How are the Kardashians linked to OJ Simpson? From Kris Jenner’s ex Robert Kardashian repping the former NFL star at his trial, to those Khloé paternity rumours and Kim’s ‘distasteful’ comments on SNL

Apr 12 , 2024

The Kardashian children referred to OJ Simpson as “Uncle OJ” – here’s how they were linked to the late NFL player. Photos: @PrettyCorrupt1/X, @kardashians/Instagram

The Kardashian-Jenners are back in hot water, after news of OJ Simpson’s death has put the controversial family and their links to the late former American football star back into the spotlight.

Simpson died on April 10 at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to a statement issued by his family.

OJ Simpson was later convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping in 2007, and served time in prison until 2017. Photo: Reuters

Simpson has been the topic of controversy for decades. Those who kept up with the “trial of the century” in 1995 will remember that San Francisco-born Orenthal James Simpson was acquitted for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, after they were found stabbed to death outside her home in Los Angeles, per BBC.

Despite overwhelming evidence against him – which included the famous bloodstained gloves and Simpson’s record of domestic violence against his former wife – the jury ultimately sided with the wealthy NFL star, shocking the world with his acquittal, per the BBC.

But what does reality TV family the Kardashian-Jenners have to do with all this? Here’s everything you need to know.

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How does OJ Simpson know the Kardashian-Jenners?

Robert Kardashian at OJ Simpson’s murder trial. Photo: Getty Images

Kris Jenner, “momager” to The Kardashians reality TV stars, was just 17 years old when she met the Nicole Brown Simpson and OJ Simpson via her late ex-husband Robert Kardashian Sr, per People. The two couples were very close, with Jenner quickly becoming best friends with Nicole, according to the magazine. The Kardashian kids even referred to them as “auntie” and “uncle”.

Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner’s wedding. Photo: @krisjenner/Instagram

However, things changed after Nicole’s murder, with Jenner taking her deceased friend’s side, and her now ex-husband Robert Sr. (they had divorced five years earlier but remained close) representing OJ in the trial as his lawyer. Robert Sr. would be part of the team that helped OJ get acquitted from the charges.

OJ Simpson is shown with his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and their children, daughter Sidney Brooke and son Justin, at the Naked Gun 33 1/3 premiere in 1994. Photo: Reuters

“I saw all the pictures and the police reports and I heard tapes of Nicole calling 911 [after she was abused by OJ],” Jenner told People in 2016. “That was stuff I didn’t know anything about. I beat myself up because I felt like I wasn’t paying attention. Like, how did I miss this? But that’s typical in an abusive relationship – that the woman doesn’t speak out about how she’s being treated.”

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OJ Simpson was suffering from prostate cancer before his death earlier this week. Photo: AP

According to Today, some of the Kardashian children celebrated OJ’s acquittal in 1995. “All the kids stayed home from school. We saw the verdict and then afterwards my dad called us and was like, ‘OK, meet me at Uncle OJ’s house. We’re all going to go there and celebrate,’” Kim Kardashian reportedly said in an episode of E! True Hollywood Story. “Now if I tell people, like, ‘Oh yeah, I was at Uncle OJ’s house right after the verdict. I didn’t even think it was a big deal,” she added, “It’s just crazy to me to even think that that was normal life.”

Since OJ Simpson’s death, Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender ex of Kris Jenner, has been the only member of the family to speak publicly on the matter. “Good Riddance #OJSimpson,” she wrote on X.

In her 2017 memoir The Secrets of My Life, per Fox News, Caitlyn called OJ “the most narcissistic, egocentric, neediest a** in the world of sports I had ever seen,” adding, “I believe he got away with two savage murders.”

The Khloé-OJ paternity rumours …

For years, rumours about OJ being Khloé Kardashian’s father have failed to go away. The online conspiracy theory stems from netizens’ belief that Khloé doesn’t look like her sisters Kim and Kourtney, and instead bears a striking resemblance to the late NFL star. Only adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Kris Jenner admitted to having an affair during her marriage in her 2011 memoir, Kris Jenner and All Things Kardashian, without saying who it was with. Nevertheless, her fling was later revealed to be football player Todd Waterman, per Vanity Fair.

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Kendall Jenner’s middle name

Kendall Jenner’s full name is Kendall Nicole Jenner after Nicole Brown Simpson. Photo: WireImage

Kendall Jenner’s middle name is dedicated to Kris’ late best friend. “My middle name is after Nicole Brown Simpson because that was my mum’s best friend,” Kendall wrote on Snapchat in 2016. “And I’m honoured to have this name.”

Kim’s “distasteful” SNL joke

In 2021, Kim was accused of being insensitive when she made a joke about OJ during her appearance on SNL.

“It’s because of [my father] that I met my first black person. Want to take a stab in the dark at who it was?” she said. “I know it’s sort of weird to remember the first black person you met, but OJ does leave a mark – or several, or none at all. I still don’t know.”

Brown Simpson’s sister, Tanya Brown, later told TMZ that she found the statement “distasteful” and in “poor taste”.

Fame and celebrity

News of OJ Simpson’s death has put the Kardashian family back in the spotlight for their controversial links to the former NFL star, who was acquitted of murdering his wife in 1995
Kris Jenner’s ex husband Robert represented OJ during ‘the trial of the century’ and invited his children – including Kim Kardashian – to celebrate winning the case at ‘Uncle OJ’s’ house