Chilling Celebrity Reactions To O.J. Simpson's Death
Former NFL star and convicted felon O.J. Simpson died of cancer at age 76 in April 2024, and people had some understandably strong reactions. Simpson was indeed a controversial figure. He was acquitted of the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in a 1995 trial that captured America's attention and forever changed popular culture. But a later civil trial in 1997 found him liable for the killings and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the families of the victims. His 2007 book, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer Book," and nine-year prison stint for armed robbery and kidnapping from 2008 to 2017, certainly didn't help his public image.
Some of the most chilling reactions to O.J. Simpson's death came from celebrities, who didn't mince their words. Here's what they had to say about it.
Fred Goldman
Ron Goldman's father, Fred, did not mourn the loss of O.J. Simpson. "The only thing I have to say is, it's just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years," he told NBC News. "It's no great loss to the world."
Fred also released a statement with his daughter, Kim, on Facebook, expressing similar sentiments. "The news of Ron's killer passing away is a mixed bag of complicated emotions and reminds us that the journey through grief is not linear," it read. "For three decades we tirelessly pursued justice for Ron and Nicole, and despite a civil judgment and his confession in 'If I Did It,' the hope for true accountability has ended."
Goldman's family was always convinced of Simpson's guilt, and winning the wrongful death suit in 1997 didn't appear to give them much solace. "Despite us winning, it left us very empty," Fred said in a February 2017 appearance on "Good Morning America." "I still, to this day, have a hard time with the fact that he wasn't found guilty, in the criminal trial," he later added.
Caitlyn Jenner
Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner also didn't mince her words. "Good riddance #OJSimpson," she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The comment is unsurprising given the disdain she expressed for Simpson in her 2017 memoir, "The Secrets of My Life." "He was the most narcissistic, egocentric, neediest a****** in the world of sports I had ever seen, and I had seen a lot of them," she wrote, claiming he got away with "two savage murders." After the not-guilty verdict in the 1995 murder trial, Jenner told her kids, "The name of O.J. Simpson will never be mentioned in this house again."
Caitlyn was married to Kris Jenner, the ex-wife of Robert Kardashian, who was Simpson's defense attorney in the 1995 trial. They married in April 1991 and finalized their divorce in December 2014 after nearly 24 years together. Robert's connection to the trial caused a rift within the family, with Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian believing in Simpson's innocence and Caitlyn and Kris sure of his guilt.
Marc Lamont Hill
American academic and television personality Marc Lamont Hill had a scathing reaction to O.J. Simpson's death. "O.J. Simpson was an abusive liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood," he posted on X. Hill said the acquittal was the "correct and necessary result of a racist criminal legal system" but still called Simpson a "monster" who should not be martyrized.
The Simpson case came three years after African American Rodney King was brutally beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers after being pulled over for speeding. Footage of the incident set off racial tensions, paving the way for riots the following year after three of the charged officers were acquitted of assault. In 1993, two of the officers were found guilty of violating King's civil rights and sentenced to 30 months in prison.