O.J. Simpson Featured Throughout 2024 BET Awards ‘In Memoriam’ Phase

Sunday night time’s 2024 BET Awards included a solemn “In Memoriam” phase that featured controversial public determine O.J. Simpson. The former NFL star died on April 10 at age 76 following a battle with cancer and his inclusion reportedly got here as an unwelcome shock to some in attendance.

Tia Mowry launched the phase as a tribute to “the Black excellence that we sadly misplaced this yr.”

“It is by no means simple to say goodbye to those that affect us,” Mowry added, “however we are able to take a second to rejoice and acknowledge their contributions to the tradition.”

The phase paid tribute to late public figures like Carl Weathers, Richard Roundtree, Ron Cephas Jones, Louis Gossett Jr., civil rights activist Dexter Scott King and baseball participant Willie Mays. 

Whereas the viewers applauded as images had been proven in the course of the montage, Simpson’s picture triggered “a noticeable silence” to fall over the gang, based on The Hollywood Reporter. 

Whereas there was a “smattering of applause,” a number of folks within the viewers had been visibly “shocked” to see Simpson’s picture seem onscreen, with “titters” breaking out among the many crowd afterward. 

Described as a “Former NFL Participant” in the course of the broadcast, Orenthal James Simpson is usually considered one of many biggest operating backs of all time. 

He performed 11 seasons with the Buffalo Payments and in addition performed for the San Francisco 49ers. He was a Heisman Trophy winner from his time with the USC Trojans and was inducted within the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in 1985. Simpson additionally had a credited performing profession, showing within the critically acclaimed TV miniseries Roots, and in movies like The Klansman, The Towering Inferno, The Cassandra Crossing, Capricorn One, and in all three of the Bare Gun movies, during which he performed Detective Nordberg.  

Nonetheless, he was additionally recognized for his authorized troubles, most notably his 1994 arrest in reference to the homicide of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. 

The next homicide trial continues to be one of the crucial broadly publicized occasions in American historical past. Simpson was represented by the now-famous authorized group of Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, F. Lee Bailey and Robert Shapiro. They went up towards lead prosecutor Marcia Clark. On Oct. 3, 1995, Simpson was found not guilty of both murders and acquitted of criminal charges. 

Nonetheless, he was unanimously discovered accountable for the wrongful loss of life of and battery towards Goldman and battery towards Brown.

In 1997, a civil trial jury ordered Simpson to pay $33.5 million, which, with curiosity over the previous 27 years has ballooned to over $100 million.

Simpson was single on the time of his loss of life and left behind four children who had been by his aspect on the time of his passing.

His family confirmed the news in a statement launched on social media. “On April tenth, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with most cancers,” the assertion reads. “He was surrounded by his youngsters and grandchildren.”

The household concluded their assertion requesting “privateness and style.”

Fred Goldman, Ron’s father, blasted the inclusion of Simpson in BET’s phase to TMZ. “I feel they should not embrace anybody of that caliber — a spouse beater, assassin … Cannot think about why they would come with somebody like that,” he instructed the outlet. 

He went on to name it a “slap within the face” to his and Brown’s households.

Nicole’s sister Tanya echoed the sentiment, telling TMZ, “It is inappropriate to offer an abuser and assassin recognition. Whoever considered doing that owes each home violence sufferer an apology…and that is together with our household. And, they need to be fired.”

ET spoke with Nicole’s three sisters — Denise, Dominique and Tanya — almost two months after Simpson’s loss of life and forward of the thirtieth anniversary of Nicole’s loss of life, throughout which the trio shared their ideas on the previous athlete’s passing.

“I used to be unhappy for the youngsters, however then once more, I feel it was combined feelings,” Dominque shared. “It is difficult. It is the top of what we’re hoping or could possibly be the top of an enormous chapter of our lives. It is somebody who was in our household for a lot of, a few years. I imply, it has been 50 years or one thing. Virtually 50 years as a result of they had been collectively after which 30 years had handed. So, it was difficult. It was complicated. However then once more it was very, very unhappy as a result of now the children haven’t any dad and mom.”

Denise added, “I used to be actually comfortable. I used to be comfortable to listen to as a result of we had this sort of relationship, you recognize, it wasn’t a superb relationship from the primary time I met him. So, when Nicole was comfortable, I used to be very comfortable for her. And that is all that mattered to me, that Nicole was comfortable. For me, it was in all probability a bit of extra tense with the children as a result of I went out and spoke about home violence and I spoke about their dad. I felt I needed to do it. I needed to do it for her. I needed to do it for all the opposite Nicole’s which are on the market.”

The 2024 BET Awards, hosted by Taraji P. Henson, aired live on the BET channel from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Try the complete winners list here.

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