The families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are criticizing BET for including O.J. Simpson, who was found liable for their deaths, in the BET Awards‘ “In Memoriam” segment Sunday (June 30) evening. In a statement to TMZ, Ron’s father, Fred Goldman, criticized BET for including O.J. in the segment, noting that it was reportedly meant to honor Black luminaries who passed away this year. “I think they shouldn’t include anyone of that caliber — a wife beater, murderer … can’t imagine why they would include someone like that,” he said. Nicole’s sister Tanya also slammed the network, calling O.J. “an abuser and murderer.” “It’s inappropriate to give an abuser and murderer recognition,” she said. “Whoever thought of doing that owes every domestic violence victim an apology…and that’s including our family. And, they should be fired.” The former footballer was only identified as a “Former NFL Player” during the tribute, according to The Hollywood Reporter. O.J.’s inclusion in the BET Awards segment was reportedly met with awkward silence and a “smattering of applause” from the audience. O.J. passed away in April 2024 after a private battle with prostate cancer. The infamous sports star and celeb had been living in hospice care for the last few months of his life after his life “took a turn for the worse,” per TMZ. His reputation was forever tarnished in 1994 after he was accused of murdering Nicole and Ron, who was a friend of hers at the time. The ensuing trial and media storm became known as the Trial of the Century, especially after O.J. famously began a high-speed police chase after he evaded questioning in his Ford Bronco. Though he was later acquitted of the charges, O.J. was ultimately found liable for their murders through a civil trial filed by Nicole and Ron’s families. He was also ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families. Nicole’s sisters Tanya, Denise, and Dominique Brown, recently visited The View, where they revealed that Nicole once predicted that O.J. was going to “kill” her one day and “get away with it.” Denise said, “I just always look back and I think Nicole — God rest her soul, God love her — but she thought everything was gonna change when they got married because he got baptized. And nothing changed.” The former NFL player later completed prison time after he was convicted of 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping in a separate case. He was released on parole in 2017 and was later granted early release from parole in 2021. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
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