5 Times Caitlyn Jenner Didn't Hold Back About O.J. Simpson
Caitlyn Jenner has never kept her opinions to herself when it came to the late O.J. Simpson.
On April 11, the family of the controversial football player announced that he had died following a battle with prostate cancer. "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," they wrote via his X, formerly known as Twitter, account. "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren." Due to his infamous time in the spotlight, ranging from his murder trial to his 2008 prison sentence, the reactions to Simpson's death have been mixed, to say the least. "The Heisman Trophy Trust mourns the passing of 1968 Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson. We extend our sympathy to his family," the official Heisman Trophy account said in a statement.
While some remembered the former Buffalo Bills player for his athletic history, others, like Jenner, took a scathing approach when reacting to the news. In a two-word tweet on X, the former "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" personality wrote, "Good Riddance," which had its own varied reception. However, her curt tweet isn't the first time Caitlyn Jenner's shade side has come out in full force in relation O.J. Simpson.
Caitlyn has remained steadfast on O.J. being guilty of murder
Since O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in October 1995, Caitlyn Jenner has never faltered in labeling the former athlete as guilty. In a 2017 interview with Andy Cohen, the "I Am Cait" star boldly claimed that she knew O.J. committed the shocking murder. "There was three people at the crime scene: DNA evidence, three people at the crime scene," she explained to the Bravo boss, per USA Today. "Pick a murderer. How hard is that?"
The reality star also held nothing back when discussing the former football player's personality, describing him as the most narcissistic, egocentric, and neediest a**hole in sports. "I believe he got away with two savage murders," she added. Before her death, Caitlyn and her former wife, Kris Jenner, had a close bond with Nicole, with the trio traveling together on family vacations, per Entertainment Weekly. They even made Kendall Jenner's middle name Nicole in memory of the late interior director. "My middle name is Nicole. [It's] after Nicole Brown Simpson because that was my mom's best friend. And I'm honored to have this name," the model revealed in 2016 Snapchat, per The Mirror.
Caitlyn claimed that O.J. threatened to kill the late Nicole Brown Simpson before her death
In 2021, Caitlyn Jenner shared more of her unfiltered thoughts on O.J. Simpson while appearing on "Big Brother VIP," including the football star's supposed statement to Nicole Brown Simpson before her death. "At one point, he even told Nicole, 'I'll kill you and get away with it because I'm O.J. Simpson,'" she recalled. Caitlyn went on to say that she saw Nicole two days before her death before stating that the 35-year-old told Kris about the aforementioned threats. Towards the end of the discussion, the reality TV star shared the haunting words Kris told her after O.J.'s not-guilty verdict was announced.
"We were at the courthouse, we were watching what was going on in the other room," she explained. "And even after the not guilty verdict... Kris turns around to me and goes, 'We should've listened to Nicole, she was right, right from the beginning.'" The "I Am Cait" star's statement about Kris' reaction to O.J.'s acquittal isn't too far off from what the latter has said in the past. During a 2016 interview with People, the former talk show host expressed her sadness over not noticing Nicole and O.J.'s troubling relationship. "I beat myself up because I felt like I wasn't paying attention," she explained. "Like, how did I miss this?"
Caitlyn said she banned the Kardashian sisters from mentioning O.J.'s name
It's no secret that O.J. Simpson's murder trial was a strenuous time for the Kardashian-Jenner clan. At the time, the late Robert Kardashian was representing the controversial athlete, while Kris Jenner, who had recently married Caitlyn Jenner, supported Nicole's side of the case. The tension even continued after the verdict, resulting in Caitlyn allegedly banning Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian from using O.J.'s name in the house. "The night the verdict came in, Kourtney and Kimberly were in school, and obviously they loved their father, and they should, and they'd been following this for a year and a half," she explained, per Daily Express. Caitlyn went on to say that after the not guilty verdict came in, Kourtney alluded to being right about her opinion of O.J. not committing the murder.
"I just said to the girls, 'Just because he got a not guilty [verdict] doesn't mean he didn't do it and I don't want his name ever mentioned in this house again,'" she shared. Caitlyn isn't the only Kardashian-Jenner family member that has opened up about the tense environment the trial caused. In an in-depth 2020 interview with David Letterman, Kim Kardashian revealed that the situation "tore her family apart." She added, "I remember my mom was sitting with Nicole's parents, and Kourtney and I were sitting behind O.J., and we look over at mom, and she's giving us this death stare, like, 'What are you doing out of school?'" she recalled.
Caitlyn Jenner addressed car crash comparisons after scathing O.J. tweet
While Caitlyn Jenner is no stranger to voicing her unfiltered opinions on O.J. Simpson, they haven't always been well received. After writing "Good Riddance" on X following the athlete's death, a handful of users flooded her mentions and highlighted her 2015 car crash, which left one person dead. One person wrote, "Didn't you kill someone, too?" Another user added, "Both of y'all killed people and got off so maybe you need to sit this one out." However, it didn't take long for Jenner to respond to the backlash with a pointed statement to the critics. "I know you all think it's cute to compare a fatal car accident (with multiple vehicles involved) to a BRUTAL MURDER," she wrote on X. "But remember... OJ said something to the effect of... I could kill her (Nicole) and get away with it bc I'm #OJSimpson."
As Jenner and the X users mentioned, the reality TV star was involved in a fatal car crash in February 2015, which resulted in the death of Kim Howe. But after an investigation, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office cleared the former Olympic athlete of wrongdoing. However, she was held accountable for the injuries that music composer Peter Wolf-Millesi, alongside his wife and kids, suffered during the accident. For context, Howe's vehicle struck the family of four after Jenner's Cadillac hit her from behind. In January 2018, the "I Am Cait" star was asked to pay $800,000, which was split four ways between the Wolf-Millesi family, per ABC News.