The Shady Side Of Faye Resnick
The following article includes mention of domestic violence and drug use.
"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum Camille Meyer once famously referred to Kyle Richards' best friend as "Faye Resnick — the morally corrupt Faye Resnick." And, while the choice of words was harsh, Meyer wasn't the first person to have insinuated that Resnick had a shady side. From a tell-all aimed at exposing OJ Simpson, released during the trial, to an awkwardly timed Playboy feature, Resnick's past reputation has long been called into question by Beverly Hills' elite.
As OG "RHOBH" fans will likely remember, Resnick first appeared in the show's premiere season, billed as Richards' friend. That first appearance was fraught with tension — Richards had invited her to a dinner at Meyer's home, dubbed "The Dinner Party from Hell." At one point, Resnick was called out by the host for appearing in Playboy soon after the OG Simpson trial wrapped up. In a confessional, Meyer explained that even though she had done Playboy herself, she felt the timing of Resnick's shoot was inappropriate, especially since she'd been Nicole Brown's best friend.
Like we said, though, Meyer's snub wasn't the first Resnick has endured. Au contraire, her outspokenness after Nicole Brown's tragic death saw her come under fire from all sides back in the '90s. However, more than 20 years since Brown's murder, what may have been seen as shady at the time looks dramatically different.
She wrote a controversial book after Nicole Brown's death
Though Faye Resnick had close ties with several well-known faces in Beverly Hills prior to Nicole Brown's death, it was only after the tragic murder that she became something of a household name. Much of that was owed to the fact that mere months after Nicole was killed, Resnick released her book, "Nicole Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted."
That Resnick released the book while the trial was taking place was controversial in itself. In fact, soon after its release, the presiding judge, Lance Ito, had to request that jurors avoid any media. A day later, the Los Angeles Times reported that Ito had also reached out to the media to request that they hold off on interviewing Resnick to avoid further attention.
There was also a ton of controversy amongst Nicole's loved ones. For one, the Los Angeles Times noted that her father, Lou Brown, said that he felt Resnick was cashing in. Given that it was reported she'd earned a hefty advance from her publisher, things didn't exactly look good. Another unnamed friend echoed that sentiment. "Faye is just desperate for money," they claimed. However, Resnick's publisher disagreed. In fact, Michael Viner pointed out that if she'd really wanted to make a buck, she would have spoken to the tabloids instead — and even hinted that some of the women in the friend group had done so.
Faye's book was slammed as salacious
Not everyone refuted the claims made in Faye Resnick's book. "Falcon Crest" actor and one of Nicole Brown's longtime friends, Robin Greer, told the Los Angeles Times that she'd been told much of what had been said in "Nicole Brown Simpson: The Secret Diary of a Life Interrupted" by Brown, herself. That said, Greer also said she believed Resnick had gone a little too far in describing Brown's sex life. She certainly had shared several private details, including a quote by Brown, who'd told her that post-split from OJ Simpson, "It was hard for me to adjust to the fact that I wasn't having constant sex" (via the Los Angeles Times).
Perhaps understandably, Resnick's focus on Brown's sex life wasn't exactly well-received at the time. However, it's worth noting that Resnick explained why she felt a need to include the details after the book was published. Per The Washington Post, she'd said doing so "pulled them in with scandal, and then gave them a serious message."
Resnick also said in an interview with "Larry King Live" that sharing more explicit details was done with the intention of reaching women who'd been conditioned to think that taboo behaviors warranted abuse. "I had to show that it's not a woman's fault for being beaten up. No matter what they've done, they do not deserve to be beaten up or killed," she said.
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 book also caused tensions with a future co-star
Another issue raised in "Nicole Brown Simpson: The Secret Diary of a Life Interrupted" was Faye Resnick's claim that Nicole Brown had an affair with Marcus Allen. At the time, Brown was separated from OJ Simpson, but Allen had been engaged to now-ex-wife Kathryn Edwards. Given that Resnick described the affair as a turning point in Simpson's possessiveness, that might not have felt like a personal attack to Edwards. After all, the book was dedicated to exposing Simpson's behavior. However, Resnick also insinuated that Edwards was known for forgiving Allen's infidelities, as long as they were kept quiet — and even quoted close friend Kris Jenner as having said the same thing. As for why Jenner was involved, according to Resnick, Allen had tried his luck with her, too, and brought it up with her other bestie.
Unsurprisingly, Edwards was not impressed by Resnick's revelations. And, when she joined the cast of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in Season 6 and attended a dinner where Resnick was present, she made that known. In addition to slamming the book in a confessional, adding her voice to those who believed Resnick had cashed in on the situation, Edwards also rejected the idea that she would have forgiven an affair if she'd known about it.
Adding insult to injury, Edwards made another dig — in Mariah Carey-esque fashion. That is, she hadn't even known Resnick at the time.
Faye clapped back at those who tried to discredit her
As Faye Resnick shared in "Nicole Brown Simpson: The Secret Diary of a Life Interrupted," she was in treatment for a cocaine addiction at the time of Nicole Brown's death. It's something she's never hidden from the public, even though she knew it would be used to discredit her — and naturally, it was. That said, even with the attempts at undermining her credibility, she clapped back.
As was reported by The New York Times back in 1995, OJ Simpson's legal team posited that Brown's murder may have been a hit gone wrong, actually planned for Resnick. Their claim? She hadn't been able to pay her drug dealer. Unfortunately for them, there was no evidence to suggest any truth to the allegations, and the theory was disallowed by Judge Lance Ito.
Even with the judge preventing Simpson's defense from using the theory, Resnick continued to be questioned in the court of public opinion. Not one to take that lying down, though, she made a point of addressing the claims. In her interview with "Larry King Live," she didn't shy away from admitting that she had been using cocaine just days before Brown's death. However, she rubbished the claims that there was any link to Brown's murder — and even confirmed to Larry King that she'd considered taking legal action against the slander suggesting otherwise.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
More recently, more people have come to Faye's defense
Faye Resnick was long ridiculed by those who disagreed with her choice to publish her book, as well as the Playboy shoot she'd do in 1997. However, in more recent years, there's been a definite softening in people's perception of her — and yes, that includes Camille Meyer and Kathryn Edwards.
In 2015, Meyer took to Twitter to reveal she felt horrible about casting aspersions on Resnick's morality. What's more, she shared that they'd become friends. "I have spent time with her since season one and she is Cool!" she wrote in the since-deleted tweet. As for Resnick's other "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" associate, Edwards, she hasn't exactly changed her thoughts on where Resnick was coming from when she wrote her book. Granted, in an episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," she shared that she believed she'd changed for the better. "I think Faye is in a much better place, and I'm really all about letting bygones be bygones," she shared.
As for the way the media framed Resnick, a 2021 article by the Los Angeles Times said she deserved better. We couldn't agree more. For years, Resnick has been accused of shadiness. In reality, all signs point to her being brave enough to shine a light on important topics, even if it meant putting her own reputation on the line.