When O.J. Simpson died from cancer in April, it meant his two children with ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson were now without both parents.
Justin and Sydney Simpson were 5 and 8, respectively, when their mother was killed in 1994. A year later, their father was acquitted on murder charges in her death in one of the most notorious criminal trials of the 20th century.
While O.J. Simpson's death at 76 in April prompted mixed reactions from Nicole Brown Simpson's three sisters, their sentiments were filled with sadness for their niece and nephew.
Denise, Dominique and Tanya Brown spoke on TODAY on May 29 about how they've maintained a relationship Sydney and Justin, who are now in their thirties. They also shared their thoughts about O.J. Simpson's death as it relates to his children, and how their niece and nephew may react to the Lifetime docuseries about Nicole's life.
"I was so sad for the children," Tanya told Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb about O.J. Simpson's death. "I was so sad for them."
Denise Brown, the eldest in the family, admittedly said she was "happy" when she learned O.J. had died. But then her thoughts turned to the children.
"He was just always there, his presence, they were always talking about him in the media, things were always going on, but then it was that sadness for the kids because now they don't have a mom or a dad," Denise said. "So yeah, it was hard. It was tough."
Dominique in particular said she has maintained a close relationship with Sydney and Justin.
"I think that originally when Nicole was killed, I just realized that I had a very close relationship with Nicole and I was very close with Sydney. And I realized that it was what Nicole would've wanted me to do is to step in," Dominique said.
She remembered spending plenty of time with them when they were children, including dropping them off and picking them up from school.
"We played, we went and ate together, we went to the beach together," Dominique said. "And now I'm involved with them and their families and their children."
Dominique was asked what she would say if a person approached her and wanted to know if she thought O.J. Simpson killed her sister.
"I don’t answer because of the children," she said. "I don’t need to be vocal and say that I believe or that I don’t believe it. My focus is completely different."
The Lifetime series “The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson” reexamines her death while also providing a closer look at her life, including scenes of her smiling and laughing with the children.
The sisters were asked if Justin and Sydney will watch the show.
"Are they going to watch it? We don’t know," Denise said. "But they do know about it. We did not keep a secret from them at all. We wanted them to know that we were doing this, and we wanted to let people get to know your mother. She was such a loving mom."
O.J. Simpson had five children with two wives: two with Nicole and three children with his first wife, Marguerite Whitley.In an interview with NBC’s Katie Couric in 2004, he called his children “well-adjusted.”
Simpson, of course, was one of the most divisive and polarizing figures in America in the 20th century. In 1994, he was arrested and charged with the murder of Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman. The NFL Hall of Famer was acquitted on murder charges in 1995 in a case that captured the attention of millions.
Read on to learn more about Simpson’s children.
O.J. Simpson's children with Nicole Brown Simpson
Sydney Brooke Simpson, 38
Sydney Simpson, 38, is the eldest child of O.J. Simpson and his late wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
O.J. Simpson was charged with the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994, and was acquitted in 1995 following a sensationalized trial that divided the nation.
Sydney was 8 years old at the time of her mother’s murder, which thrust her family into the national spotlight.
Since that time, Sydney Simpson has led a largely private life. She pursued a career in real estate and as of 2016 was living in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
OJ Simpson mentioned Sydney Simpson and her brother, Justin Simpson, in a 2004 NBC interview with Couric.
“They’re doing terrific. I mean, I couldn’t (be) more proud of them,” he said. “They’re both excellent students, honor students. My daughter just graduated this past week and got accepted to a very fine — a Northeastern school.”
In the same interview, he reflected on parenting his daughter without his late wife.
“Yeah, obviously, I mean my biggest problem and probably when I think of Nicole the most is with girls, (their) problems are more emotional. Guys (do) dumb things you know. You know, you can deal with that,” he said.
“Sometimes I feel that maybe I made a mistake by choosing not to get involved and bringing another woman into the house,” he added later. "If that’s hurt anyone, I think it may hurt Sydney to some degree. But fortunately for me, there’s no usual piercings and no tattoos. And she’s an honor student. And she got accepted to a real fine school. So, I got to think I’m ahead of the game.”
Justin Ryan Simpson, 35
Justin Simpson is the younger child of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson.
Like his sister, Justin Simpson has led a private life and pursued a career in real estate in Florida.
In 2016, when the release of FX’s “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: An American Crime Story” rekindled interest in the Simpson family, Justin Simpson spoke with the Tampa Bay Times about enjoying his life and work in St. Petersburg.
“It’s a great place to live, why not St. Pete?’’ he said. “It’s gorgeous here.’’
O.J. Simpson talked about Justin Simpson in his 2004 NBC interview, praising the then 16-year-old’s personality and athletic abilities.
“He’s taller than I am. And he is — I’ve often said he’s the finest kid I’ve ever known. He really is. He is well-liked,” O.J. Simpson said. “He participates at his school in all sports: lacrosse, basketball, football.”
He also reflected on how his son was dealing with the aftermath of his mother’s death.
“He’s a remarkable kid in that even when he’s got other things on his mind, he has a tendency to turn it inward,” Simpson said. “And he’ll go to his room and do what he has to do. And you know, quite often, I’ll say, ‘What’s on your mind? What’s going on? Did something happen in school today?’ Or maybe he split up with his girlfriend or something. He’s always pretty reluctant to get into it. He says, ‘Oh, Dad, I’ll be all right. Just leave me alone. I’ll be all right.’”
O.J, Simpson's kids with Marguerite Whitley
Arnelle Simpson, 55
Arnelle Simpson is the eldest daughter of O.J. Simpson and his first wife, Marguerite Whitley. O.J. Simpson and Whitley were married from 1967 to 1979.
Arnelle Simpson served as a defense witness at her father’s 1995 murder trial. She testified that her dad was “very upset, emotional, confused” when told about Nicole Brown Simpson’s death, according to the Los Angeles Times.
She also testified in support of her father at a parole hearing in July 2017, when he was making his case for parole following his conviction for a 2008 kidnapping and armed robbery. O.J. Simpson was granted parole in 2017 and discharged from parole a year early, in 2021.
Arnelle Simpson called O.J. Simpson her “best friend” and her “rock” during her testimony.
“No one really knows how much we have been through, this ordeal, in the last nine years,” she said during the hearing, according to NBC News.
“We just want him to come home so we can move forward for us, quietly,” she also said.
Jason Simpson, 53
Jason Simpson is the middle child of O.J. Simpson and his first wife, Marguerite Whitley.
He works as a chef and culinary director, and has largely kept out of the spotlight since the days of his father’s murder trial.
He did open up about his dad in a 2021 interview on the “The Food That Binds” podcast.
“There was a time when my dad was famous, and there was a time when he was infamous,” he said. “And I know that when he was famous, I didn’t want him around then because I didn’t want him to take away from something I took very serious, which was cooking.”
He said that following his father’s trial, he was pursued at times by the media, which contributed to his desire to keep a low profile.
“Sometimes, people are aggressive and sometimes people want to find out what’s going on with you, and they don’t, often they don’t have the best intentions,” he said. “They don’t care if you have a job with supportive people who care about you and think the world of you, because there’s nothing that doesn’t sell.”
Aaren Simpson
Aaren Simpson was the youngest daughter of O.J. Simpson and Marguerite Whitley. Aaren died by accidental drowning shortly before turning 2 in 1979, according to The New York Times.
O.J. Simpson opened up about Aaren’s loss in his 2004 interview with Couric, saying he and his ex-wife “never discussed” their daughter's drowning.
“I mean, I never have. You know, I don’t want to discuss it,” he said.
“It’s sad that it happened. It was a tremendous loss,” he added. “We dealt with it. We moved on.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
