The trial of the century really captured the attention of the world after famous football star O.J. Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. There seemed to be clear evidence that O.J. did it, but he was ultimately found not guilty by a jury. The entire ordeal heightened racial tensions which made people even more passionate about their opinions.
There is a lot to unpack about the actual O.J. Simpson case, but we aren’t getting into that right now. Today, we are going to see what his innocent children have been up to. When their father’s arrest was plastered all over the headlines, his young children were also thrown into the spotlight. The devastating trial strongly impacted their lives. Not only did they lose their mother, but their father was accused of killing her.
Here are O.J. Simpson’s kids now and how the alleged criminal helped launch the Kardashian name to stardom.
Blood Runs Deep
It can’t be easy to be the daughter of O.J. Simpson. Although he was found not guilty in a court of law for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, the shadow of the trial has been haunting him ever since. Before her mother’s death, Sydney Brooke Simpson found herself in the spotlight every once in a while, as the child of a famous football player, but everything changed after that fateful night.
The O.J. Simpson trial was one of the biggest media events in the world. It has been dubbed “The Trial of the Century.” Many people all over the world have been affected by the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, but how did it affect the Simpson children? How did they deal with the gossip, press, and media attention surrounding their father?
A Little Recap… In Case You Forgot…
On June 13th, 1994, O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were found dead with multiple stab wounds outside Brown’s home. Police almost immediately suspected the ex-husband – O.J. Simpson. His relationship with Brown was very abusive, and he continued to her harass her even after their divorce.
A series of dramatic events followed, which the media was consuming. Everyone who was alive during this infamous trial could remember the Bronco chase, Simpson’s suicide threats, his “dream team” defense lawyers, and a whole lot of courtroom drama.
Sydney Was Eight, and Justin Was Five
At the same time, Simpson and Brown’s young kids were also facing an incredible amount of trauma. Sydney Simpson was just eight years old when her mother was murdered. To make matters worse, she and her five-year-old brother were sleeping in the home the night of the murders.
If losing their mother wasn’t traumatic enough, the only parent they had left was accused of murdering her. That can’t be easy on anyone at any age, especially little kids who are too young to completely understand what was going on.
Sydney Simpson’s Trauma
After she lost her mother and her father’s public media frenzy and legal issues, things were not easy for Sydney. She even went by the name Portia in order to protect herself from the press and the attention surrounding her family. Even at work, she was always reserved and quiet so that her co-workers wouldn’t look at her differently.
She and her brother worked at a restaurant in Georgia and kept a low profile. Then, one journalist tracked them down and revealed the new lives Sydney and Justin were trying to lead, according to Georgia News Day.
Staying Out of the Spotlight
With all the trauma they went through and so much negative press, it comes as no surprise that Justin and Sydney want to stay out of the spotlight. Their mother’s murder was tragic enough; the last thing they wanted was to relive it through tabloid appearances and media interviews.
Think what you want about O.J. Simpson, but his children had nothing to do with the vicious crimes; they are victims just like Nicole and Ron. After the trial, the public hoped the children would be able to deal with the ordeal and recover from the trauma in peace so they could move on to live happy, quiet lives.
She Doesn’t Want to Publicize Her Opinion
Ever since the trial, Sydney Brooke Simpson tried to preserve her privacy from the insensitive tabloids and journalists, which is completely understandable. There have been rumors about what Sydney thinks about her father’s notorious trial. But she has never made a public statement.
Members of the family said that they don’t talk about the murder. They want to put it behind them, no matter how devastating it was. What Sydney thinks is her own business, and if she wants to stay quiet with her opinion about her mother’s murder, she has every right to.
A College Girl
Despite the horrific murder, her father’s trial, and predatory advances from the media, Sydney and Justin were able to move forward in their lives. Sydney Simpson attended Boston University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and even started her own business in Florida.
She now pays the bills with her real estate job. Her brother is a little more public with his life and is also working in the real estate business. He is active on Twitter, where he enjoys sharing articles and talking about real estate.
Justin Simpson Is All Grown Up
Speaking of Justin, he also lives in Florida and seems to have a great relationship with his big sister. He appears to be well-adjusted, especially for someone who went through what he did at just five years old. He keeps his head up high and tries to live a life as normal as possible.
Before walking down the aisle with Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J. was married to Marguerite Williams. The couple had three children together: Arnelle, Jason, and Aaren. Sadly, their daughter Aaren drowned in the family pool right before her 2nd birthday. At the time, her parents had been divorced for five months.
O.J.’s Eldest Daughter, Arnelle
Being in the public eye comes with constant media scrutiny, and for most celebrities, that means their personal lives are often made public. For the A-listers, this also means their children are automatically famous by association.
Sometimes, celebrity kids will turn their fame into a career, but other times, these famous children just want to live a simple life and stay out of the limelight. Unfortunately, this is the case for most of Simpson’s children who just want to live a normal life. But thanks to their father’s trial, it was impossible! Especially for his eldest daughter, Arnelle Simpson.
Arnelle Simpson’s Younger Years
Arnelle is O.J.’s oldest child. She was born in 1969 to his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, meaning she was already a young woman by the time of the murders and her father’s arrest and the trial – and when he was acquitted of the crimes committed against Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
When she was younger, Arnelle enjoyed the fruits of her father’s labor while he was in the NFL. During his trial, however, she was forced to become the head of the household. She took care of her half-siblings, Nicole and Justin, during the entire ordeal. Arnelle’s loyalty to her family was shown once again in 2007 when her father was arrested for armed robbery.
Arnelle Works for Her Father
After his first arrest, O.J. was able to get away with his crime (allegedly), but after his second arrest, the law finally caught up to him. This time, he was convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping, and other offenses, according to Yahoo News. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison (but only served 10).
Reportedly, Arnelle fought for her father after his second arrest. Not only did she defend him during his trial, but after his conviction, she wrote letters to the parole board. In addition, she was in control of his finances since she was in charge of paying for his Florida mansion with his NFL pension.
Arnelle Encouraged O.J. to Write His Book “If I Did It”
On top of all that, Arnelle was apparently partly responsible for getting her father to write his book eerily titled If I Did It. The book was published before he was arrested for the second time, but there were tons of legal battles over the profits from the book.
You can understand why it would be extremely devastating to Nicole and Ron’s family to watch O.J. make money from such a horrific crime. Once again, Arnelle took her father’s side on behalf of the lawsuit proving her loyalty. But, ultimately, the Goldman family won.
She Still Defends Her Father
Arnelle and the rest of the Simpson clan were successful since O.J. got off on parole in 2017 after spending nine years behind bars. But Arnelle got pushed right back into the spotlight when she defended her father on multiple occasions. After that, it became difficult for her to hold down a job.
Arnelle reportedly worked for a rapper named Hash and even produced a few fashion shows. But other than that, she’s been struggling to get a stable career going. According to Nicki Swift, she basically became the caretaker of her father’s estate after his second arrest.
Father-Daughter Loyalty
However, Arnelle may not have been the best person for the job, according to Yahoo News. Apparently, O.J. had an NFL pension of $25,000 a month, and his Florida mansion had a mortgage of about $3,000 a month.
Arnelle still fell behind on payments. This may be due to her extreme shopping habits, as Yahoo News reported. Either way, her estimated net worth is currently somewhere between $1 million to $5 million, according to Trend Celebs Now. She has been criticized by many for defending O.J., but it’s her father; it’s hard to blame her for that.
Jason Simpson Had it Rough
It was Jason Simpson who had it the toughest; he is O.J.’s eldest son from his marriage. With such compelling DNA evidence, O.J. was still acquitted. However, many people thought the DNA could have been from Jason and that he was the one who committed the vicious crime.
Jason was dealing with a few mental problems and was diagnosed with intermittent rage disorder. He was even prescribed medicine to keep his behavior under control. Still, his mental health issues almost pushed him over the edge as he reportedly attempted suicide at least three times.
The Jason Simpson Conspiracy Theory
His rage problems were the first piece of evidence for the conspiracy theory that Jason may have been responsible for the murders. In fact, private investigator William C. Dear wrote a book entitled O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It, which determined that Jason was the only one who could have killed Nicole and Ron.
The author explained how Jason’s mental health, along with his past crimes involving knives, made him a prime suspect. In addition, Jason’s alibi on that fateful night was pretty weak, according to Dear. Jason was apparently working at a restaurant, but his timecard was handwritten, even though the time clock at the restaurant was working.
Jason’s Alibi
But that begs the question: How did O.J. get wrapped up in this? Dear explained that O.J. did, in fact, visit the crime scene afterward, but that was to cover up the crimes his son committed. There are other small pieces of evidence that Jason committed the murder and not O.J., according to Dear.
As far as a motive, Dear explained that Jason was not taking his medication at the time and was simply in a fit of rage. However, it’s important to note that Jason did not have a history of murdering anyone during these fits.
Jason Stays as Private as Possible
That said, all of Dear’s evidence is just a theory, and nothing has been proven in a court of law when it comes to Jason’s involvement. Despite all of that, his mental health, his father’s issues, and his own issues made Jason live an even more private life these days.
Jason is reportedly maintains a very low profile and has stayed out of the spotlight for quite a while. And who can blame him? So many people think he committed such a heinous act when there is no actual proof. He is apparently living in Atlanta and possibly still works in the restaurant business. Other than that, his low profile makes his personal life a mystery.
Robert Kardashian Married Kris Houghton
When O.J. Simpson married Nicole Brown, and Robert Kardashian married Kris Houghton (now known as Kris Jenner), their respective families got really close. In fact, the Kardashian kids referred to Simpson as “Uncle O.J.”
Their families were so close that there have been plenty of affair rumors. It’s been speculated that Jenner and O.J. were having an affair and that Khloe is actually O.J.’s daughter. The Kardashian’s denied these rumors on numerous occasions and maintain that there was nothing going on between Kris and O.J.
The Kardashian Name
When Simpson was put on trial in 1994 for Nicole and Ron’s murder, Robert Kardashian was no longer practicing law. But he decided to reactivate his license in order to defend his best friend and joined his dream team of lawyers.
As we know, the trial received a massive amount of attention and publicity, which kind of pushed Kardashian and his family into the media. They got more attention in the early 2000s when Kim Kardashian was spotted with celebs such as Paris Hilton and Ray J. This helped their family get their reality show and turned them into the famous faces we know today.
Robert Kardashian Met O.J. Simpson in College
Robert Kardashian and O.J. Simpson first crossed paths in 1967, when Kardashian was a “waterboy” for the University of Southern California’s football team, and, according to Slate, Simpson was a running back. They met again shortly after at a mutual friend’s house playing tennis.
The two hit it off really well and quickly developed a friendship and became business partners. They invested in a company together called Juice Inc., which opened up frozen yogurt stores; they first named it Hoy and later changed it to Forty Carats, according to the L.A. Times.
Best Friends Forever
They also invested in Concert Cinema, which was a music video company. The two were successful together and trusted each other completely. Simpson reportedly asked Kardashian for his opinion before buying the Rockingham Estate in Brentwood. Clearly, O.J. really valued Kardashian’s opinion.
They were the kind of friends who knew their families would grow up together. If they got along so well, there is no reason their wives and children wouldn’t. Their friendship was strong and real. Kardashian really proved his loyalty when O.J. Simpson went on trial for murder.
Robert Kardashian Joins O.J.’s Defense Team
Everyone has heard of the Kardashians now, but that famous last name first made national headlines when the family patriarch, Robert Kardashian, joined Simpson’s dream team of lawyers after the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
But the irony is that Kardashian hadn’t been in the courtroom for 20 years and hadn’t worked as a lawyer in 15 years. But the second his best friend was arrested for murder, Kardashian reactivated his law license in order to help his friend. It should be noted he truly believes Simpson was innocent.
Kris Thinks O.J. Did It
But Kris, who was already married to Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce Jenner), didn’t buy it. She didn’t feel the same way as her ex-husband and believed that O.J. was responsible for Nicole’s death. Considering their mother believed her best friend was murdered by O.J. in cold blood and their dad was his defense lawyer, things were confusing for the Kardashian kids.
In fact, Kim Kardashian revealed to Dr. Phil that the entire ordeal caused a major strain on her family: “We really felt in the middle of this trial. We didn’t know which parent to side with.” Plus, they knew O.J. really well, so they couldn’t grasp the fact that he might be a potential murderer.
O.J.’s Suicide Attempt
But the trial had a huge impact on more than just the young Kardashian lives. As revealed in The People vs. O.J. docuseries, Simpson threatened to kill himself in 13-year-old Kim Kardashian’s room. However, the family later confirmed that it was actually Kourtney’s room in real life.
Luckily, none of the kids were home at the time, but Rob managed to stop O.J.’s suicide attempt by crying, “I could never walk in this room. My daughter couldn’t sleep in this bed. She’d know what happened,” as he told Barbara Walters.
Nicole Brown Simpson was a “Beautiful Soul”
Kris Jenner and Nicole Brown Simpson were pretty much best friends, so it goes without saying that the horrific murder had a huge effect on the reality star. In one episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Jenner opened up after her late friend.
“What I loved about her the most was she was such a beautiful soul and had so much to give,” Jenner shared. “I can’t believe that 25 years have passed since her passing, and it just feels like it’s so fresh.” Kris even named her daughter Kendall Nicole Jenner after that beautiful soul.
Kendall Nicole Jenner
Later in that episode, Jenner revealed that during the trial, she didn’t have enough time to grasp what happened to her friend. She told her friend, Faye Resnick, “I’ve latched onto the legal side of stuff rather than deal with the emotional side of myself that just misses my girlfriend.”
Kendall Jenner also shared the truth about her name on social media, writing, “My middle name is after Nicole Brown Simpson because that was my mom’s best friend. And I’m honored to have this name. It really is a beautiful way to keep your best friend’s memory alive.
The Khloe Rumors
As we mentioned, there have been plenty of rumors and speculation about Khloe Kardashian. Is she really O.J.’s daughter? The family has addressed and denied these allegations multiple times, including on the show. In one particular episode, though, Khloe refused to take a DNA test which means people are still speculating. But as far as I know, it’s just a rumor.
Although the Kardashian family doesn’t appear to be close with O.J. Simpson anymore, it doesn’t mean they have anything against their kids. Kim Kardashian admitted that she is still “somewhat friendly” with Justin and Sydney Simpson.
The People v. O.J.
American Crime Story made a docuseries entitled The People v. O.J. The show did an incredible job presenting the facts of the case and how it went down. It was also a great way to educate a younger generation about “The Trial of the Century.” But that wasn’t the only thing that got youngsters tuning in.
One major plot point of the series is O.J.’s friendship with Robert Kardashian. It’s crazy to think that there was a time before they were famous, but it is funny to see the young Kardashian kids (actors) when their only claim to fame was their lawyer dad.