O.J. Simpson is dead. The 76-year-old, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969 until 1979, passed away from prostate cancer on April 10.
Beyond the United States, Simpson, whose full name was Orenthal James Simpson, was undoubtedly more well-known for his 1994 to 1995 murder trial, at the end of which he was controversially acquitted of killing his former wife Nicole Brown, and her friend, restaurant waiter Ron Goldman. The pair were found stabbed to death outside Simpson’s condominium in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 12, 1994.
What some people may not know—or at least may not recall — is Simpson’s connection to the Kardashian family and the impact of his trial on them.
The late Robert Kardashian — father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Jr. — developed a close friendship with Simpson after meeting him in 1966 through their ties to Los Angeles’ University of Southern California. Simpson was Kardashian’s best man when he married Kris Houghton (now Kris Jenner) in 1978. He lived at Kardashian’s house during a break from his then-wife Brown. Kris and Nicole became friends, and the couples regularly mingled. Khloé Kardashian has even spoken about how she and her siblings called Simpson and his ex-wife “Uncle OJ” and “Auntie Nicole.”
Therefore, it’s unsurprising that the Kardashian patriarch, a highly respected attorney, signed on as a member of the so-called dream team that defended Simpson during his murder trial — and his involvement wreaked havoc on his family, splitting them down the middle.
How did OJ Simpson’s trial affect the Kardashian family?
The trial lasted for 15 months, and from the moment it began to Simpson’s climactic acquittal, the Kardashian family were at odds with each other.
Robert and Kris, who had divorced in 1991, had opposing opinions about Simpson’s guilt, increasing the rift between them. Robert remained friends with the former running back, and Kris still spent social time with Brown before her death, prompting her to question her husband’s decision to defend Simpson when he was accused of killing her.
When the press gathered outside Simpson’s home, he fled to Robert Kardashian’s house on Bundy Drive in the same Los Angeles neighborhood where Brown and Goldman were found dead. Once the initial charges against him were filed, Simpson went on the run and led police on a televised car chase after threatening to take his own life. Kardashian gave a press conference in which he read out a letter Simpson had left behind, which sounded like a suicide note. All of this angered his ex-wife further.
In turn, their four children (who were 15, 13, 9, and 7 when Nicole and Ron were killed) were divided in their alliance. Kourtney and Kim sided with their father, while Khloé and Rob Jr. were drawn to their mother.
In a 2023 interview with GQ, Kim described the situation’s impact on their lives:
“That was really tough for our family. Kourtney and I were drawn to our dad. We felt like Mom was happily remarried, so we would live with Dad. We didn’t want him to be by himself.”
Kris had already remarried and taken on the last name Jenner in April 1991, just one month after finalizing her divorce from Robert.
In 1995, Kris gave birth to her fifth child, Kendall, with Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn); she gave her the middle name Nicole in tribute to her murdered friend.