When the OJ Simpson murder trial was televised across the United States in 1995, no one could have predicted the lasting impact it would have on the entertainment industry.
For nearly a year, the world watched as the former NFL star, who died Wednesday after a battle with cancer, defended himself against charges of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her boyfriend Ron Goldman . Simpson was represented by a team of lawyers infamously dubbed The Dream Team – including Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian.
The test was tracking appointments, taking over national conversations and even replacing popular soap opera timeslots, and it wasn't just Simpson who found himself in the spotlight. Everyone touched by the court case, especially those who appeared regularly on television, became household names.
This was when viewers in general first became familiar with the Kardashian name. Kardashian and Simpson became friends in the 1970s after they both graduated from the University of Southern California. They were so close that Simpson was even the best man at Kardashian's wedding to Kris Houghton, who we now know as Kris Jenner. Their bond went beyond just the two of them. After spending so much time together, Kris and Nicole Brown, Simpson's second wife, also became best friends. The Kardashian kids referred to the couple as “Uncle OJ” and “Aunt Nicole.”
All of this personal history would eventually become compelling to American audiences, but at the time it was mostly about the Kardashian family being divided over the murder trial. Both couples were separated at the time of Nicole's murder, and while Robert supported his friend OJ by legally defending him against the state of California, Kris sat by Nicole's side in the courtroom.
In one of the most anticipated and controversial verdicts in American history, Simpson was acquitted of double murder charges, prompting Kardashian's famous look of surprise when the judge announced the verdict.
Kardashian and Simpson's closeness didn't last long after the verdict. After the trial, the two had an argument. Kardashian was a source in a book written by Lawrence Schiller and James Willwerth, American Tragedy: The Untold Story of the Simpson Defense. In 1996, Kardashian also sat for one interview with Barbara Walters and went so far as to say that he doubted Simpson's innocence.
“I wake up in the middle of the night. I'm so conflicted about this blood evidence,” he told Walters. “I have doubts”.
Kardashian died of esophageal cancer in 2003, and just a few years later in 2007, a little more than a decade after the televised murder trial of OJ Simpson captivated the masses, another pop culture darling was just launched into the world: Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The family had flirted with fame for years: their last name was linked to the infamous trial, Kris married Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner after her divorce from Robert, and Kim Kardashian rose to prominence through her friendship with Paris Hilton and Kim. The sex tape with her then-boyfriend Ray J was a major topic of discussion. The tape was reportedly leaked and Vivid Entertainment released the video, titled Kim Kardashian Superstar, in March 2007. Shortly after, Kim settled a lawsuit with the entertainment company. Ray J has since claimed that Kim and Kris were more involved than they have admitted, but the family has denied his comments and claims. Being around fame wasn't a foreign concept to the Kardashian/Jenners, but their experiences were nothing compared to the successes that would eventually come as a result of their new reality series.
In 14 years and 20 seasons, the Kardashian family has cemented its status as the king of American television. With Kris at the helm as the ultimate matriarch and mom of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, viewers have watched Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie start businesses, get married, have babies, they have divorces and separations, remarried, covered up Fashion, traveled the world and went through endless phases of life. Then in 2022, the family took their talents to Hulu with their aptly titled docuseries The Kardashians which aired for four seasons. With a more elevated look and consistent breaking of the fourth wall, the Hulu series focuses on the family's business and an authentic behind-the-scenes look at their daily lives. A fifth season is scheduled to premiere in May.
The family is now worth billions of dollars collectively and has touched all corners of pop culture – from fashion and beauty to the NBA and the music industry. Their fame and popularity has transcended television, redefining what it means to be a celebrity and a TV star. Although the family has moved on from the courtroom drama of the 1990s, the public's fascination with Kardashian's relationship with OJ Simpson continues.
Robert Kardashian looks grown up Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Family members don't hesitate to talk about their late father and ex-husband, regularly talking about memories they have of him, speculating about what he would have thought about certain situations they were involved in, and showing home videos from when the children were younger. where Robert's voice is either heard in the background or appears on screen. There was even a storyline in Season 12, which aired in 2016, when Kris considered changing her last name to Kardashian for branding reasons and the star power the last name has garnered. In 2023, celebrity midfielder Tyler Henry also said he connected Kris Jenner with Robert in a episode of Hollywood Medium.
But Simpson and the murder trial specifically came up only occasionally. There have been sparing moments over the years when the Kardashian daughters have talked about it, but in Season 17, which aired in 2019, Kris opened up to the camera about her relationship with Nicole Brown Simpson ahead of the 25th anniversary of her murder.
“There were so many wonderful traditions that we had to share around the holidays and traveling together, the holidays, but what I loved most about her was that she was such a beautiful soul and had so much love to give to her family, to her children. , friends,” Jenner said on the show. “It's sad that this is what they remember her for.”
In the same episode, Jenner also denied rumors that she cheated on Kardashian with Simpson, saying: “That fucking shit. It's just lies after lies and there's only so much a man can take.”
After Kardashian's popularity was already established, Ryan Murphy's The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story aired on FX. Premiering in February 2016, the critically acclaimed anthology series features an all-star cast including David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, Selma Blair as Kris Jenner, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson and Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark. The scripted series reflects a real-life time period that has continued to have a huge influence on the Kardashian/Jenner family, both personally and professionally.
Blair, a long-time viewer of his Keeping Up With the Kardashians, he said Vanity fair in 2016 that she was nervous to meet Jenner once the matriarch learned she was going to portray her American Crime Story. But after a two-hour phone call in which Jenner opened up about how the trial affected her family and destroyed her relationship with her ex-husband, Blair's nerves eased and the two were able to form a special relationship.
“I just think about Kris and I think she's bigger than life, watching her on TV,” Blair said.
Jenner was apparently generous in what she shared with Blair, letting the actor in on her relationship with Kardashian and how they got through this tumultuous time.
said Chris [the murders] he separated them and it was very difficult…. I said, “Did you ever tell him, is that crazy? It's like, “Yeah…. I would say to him “How can you do that?” Blair said. “He knew very well how big this was and how he was involved in something that was very complicated and probably very wrong.”
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