Nicole Brown Simpson's Diary Revealed Frightening Details Of Her Life With O.J. Simpson
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of alleged domestic abuse.
Although it's been more than 25 years since the so-called "Trial of the Century," where O.J. Simpson found himself accused in the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, people still talk about the case and debate whether or not "he did it." There are also many conspiracy theories that suggest someone other than Simpson committed the brutal crime, but one thing's for certain — there's no shortage of allegations that O.J. and Nicole's marriage was anything but a happy one.
Just about every narrative surrounding the case tells the disturbing story of a beloved football icon and public figure being abusive toward his wife behind closed doors, and on October 5, 2020, the Investigation Discovery documentary "O.J. and Nicole: An American Tragedy" explored those narratives on the 25th anniversary of Simpson's acquittal. The film also featured Nicole Brown Simpson's many diary entries where she accused the legendary running back of all sorts of verbal, emotional, and especially physical abuse throughout the 15 years they were together, and even after they divorced in 1992. Here are some of the more notable entries, starting with one that she wrote just one year after she and Simpson first met at a trendy club in Beverly Hills.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
The first beating allegedly occurred in 1978
As noted by The New York Times, O.J. Simpson was still married to his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, when he met Nicole Brown, then an 18-year-old waitress at a Beverly Hills nightclub, in 1977. Per the Baltimore Sun, there were apparently warning signs early on that Simpson was a controlling partner, as Brown dropped out of community college soon after moving in with the NFL star because he "required that she be with him." It wasn't long before Simpson allegedly began to show an even darker side to his personality, as Brown's first diary entry from 1978 detailed how her then-boyfriend beat her after they attended an event in New York City.
"1st time he beat me up after Louis + Nanie Mary anniversary party. Started on the street corner of NYC 5th Ave at about 9 (pm)," the entry read, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "Threw me on the floor, hit me, kicked me. we went to the hotel where he continued to beat me for hours and I continued crawling for the door."
According to an undated entry from Nicole Brown Simpson's diary, O.J. smashed her white Mercedes-Benz with a baseball bat after she arrived home later than expected. A similar scene is dramatized in the 1995 made-for-TV movie "The O.J. Simpson Story," but in here, Simpson (Bobby Hosea) loses his temper after Brown (Jessica Tuck) insists on attending her interior decorating classes instead of going on vacation with him, and the car O.J. destroys is a red Ferrari.
The abuse continued after they were married
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown tied the knot in 1985 after dating for eight years, and they would go on to have two children, Sydney and Justin. As documented by the Daily Mail, Simpson's abusive behavior during their marriage included one instance in 1986 where he purportedly beat up Nicole right after they had some drinks and listened to music with friends. It isn't clear what caused O.J. to lash out, but Nicole added in her diary that her husband "tore my blue sweater and blue socks completely off me." She then checked herself into a nearby hospital and "pretended it was a bicycle accident."
About two years later, while Nicole was pregnant with Justin, Simpson drunkenly demanded that she leave their house, also asking that she get an abortion and aiming a gun at her to show how serious he was, another entry read. Later in 1988, the would-be "Naked Gun" star supposedly became enraged after a gay man kissed Justin, who was then only a few months old. "OJ threw me against walls in our hotel and on the floor," Nicole Brown Simpson wrote. "Put bruises on my arms and back. The window scarred me – thought he'd throw me out."
In "O.J. and Nicole: An American Tragedy," former LAPD officer John Edwards recalled how he responded to a 911 call from Nicole, who was fearful that Simpson might kill her. She then mentioned that the cops had been "up here eight times" at the Simpson residence but hadn't done anything about the alleged abuse. Again, one scene from "The O.J. Simpson Story" plays out almost as Edwards described it, with Nicole saying almost the exact same words to a pair of police officers.
One of Nicole's last entries claimed O.J. didn't spend enough time with the kids
After a turbulent seven-year marriage, Nicole Brown Simpson filed for divorce in 1992, though she did write a letter to O.J. soon after, longing for the happier times in their marriage and expressing a desire that the two of them get back together for the sake of their children (via the Daily Mail). Being that she and O.J. Simpson were divorced, Nicole dated other men in the interim, but this didn't sit well with the NFL legend, who, on October 25, 1993, supposedly screamed insults at her in a jealous rage while she was calling 911, afraid that he'd enter the house and beat her up.
In a diary entry written around May 1994, Nicole lamented how hard it was for her and Simpson to come up with a proper visitation schedule with their kids. "We've officially split," she wrote. "I've told OJ we're going back to every other weekend. I need the rest. OJ is gone so much – he needs the alone time with them til he leaves again. He's been gone the last 4 weekends – so I've asked if we can start with him this weekend."
Tragically, it seems she wasn't able to fully sort those matters out, as she and Ron Goldman were murdered just about one month after she wrote that entry.