When we think of O.J. Simpson, there’s a good chance that one thing comes to mind: did he end the lives of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, or was he tried for a crime he didn’t commit? While he’s been in and out of the headlines ever since he’s not alone.
The former NFL star welcomed five children throughout the years, most of whom were dragged into the media fire along the way. It’s been years since the Trial of the Century, leaving many to wonder what happened to O.J. Simpson’s kids throughout the years.
There’s a good chance that O.J. Simpson’s marriage to Nicole Brown is the most famous of them all. Still, not many know that the former NFL star had already been married by the time they tied the knot. That’s right; Simpson was just 19 years old when he walked down the aisle with his high school sweetheart.
Marguerite Whitley seemed to throw herself into married life as she supported Simpson’s dream of making it to the NFL. At the time, he was still enrolled at the University of Southern California and was one of the star players on the college’s football team. Sadly, Simpson and Whitley had no idea how things would change.
It didn’t take long for things to change within the Simpson family, as they welcomed their first child just one year after tying the knot. Arnelle was born in 1968 and marked the football star’s first daughter. She was followed by the couple’s second child - and first son - Jason Lamar, who was born in 1970.
To many, they thought Simpson’s family was complete. That was until 1977, when Simpson and Whitley welcomed their third child, a daughter named Aaren Lashone Simpson. Many assumed this was everything Simpson could need. He had his career and his family, but it seemingly wasn’t enough for the NFL legend, who eventually gave in to his wandering eye.
Just because things look like they’re perfect on the outside doesn’t always mean that’s the case. Sadly, that was the truth for O.J. Simpson and Marguerite Whitley, who were seemingly dealing with their own struggles away from the public eye. He might have been married, but that didn’t stop Simpson from thinking about other women.
The problem? It didn’t take long for O.J. to act on those urges. He was still married when he headed to a nightclub called The Daisy. Apparently, Simpson was a regular, and he quickly formed a friendship with a young waitress. Nicole Brown was 18 years old compared to her new 30-year-old married friend.
He might have been married, but that didn’t stop O.J. Simpson from getting a little too close to Nicole Brown. The pair seemed to hit things off immediately, and it wasn’t long before they embarked on an affair. Still, no one is sure if Marguerite Whitley knew about her husband’s new love and turned a blind eye.
If she had no idea that Simpson was moving on with someone new, Whitley probably found out the hard way when O.J. and Nicole decided to move in together. They might have recently welcomed their third child, but the betrayal was enough to see Whitely and Simpson file for a divorce. The problem? Tragedy was just around the corner.
Things had gone from the perfect fairytale relationships to the rest of the world to an incredibly challenging time for everyone involved. After all, O.J. Simpson’s kids had already had to get used to growing up in the limelight thanks to his successful NFL career. Things only got worse when he left to live with Nicole Brown.
Sadly, the most tragic thing of all came shortly before Simpson’s daughter’s second birthday. Aaren somehow accidentally fell into the family’s swimming pool and drowned. Although medics did everything they could, the toddler fell into a coma and lost her life a short time later. It was enough to tear the Simpson family even further apart.
Losing a child is usually never an easy thing to go through, especially when it happens around the time of another tragedy in the family. They might have been getting a divorce, but O.J. and Marguerite were forced to be there for each other as they mourned the loss of their daughter. That didn’t stop Simpson from moving on.
After all, he had a new girlfriend to think about and was ready to start a new family with Nicole Brown. Things quickly settled, and it wasn’t long before the pair made the next big move by walking down the aisle in February 1985. The moment also came five years after O.J officially retired from playing professional football.
Just because his first marriage didn’t work out didn’t mean that O.J. Simpson gave up all hope of moving forward with his life. Now, he had a new wife by his side, and talk quickly turned to starting a family of their own. Many believed it was a bittersweet moment when O.J. and Nicole welcomed their first daughter.
After all, welcoming Sydney in 1985 marked the start of a new chapter in the athlete’s life. It wasn’t long before the family was snapped together at a host of events across the world as everyone wanted to see what Simpson was doing with his life away from the field, almost forgetting the star still had two other children.
For years, many believed O.J. Simpson and Marguerite Whitley were the perfect couple. That was until the athlete met and fell for Nicole Brown. For a time, the world was caught up in the idea of a scandalous affair, but it seems they forgot all about it as the years passed and the couple continued to grow their family.
By 1988, the pair were set to welcome their second child, a son named Justin. Apparently, this was what Nicole and O.J had been dreaming about. It’s said they had dreams of having a husband and wife unit joined by a daughter and son. The problem? There are times when things might seem too good to be true.
Just like his first marriage, it seems the tale of what was really going on in their relationship all happened behind closed doors. That’s because there are multiple reports that O.J. Simpson was abusive to Nicole Brown throughout their marriage. In fact, she called the police on her husband a handful of times over the years.
One of those times came in 1989, when Nicole reported Simpson quickly got out of control. According to the report, he didn’t want Nicole “sleeping in my bed anymore,” and he already had “two women’” Although he was arrested once, the charges were dropped against O.J. when Nicole’s parents allegedly encouraged her to work on their marriage.
It’s said that Nicole Brown’s parents were inspired by O.J. helping her dad invest in a Hertz dealership, which had substantial financial benefits to the family. Tragically, they had no idea about what was to come. Although her family was supposedly the ones to encourage reconciliation, things got too much for Nicole by 1992.
She filed for a divorce in February of that year, citing irreconcilable differences, with the abuse being just the tip of the iceberg. Nicole also opened up about O.J.’s year-long affair with actress and model Tawny Kitaen throughout their marriage, which only ended when she got married. It didn’t take long for the couple to finalize their divorce.
Nicole Brown and O.J. Simpson allegedly learned to be civil following their split, but things were never easy. Their relationship was volatile, and Nicole was forced to call 911 several more times. Still, everything changed on June 12, 1994, while Nicole was living in Los Angeles with her two children. In fact, Sydney and Justin were asleep upstairs.
Nicole’s body was found the following day curled up in a pool of blood on the floor. She had been stabbed multiple times outside her home. She was joined by her friend Ron Goldman, a 25-year-old waiter, who had also lost his life under horrific circumstances, and thus the most infamous trial in the history of the US began.
It didn't take long for the police to launch a hunt to find O.J. Simpson. He refused to hand himself in and was involved in one of the most infamous car chases of all time as Simpson fled in a 1993 Ford Bronco SUV. All in all, it's estimated 95 million people tuned in to watch the chase unfold.
He was eventually caught, and Simpson was taken to trial, a case which played out over nine months. Simpson ended up selling $50,000 worth of sports assets to pay for his legal team made up of F. Lee Bailey, Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, and close friend Robert Kardashian, a group later referred to as the “Dream Team.”
The Kardashian name is one that’s now known around the world thanks to the family’s successful reality show alongside their many business ventures. However, there was once a time they were far from the reality stars they are today. Instead, Robert Kardashian was a highly successful and famous lawyer working in Los Angeles before he retired.
Still, Robert knew that he needed to come out of retirement if he stood a chance of helping his friend. His role in O.J. Simpson’s trial was enough to see all eyes on the lawyer once more. In fact, the fame stuck around for years until his daughters, Kourtney, Khloé, and Kim Kardashian, made their mark on the world.
The accusations that O.J. Simpson faced were enough to get people across the world talking. Everyone wanted to know if he was guilty, and many had their own theories about what happened the night Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman lost their lives. It seems they had even more of an effect on Robert Kardashian and his ex-wife, Kris Jenner.
Kim Kardashian later opened up about it all to David Letterman. Here, she said Kris “believed that her friend” had her life ended by O.J., and the entire thing was “really traumatizing.” However, that all changed for Kim and her siblings when they visited her dad, as Robert believed Simpson. In the end, the trial “tore my family apart.
The trial was quickly dubbed the Trial of the Century as millions across the world tuned in each day to see new evidence unfold. There was a lot of circumstantial and physical evidence that linked O.J. Simpson to the horrific crimes. Then again, his team had their own tale of events that seemingly cleared Simpson of any crime.
It’s believed more than 100 million people tuned in to hear the verdict. It was a long road, and in a controversial twist, Simpson was found not guilty. Many believed he was the only one who could have committed the crimes, but now, he was a free man again. No one was ever investigated or arrested for the passings.
The drama in the court lasted almost a year before things came to a heated end. However, it left many people wondering the same thing: what would happen to O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown’s two children? After all, Sydney and Justin had already lost their mom while they were just a few feet away upstairs.
In a perhaps even more controversial move, the judge granted Simpson’s petition to give him full custody of the children. Many people around the world were struggling to believe that Simpson was innocent. Still, not being charged with any crime seemed to give the judge all they needed to allow O.J. to continue his life with his remaining family.
Just because he had been handed full custody of the children didn’t mean that Nicole Brown’s parents were going to give up fighting O.J. Simpson. Like so many others around the world, they believed the former NFL star was responsible for ending their daughter’s life and thought that Sydney and Justin weren’t safe with their father.
Sadly for Nicole’s parents, they were unsuccessful. The siblings continued to try and rebuild their lives after losing their mom and seeing their dad go through such a public trial. Plus, they knew they would always live with accusations that O.J. is guilty. The saving grace is Sydney and Justin still got to see their grandparents.
One of the arguments many have made throughout the years is that O.J. Simpson was only found not guilty because he had the money to pay for a top legal team. However, it all came crashing down in 1997. In October 1996, Simpson was back in court after Ron Goldman’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the former athlete.
Here, they claimed that Simpson was responsible for the wrongful passing of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, as well as unlawful physical contact against the pair. This time, the judge banned all cameras, photographers, sketch artists, and radios from the courtroom for the trial, which eventually rested on January 16, 1997, after three months of arguments.
This time, O.J. Simpson had nowhere to hide. That’s because it took just a few weeks for a jury to unanimously find him liable for all charges, awarding $33.5 million in damages to the victims’ families. However, there was a new issue: Simpson had no way to pay the damages from his bank account alone.
Although Ron Goldman’s family unsuccessfully tried to get their hands on Simpson’s $28,000-a-month pension from the NFL, they did get $500,000. This came after Simpson was forced to auction off a host of his sports possessions, including his Heisman Trophy. Eventually, the former athlete defaulted on his home and ultimately moved to Miami to avoid paying the rest.
Sydney and Justin weren’t the only ones who found themselves caught up in it all. Nicole Brown’s family was left grieving for the loss of their loved one, as well as thousands of dollars out of pocket trying to get custody of her children. Apparently, Nicole’s sister, Tanya, took it harder than most as she grieved for her sister.
Still, one of the perhaps more unexpected parts of it all is that Tanya allegedly maintains a semi-close relationship with Simpson. However, this isn’t because she’s ready to forgive the athlete or accept that he’s not guilty. Instead, it’s reportedly to make things easier in her relationship with the children who have already lost so much.
All of O.J. Simpson’s children found themselves caught up in the trial in one way or another. However, it’s his eldest, Jason, who has more of a link to the story than his siblings. Why? He’s recently been accused of being the real person to end Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s lives, even though Jason was never a suspect.
The moment came when private investigator William Dear released his thoughts on it all in 2012. The piece ‘O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It’ has Dear’s version of events he had been piecing together for 18 years. According to the PI, Jason was known to have issues with his mental health and was battling substance abuse.
According to William Dear, Jason had already been diagnosed with intermittent rage disorder, commonly called Jekyll and Hyde disease. That’s not all. Dear claims that as a teen, Jason was prescribed medication to help control his anger and had already been arrested for a host of assaults with a weapon and crimes before Nicole and Ron lost their lives.
The PI’s book claims Jason wrote a note where he claimed to be three different people and spoke about ending someone’s life if they hurt his loved ones. To top it off, DNA at the scene never matched O.J.’s, but Jason’s was never tested. Dear believes Jason was behind the crimes, and O.J. merely arrived too late.
Being so young when her parents split and just nine years old when Nicole Brown’s life was taken meant that Sydney never really understood what was happening at the time. While O.J. Simpson spent thousands of dollars battling Nicole’s parents to get custody of his children, it seems it did nothing for their relationship.
n fact, Sydney has never hidden her true feelings for her father, often using her time in the limelight to talk out against her dad. The pair continue to share a difficult relationship, especially since Sydney believes she had a difficult childhood that was entirely preventable if no one ended her mom’s life so tragically.
One of the best things about the internet is we have access to almost everything at the touch of a button. Sadly, this can also be a downside. One of the many things Sydney has had a chance to do throughout the years is research everything that happened when her mom lost her life and during O.J. Simpson’s trial.
Sydney has never held back about her father, even going as far as to publicly state that she believes O.J. is the one who ended Nicole Brown’s life. As if that wasn’t enough, she even called 911 on her dad when she was just 17 and accused Simpson of violent behavior before claiming it was a domestic dispute.
For a time, it seemed that Sydney Simpson wanted to keep as far away from the rest of her family as possible. Sadly, it appears the apple usually never falls far from the tree and has fed even more into the idea that O.J. or his son are the ones behind the horrific crimes. Why?
It turns out Sydney has also had a brush with the law. In 2005, she was accused of attacking two teenagers and only stopped when the police arrived to remove her from the situation. That was seemingly enough to see Sydney put her family behind her. At 29, she apparently changed her name and now remains out of the limelight.
His brush with the law during the trial involving Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman was far from O.J. Simpson’s only time on the wrong side of the law. In fact, he’s been in trouble more times than many can count. In 2001, O.J. was arrested for burglary and battery and faced 16 years in prison but was acquitted.
The same year, the former athlete was also accused of money laundering and possessing illegal substances and was later sued in federal court for the charges. However, the most unusual crime came in September 2007, when the Palace Station hotel and casino in Las Vegas was robbed with weapons. Simpson was questioned and admitted to being involved.
Although O.J. Simpson admitted to being involved in the burglary, he denied breaking into any hotel rooms and said no one was carrying a weapon. Apparently, he was there to get back sports memorabilia that he claimed had been stolen from him - the same things Simpson had to sell to pay his lawyers and the Goldman family.
Eventually, Simpson and three others were charged with multiple felonies, including assault, carrying a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy. He faced a life sentence and was initially found not guilty. However, a retrial saw O.J. sentenced to 33 years in prison. The stretch started in 2008, but Simpson would be eligible for parole after nine years.
Sydney and Justin were often the talk of the headlines as they were the children that Nicole Brown left behind. Still, they were far from the only ones of O.J. Simpson’s kids caught up in it all. In fact, his eldest, his daughter Arnelle, was often left facing much of the brunt, especially during O.J.’s legal troubles.
That’s because Arnelle was in charge of the family’s finances and was granted O.J.’s NFL pension after he was sent to prison. The problem? A large portion of the money had to go toward covering her dad’s legal fees. Plus, it’s reported that Arnelle lost the rest as she battled with her own substance and shopping addictions.
The financial duties she faced were just the first in a long list of things that fell on Arnelle’s shoulders following the passing of Nicole Brown and all of her father’s legal troubles that followed. Being O.J.’s oldest child meant she was often the one most recognized when she left the house and was frequently in the headlines.
Arnelle was also in charge of handling most of the family’s affairs, a job she never asked for. In the end, she tried out a host of career options, including working as a fashion producer and rapper throughout the years. Sadly, the pressure of being in the limelight and living in her father’s shadow was a lot to handle.
Another part of being the oldest child also meant Arnelle Simpson was the one in charge of looking after her younger siblings. Although the families tried to be there for the children throughout the years, it seems much of Arnelle’s younger adult years were focused on caring for the family. It quickly became too much to handle.
It’s said that Arnelle’s worry about the rest of her family meant she never had time to grieve properly for what happened. After all, Nicole Brown was her stepmom for a time. Plus, she had to deal with all the accusations and rumors about O.J. Simpson being guilty. This was only made worse when he was charged in 2008.
It seems that Arnelle Simpson eventually fell into a life that so many before her have suffered. In a bid to numb the feelings from the rest of the world and everything happening with her dad, Arnelle allegedly turned to drink and substance abuse. It worked for a time, but it wasn’t long before everyone was concerned.
It’s said Arnelle would party from night until the morning, famously paying for everyone else’s drinks along the way so she had company. She was even joined by some famous faces in that time, but it wasn’t long before others noticed it was more than just the party lifestyle; Arnelle was heading down a dark path.
Turning to a life of crime was one thing, but leaving his children behind was another for O.J. Simpson. After all, he had seemingly always dreamed of having the perfect wife and family - and achieved that goal for a time. However, being sentenced to prison until at least 2041 meant he wouldn’t be there for his kids.
That was until 2017, when the courts made a surprising announcement. They were convinced O.J. was no longer a threat to society and released the former athlete on parole after just nine years behind bars. One thing many couldn’t help but notice was how Simpson had barely paid a fraction of what he owed to Nicole and Ron’s families.
Being released from prison meant that O.J. Simpson was a free man - almost. He was still on parole and therefore not allowed to do things such as drink to excess, meet his do-defendants, or travel outside a certain zone. Amazingly, all of this was overturned early in December 2021, marking the start of Simpson’s true freedom.
Many began to wonder if O.J. would work on repairing his relationship with his children. After all, people had worried about Arnelle’s behavior for years, and it all stemmed from her dad’s actions. While it took time to get sober, Arnelle has allegedly been living a quiet life away from the media in recent years - just like she wanted.
The anthology show ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’ was enough to see the case brought back into the limelight after so many years. It hit the small screen in 2016 and came shortly after the release of the book accusing Jason Simpson of being the true person to end Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s lives.
Little is known about what happened to Jason after years of trying to stay away from the limelight. All we know is he likes to live his life as far away from the cameras as possible. It’s also reported that he once ventured into the world of cooking and worked as a chef in Atlanta for at least two years.
Having various children who want to stay out of the limelight has made it tough to know what they have all done with their lives since O.J. Simpson’s infamous trial. Sydney has seemingly come a long way since her past issues with the law, especially once she earned her BA in Sociology from Boston University in May 2010.
It seems Sydney has spent her time since college focused on her career. After working as an event coordinator, it’s believed she moved to Florida. Here, Sydney allegedly opened her own real estate business named Simpsy LLC, with the New York Post reporting she has bought 13 properties since 2015. It seems most are in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It seems that Sydney Simpson isn’t alone in her venture to take over the world of real estate as she continues to work with her brother, Justin. Together, they apparently buy and sell houses across the city, but that’s not all. Many have alleged that Justin is just as charming as his father was known to be.
Of course, that was before all of the legal troubles and the passing of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Thankfully, Justin seems more determined to use his charm and skills to get the best deal. It also appears that he’s one of O.J.’s only children to keep himself on the right side of the law his entire life.
Sadly, it seems their property empire might come crashing down. At least, that’s if the families of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman have anything to say about how Sydney and Justin bought the homes. That’s because it’s reported they were all bought for cash instead of loans or mortgages from the bank. Where’s the problem?
That’s because they claim the money could be from O.J. Simpson. Having paid so little of the $33.5 million he was ordered to pay the victims’ families all those years ago could mean Sydney and Justin have to wave goodbye to their properties if a paper trail reveals the money should have been given to the families instead.
Many have found themselves wondering what O.J. Simpson is up to now he’s been named free man. While that might be the case on the surface, it seems the court of public opinion isn’t so quick to forgive the former athlete. In fact, plenty often use social media to share their thoughts on Simpson’s life on the outside.
It’s believed the former NFL star lives in Las Vegas behind a gated community. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from posting on social media. The problem he faces? Many are quick to remind the world they believe he was the one behind Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman losing their lives - and they won’t let anyone forget.
It’s believed that O.J. Simpson might be trying to move back to Florida. However, many theorize this is simply his way of avoiding paying any more money to Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s families. After all, it was the reason he moved there in the first place, and he still has $33 million left on the bill.
Some have even estimated it could be as high as $60 million after so many years due to the amount of interest the charge has accrued. Sadly for O.J., it doesn’t look as though the Sunshine State is ready to welcome him back with open arms just yet. In fact, the state’s attorney general had a lot to say.
According to Pam Bondi, she believes that people in Florida are “well aware” of O.J.’s past and his “wanton disregard for the lives of others.” She went on to add that the idea of “residing in comfort in Florida should not be an option,” and the state shouldn’t “become a country club for this convicted criminal.”
It appears Pam isn’t alone in her thoughts. Many struggle to accept O.J. is a free man, especially as he makes his money giving interviews and doing autograph sessions with his remaining fans. As for O.J's children, it seems Arnelle and Jason remain close with their father, but there’s no word of Sydney and Justin.