Ron Goldman's Sister Kim's Heartbreaking Real-Life Story
It's been nearly 30 years since the deaths of friends Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson — but for the former's sister, Kim Goldman, time hasn't exactly healed all wounds. Far from it, Kim has said on many occasions that she's struggled to come to terms with her brother's death.
The world first caught a glimpse of a then-22-year-old Kim just days after news broke of her brother's killing. Understandably, the pictures showed a distraught young woman. A few days later, she spoke to the Los Angeles Times of her brother's reputation for kindness — and not long after that, she delivered a heartfelt eulogy in his honor. As was reported by the outlet, she'd sobbed as she shared, "Not in my worst nightmare did I imagine that I would be here in front of our family and friends saying how much I'll miss you."
Sadly, in the years since, that heartbreak hasn't exactly waned. Quite the contrary, as she pointed out in an episode of her 2019 podcast, "Confronting: OJ Simpson with Kim Goldman," she didn't believe she'd ever be completely at peace with the loss of her brother. That was despite being able to find joy on some occasions. "I can have great things happen, but it's bittersweet because I'm not experiencing it with my best friend — and all of these moments that I'm having, he didn't get to have," she mused.
Ron and Kim Goldman's mom wasn't supportive
Kim Goldman has always been forthcoming about the closeness she shared with her brother. As it turns out, that had a lot to do with a heartbreak they'd experienced together early on in their lives.
In the premiere episode of the "Confronting: O.J. Simpson with Kim Goldman" podcast, Kim shared that their mom leaving the family when they were both young had brought her, Ron Goldman, and their dad, Fred Goldman, closer together. "It was just my dad, Ron, and I growing up. We were 'the three musketeers,'" she shared. Kim added that she had tried to foster a relationship with their mom throughout her life, though she wasn't exactly the kindest parent on the occasions they did see each other. Rather, Kim revealed that she'd typically spend their time together saying cruel things to her.
As for Kim's mother's involvement in her life after Ron's death, she shared that she had been present, but that's not to say she was particularly supportive of her grieving daughter. Au contraire, asked by her co-host, Nancy Glass, if her mother had become an unexpected pillar of strength, Kim joked, "No, she called me a b***h ... while we were in court." We suppose that makes her parenting consistent.
Kim wasn't able to grieve Ron Goldman right away
Another thing contributing to Kim Goldman's heartbreak in the years after her brother's death was the fact that she didn't get to mourn him right away. As she revealed in the final episode of the "Confronting: O.J. Simpson with Kim Goldman," the media attention and subsequent trial of the century that was to follow forced her to place her focus elsewhere for more than a year after Ron Goldman was murdered.
Speaking to grief author David Kessler, Kim explained, "I had been able to kind of mask it because, like, I had to get up and go to court. I had to get up and do certain things. That was my job." However, she added that once everything had died down, she was finally able to sit down with her feelings. "I was like, 'Oh, this is what this feels like,'" she said.
Of course, given the circumstances, Kim really can't be faulted for putting her bereavement on hold. However, she pointed out to Kessler that she'd struggled with feelings of guilt nonetheless. "In some ways, I feel like I cheated my brother out of feeling the loss for him ... I had a lot of guilt about that for a long time," she said.
Kim was triggered by O.J. coming out of prison
While O.J. Simpson never went to prison for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, he was jailed for armed robbery back in 2008. Even so, in 2017, O.J. was released from prison, and unsurprisingly, it was an unpleasant experience for Kim Goldman.
Ahead of O.J.'s release, Kim revealed in an interview on the "Today" show that she had tried to visit him while he was in jail. She sought the satisfaction of seeing O.J. in a prisoner's uniform and for him to see her walk away from the interaction, just as her brother had seen his killer walk away in his final moments. Unfortunately, that never happened — and when she was forced to see him living his life in public, post-release, it was incredibly traumatic for her. As she said in the first episode of "Confronting: O.J. Simpson with Kim Goldman" podcast, "The second that he was released again, I suddenly felt like the powerful place that I was able to sit for those nine years were gone."
Making matters worse, Kim shared in an interview on "The Howard Stern Show" that it was impossible for her to get away from his Twitter, now X, account. More specifically, she mentioned that it was jarring for her to see him living his best life and joking about the Khloe Kardashian paternity rumors as though there was nothing else that needed to be addressed.
Kim Goldman has been criticized for not moving on
O.J. Simpson's own X account aside, Kim Goldman has had to deal with some online trolls of her own. Back in 2016, amid all the social media discourse over "The People vs O.J. Simpson," one viewer took to X to say they planned on sending a strongly-worded letter Simpson's way. Kim responded with his contact details — but one X user decided that was a bad move on her part.
The critic urged Goldman to get over the situation and move on with her life. That wasn't all, though. The same X user also made a very bold comment, writing, "You revealing his address and encouraging hate mail makes you no better than him." For what it's worth, Goldman made a point of responding, clapping back at the idea that her revealing his address was anything akin to what he'd been accused of. "[R]eally? I am no better than a double murderer. wow. I am done," she wrote.
Unfortunately, Goldman has said that criticism is something of a norm for her. Speaking to Law & Crime Network's "Cop Tales and Cocktails," she shared that she regularly received unkind messages. On that, she shared that she couldn't understand why. Even if people didn't believe Simpson was the killer, she pointed out, "Just because I believe someone did it that you don't, doesn't take away from the loss, and what my brother and Nicole endured that night."
O.J.'s death hasn't made Kim feel any better
Unfortunately for Kim Goldman, the death of O.J. Simpson hasn't helped her achieve a sense of peace. In fact, when she and Fred Goldman finally spoke out about Simpson's death, their statement pointed to some disappointment. Taking to X, the father and daughter wrote that Simpson's passing, coupled with the fact he never admitted guilt while alive, ended their hope for accountability.
Other than that, Kim has declined to comment further on the matter. However, there's a good chance she'll have similar sentiments to those of her father, who has been pretty vocal. Speaking to NBC News, the Goldman patriarch asserted of Simpson's death, "It's no great loss to the world. It's a further reminder of Ron's being gone."
It's possible the Goldmans' lack of peace will remain, even if they do finally receive their settlement from Simpson's estate. After all, Fred had previously hinted that the money meant nothing to them when he told The New York Times that he'd be willing to give up the settlement in exchange for Simpson confessing. Sadly, with Ron Goldman gone, it's not likely Kim or her father will ever feel truly whole again. We're wishing them healing, anyway.