arrest warrant for Simpson.  

She was arrested on two misdemeanor charges of simple assault (domestic violence) and obstruction for allegedly giving false information to police officers.

According to the incident report, Simpson was spotted when officers arrived at the townhouse to arrest her.

She was allegedly seen through the windows as she closed the blinds, but when officers called her phone, she claimed to be driving to the house to meet them despite having allegedly been seen through the windows.

According to police, Simpson allegedly told them she needed another 10 minutes before arriving, but after they told her they would be entering the residence, she proceeded to open the door for them.

The officers wrote in their report that children were present with Simpson when she was arrested, and they allegedly heard crying in the background when they first knocked on the door.

According to records viewed by the Daily Mail, Simpson was booked at the Atlanta City Detention Center on a charge of battery — family violence, which was listed as a first offense for her.

TMZ first reported that Simpson had been arrested after the alleged domestic violence incident. 

According to Us Weekly, Simpson was released from the jail on Tuesday, January 20, after she posted a $500 bond, and then moved to the Fulton County Jail due to the arrest warrant for her.

A representative for the facility told Us Weekly that Simpson's court date is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, at 9 a.m. 

Hounsou and Simpson have largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight.

He was previously in a relationship with the model Kimora Lee Simmons, whom he began dating in 2007. 

The two had a traditional Beninese commitment ceremony during a visit to his home country in the summer of 2008. 

However, they were never legally married, even though Simmons described Hounsou as her husband on her reality series Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane. 

The couple welcomed a son, 16-year-old Kenzo Lee Hounsou, in 2009, but Simmons and Hounsou announced that they had gone their separate ways in November 2012. 

He and Simpson began their relationship sometime later. 

The two-time Oscar nominee has built a reputation as a successful actor who has appeared in several acclaimed films, including Steven Spielberg's Amistad and Ridley Scott's Gladiator.

More recently, he has appeared in multiple blockbuster Marvel and DC superhero films, including Guardians Of The Galaxy, Captain Marvel, Aquaman, Shazam! and Black Adam.