5 Most Tragic Details About O.J. Simpson And Nicole Brown's Relationship
Note: This article discusses domestic abuse and domestic violence.
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson — those names will forever be linked in infamy and tragedy. The end of their volatile and doomed relationship, followed by Brown Simpson's murder (along with that of her friend Ron Goldman), and the subsequent trial of O.J. Simpson were a series of events that captivated the nation in the 1990s.
After Simpson's family announced that the ex-football player had died from cancer, it seems the saga has finally come to a close. The 76-year-old had announced his cancer diagnosis in May 2023, and his family acknowledged he had died from cancer on April 10, 2024, in their post on X, formerly Twitter. The "Naked Gun" actor passed away almost 30 years after his ex-wife and Goldman were stabbed to death on June 12, 1994, outside Brown Simpson's home in Los Angeles. After a much-publicized trial, the former NFL running back was acquitted in 1995 of the double murder. A civil court eventually found Simpson liable for their deaths and he had to pay more than $33 million.
Although their marriage only lasted seven years, the relationship between Simpson and Brown Simpson had more than its share of tragic moments. Here's what we know about the couple's years together.
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.
O.J. Simpson was still married when he met Nicole Brown
O.J. Simpson didn't wait long before moving on from his first wife, Marguerite Whitley — the two were still legally married when he started dating Nicole Brown Simpson. Simpson had married Whitley in 1967 and the couple had three children — Arnelle, Jason, and Aaren — before separating.
The record-breaking football star was 12 years older than the 18-year-old Brown when they met in 1977 while she was working as a nightclub waitress. Simpson and Whitley finally divorced in 1979, around the time he retired from the NFL and the same year his toddler daughter Aaren died due to an accidental drowning. He and Brown married on Feb. 2, 1985, and they would have two children: Sydney, born in 1985, and Justin, born in 1988. "I wanted to be a wonderful wife!" Brown Simpson would later recall in an undated letter to Simpson, which was never sent but introduced during his 1997 civil trial. "I believed you that it would finally be "you & me against the world" — that people would be envious or in awe of us because we stuck through it & finally became one a real couple."
To the outside world, their relationship seemed solid. Simpson gushed about his wife during his 1985 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, saying that they got together "at what is probably the most difficult time for an athlete, at the end of my career." but "she turned those years into some of the best years I have had in my life." However, all was not well.
A relationship marred by domestic abuse and toxicity
While O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson loved each other, the relationship would soon take a dark turn due to Simpson's jealous and possessive nature. "Their relationship was passionate, full-bodied. They really truly cared about each other. It was also volatile," a friend named Cathy Lee Crosby told The Washington Post.
Throughout the couple's marriage, and even after it ended, there were several documented incidents of domestic abuse. On January 1, 1989, police arrived to find Brown Simpson had been hiding in the bushes from her husband. "Her lip was split, her eye was black and a handprint was visible on her neck," The Los Angeles Times reported at the time. "'He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me,' she cried, according to the police report." Simpson pleaded no contest to domestic violence and walked away with only a fine, a counseling order, and community service.
A friend told The Washington Post that the couple fought continuously and the cops frequently had to break it up. "He had a ferocious temper. The physical abuse was pretty constant," the friend said. "Everybody knew about it. She was covered in bruises — and I am not trying to exaggerate this." In the undated letter that Brown Simpson wrote to Simpson, she described an incident where her injuries required treatment. "You beat the holy hell out of me & we lied at the X-ray lab & said I fell off a bike ... Remember!??" she wrote (via The Spokesman-Review).
Nicole Brown Simpson felt trapped in the relationship
While Nicole Brown Simpson eventually filed for divorce, she still felt trapped. In her filing, she noted that since O.J. Simpson was the breadwinner in the family, she felt the need to do what he wanted. "I've always told O.J. what he wants to hear," she once said in a court deposition, according to The Washington Post.
Simpson had encouraged Brown to drop out of Saddleback College so she could live with him, effectively cutting her off from pursuing a career. "I don't think she had that great a sense of self-worth," an unnamed friend told the newspaper. "She wasn't that well-educated ... She didn't have any particular job skills. She was too old to be a model and she was trapped. He always used money to force her to do what he wanted — money for the kids, money for whatever."
Friends had also noticed that Brown acted very differently when O.J. was around. "She would tense up," one told The Washington Post. "She watched every move she made and every step she took. She was aware of his reactions to everything. When he wasn't around, she was a direct, smart person. But when he was around ... she was scared to death of him."
Nicole Brown Simpson once fled to Aspen to get away from O.J. Simpson
By 1992, Nicole Brown Simpson had had enough. The ex-model left O.J. Simpson and fled to Aspen with her two children, where she met a man named Keith Zlomsowitch. "I didn't know who she was, but we hung out the whole weekend, and a friend came over to me and said, 'What are you doing with Juice's wife?'" he recalled to The Palm Beach Post.
The two grew close and Brown Simpson even confided in Zlomosowitch about Simpson's abusive behavior. After they returned to Los Angeles, Brown Simpson and Zlomsowitch dated — but Simpson kept intruding on their bliss. Simpson "spied on us through the window while we were having sex, and kicked down the door," Zlomsowitch said, adding Simpson's harassment led to the end of the relationship.
Years later, after Simpson was released on parole in 2017 after serving time for armed robbery and battery, Zlomsowitch again spoke out about Simpson's character. "He said (during the parole hearing) that he was a conflict-free person. I don't know. Is beating your wife conflict-free? Domestic violence? Becoming the crazy person he turned into, that I witnessed firsthand?" Zlomsowitch told The Palm Beach Post.
It's clear that Zlomsowitch still has strong feelings about the case, even after O.J. died. When the news broke in April 2024, Zlomosowitch — who was a pallbearer at Brown Simpson's funeral — told NBC News exclusively that the ex-football player's death was "justice."
OJ Simpson's jealous behavior continued after they divorced
Despite their divorce, O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson were still drawn to each other. Keith Zlomsowitch had remained friends with Brown Simpson and, in 1993, she confessed to him that she was considering getting back together with Simpson. She thought Simpson had changed for the better, but Zlomsowitch told her to "just be careful," according to The Palm Beach Post.
Soon enough, Simpson's jealous nature returned, sparking a frightening confrontation on Oct. 25, 1993, at Brown Simpson's home while her children were in the house. It led Brown Simpson to call 911 for help. According to the police report, several things had set Simpson off, including a photo of an old boyfriend, according to The Washington Post. During the call, Brown Simpson also told the dispatcher that her ex-husband was screaming about "Keith." Zlomsowitch later told The Palm Beach Post that a mutual acquaintance had informed Simpson that he was still in touch with Nicole.
After the Oct. 25 incident, Brown Simpson told Zlomsowitch she had to cut ties. "It breaks my heart that I can't talk to you anymore," she said, according to Zlomsowitch. "I felt so guilty, that he had beaten her, because of me," Zlomsowitch recalled. "I said 'I love you, and always will.' Then we hung up the phone. That was the last time I talked to her. He took away my chance to say goodbye."