What Are O.J. Simpson's Kids Doing Now?
The world got some shocking news on April 11, 2024, when O.J. Simpson's family confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the controversial former athlete had died at age 76 after being diagnosed with cancer. The message confirmed that O.J. passed the day prior with his children and grandchildren around him and was signed "The Simpson Family." The message suggested O.J. had a close relationship with his children until the end, but it's been a while since the world has actually seen his family.
The late football player was a dad of five. He had three children with his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, and they welcomed their eldest child, a daughter named Arnelle Simpson in 1968. Two years later, they had a son, Jason Simpson. The couple then welcomed their second daughter, Aaren Simpson, in 1977, but suffered an unimaginable loss when Aaren drowned and passed away in 1979. O.J. and Whitley divorced that same year, and he went on to marry Nicole Brown Simpson in 1985.
O.J. had two children with his second wife (whom he filed for divorce from in 1992) prior to her murder in 1994, which led to one of the most famous trials in history. O.J. was acquitted of killing her. O.J. and Brown were parents to a daughter named Sydney Brooke Simpson, born in 1985, and a son, Justin Simpson, born in 1988. But O.J.'s children have purposefully lived quiet lives in the wake of their father's legal troubles media circus. So what are they doing now?
Arnelle Simpson lived with O.J. Simpson
Arnelle is probably O.J. Simpson's child with whom the world is most familiar, as she's been the most vocal amid her dad's legal issues. Arnelle publicly supported the former football player on multiple occasions, including famously speaking on behalf of her family to the parole board in 2017 in an attempt to get her dad home from prison. "As a family, we recognize he's not the perfect man, but he is clearly a man and a father who has done his best," she said at the time. O.J. was behind bars for robbery at the time, and his parole was granted.
In the wake of O.J.'s release, Arnelle shied away from speaking publicly about her dad. In fact, O.J. told AP in a 2019 interview that neither he nor his children were interested in speaking to the media about the past, particularly the tragic Nicole Brown Simpson murder trial (something Kim Kardashian also doesn't speak about, despite her own family's involvement). "My family and I have moved on to what we call the 'no negative zone.' We focus on the positives," O.J. said.
It seems Arnelle was by her dad's side during his final years as he privately dealt with his cancer diagnosis, as O.J. told AP he and Arnelle were living together part-time in Las Vegas. The outlet didn't specify where Arnelle lived the rest of the time, but, in 2017, prior to her dad's release from prison, she was residing in Fresno, California.
Jason Simpson is a successful chef
Another of O.J. Simpson's children the world may remember is his eldest son, Jason Simpson. That's because Jason's name was brought up a few times in the media during the Nicole Brown Simpson murder trial, as private investigator Bill Dear questioned in the 2000 BBC documentary "OJ: The Untold Story" if Jason was involved in the crime. However, Jason was never found to have been involved in any wrongdoing.
Jason hasn't spoken publicly much about his dad, the case, or his famous family, and now appears to live a quieter life away from his dad's one-time media circus in Atlanta, Georgia. While living in California when he was younger, Jason's early career in the culinary industry was spent working at the Los Angeles restaurant Border Grill. He then moved to Georgia and began working as a chef at a restaurant named St. Cecilia. From there, Jason became an executive chef at two restaurants next to one another in Atlanta, called Golden Eagle and Muchacho, where he was the executive chef.
Jason revealed on "The Food that Binds" podcast in 2021 that he developed his passion for food at a young age, and had recently made another exciting career change. He shared that he'd started working as culinary director for the Santa Monica restaurant Citrin.
Sydney Brooke Simpson is in the real estate sector in Florida
As the two youngest children of O.J. Simpson, Sydney Brooke Simpson and Justin Simpson arguably spent the least time with the former athlete amid his legal dramas and time behind bars. In fact, during a parole hearing in 2013, O.J. shared his sadness that he hadn't been around for a lot of Sydney and Justin's big milestones (via USA Today). O.J. still seems to have a close relationship with his kids despite being incarcerated, as Jeffrey Felix, a former correctional officer at Lovelock Correctional Centre (where O.J. was held), told USA Today that O.J. had supposedly planned to live with Sydney if he was able to leave the facility before his planned release date. Like her brother Jason Simpson, Sydney had previously lived in Atlanta. She also spent some time in Massachusetts, as she's a Boston University graduate, but moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2014 and began working in real estate.
In his 2019 interview with AP, O.J. (whose comment about Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes has resurfaced in the wake of his passing) spoke briefly about his close relationship with Sydney and Justin. He confirmed the two were both in the real estate business and shared he'd been able to fly out to visit them after getting the family trips approved by his parole officer. Simpson's parole ended in 2021.
Justin Simpson also lives in Florida and welcomed his first child in 2022
Just like his sister, Sydney Brooke Simpson, Justin Simpson made Florida his home as he also lives in the city of St. Petersburg. Justin has been working in the state as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker. Justin may be one of the most public Simpson siblings when it comes to sharing his private life with the world, as he actually has a public social media account. Though he's not an avid public uploader, O.J Simpson's youngest son has shared some exciting personal news on his Facebook page.
In February 2022, Justin confirmed that he and his partner, Alycia, were expecting a baby girl. He shared a sonogram image with his Facebook friends, as well as a gorgeous photo of himself and Alycia. "We are extremely excited, scared, nervous and in love," he wrote of becoming parents. Justin confirmed that they were expecting a baby girl, named Lana, and shared a link to their baby registry so friends and family could send gifts ahead of the May 2022 due date. "Every bit helps, especially tips and pointers from all you parents out there," he wrote.
O.J. Simpson fought hard to ensure his children didn't have a life in the spotlight
The reason O.J. Simpson's children have been very much out of the spotlight in the years that preceded his death is because he himself made it that way. Speaking during a 2013 parole hearing, O.J. explained he didn't want his five children leading public lives like he did. "I have worked diligently to keep my kids out of the media over the years to the point today where most people wouldn't recognize my kids other than my oldest daughter," he said (via USA Today). O.J. also suggested he advised his children not to attend the hearing because of the media circus they would have been subjected to, and instead asked they write a letter in support of him. Arnelle wrote that letter and did so on behalf of all of O.J.'s kids.
Nicole Brown Simpson's younger sister, Tanya Brown, has also spoken out about O.J.'s children and his relationship with her niece and nephew, Sydney Brooke Simpson and Justin Simpson. Speaking to People in 2016, she confirmed the two very much have a relationship with their dad, which is something she doesn't contest. "They are so grounded," Tanya told the outlet of the siblings. "I am so proud of what and who they [have] become."