O.J. Simpson dies at 76: The Kardashians' connections to the controversial star, explained

Before the Kardashians were reality TV royalty, the family kept up with O.J. Simpson.

Simpson, the NFL star who was later acquitted of murder in the death of his late wife Nicole Brown Simpson, died Wednesday at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with cancer.

Brown Simpson was the best friend of media matriarch Kris Jenner, who was married to Simpson's friend Robert Kardashian Sr., the lawyer who later became a member of O.J. Simpson's defense team when he was on trial for the 1994 deaths of Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The late attorney died from esophageal cancer at 59 in 2003.

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Jenner and Kardashian shared four children: Kourtney, Khloé, Kim and Robert "Rob" Kardashian Jr. In 1991, Jenner remarried Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and they welcomed a pair of kids, Kendall and Kylie. The whole family launched into the pop culture stratosphere on an E! reality show that followed the family's antics and rise to fame, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," which premiered in 2007. Now, the family, sans Rob Kardashian, star on "The Kardashians" on Hulu which premiered in 2022.

Caitlyn Jenner, who has since divorced Kris Jenner, is the only family member who has reacted to Simpson's death posting on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Good Riddance #OJSimpson."

The Kardashian family connections to Simpson are wide-ranging: Here's how, from conspiracy theories to a fiery "SNL" monologue.

How are The Kardashians connected to O.J. Simpson?

Kardashian Sr. was one of former NFL star Simpson's best friends and later became a member of The "Dream Team," the term coined to describe the lawyers who defended the running back in a murder trial that captured the country's attention.

Kris Jenner was a close friend of Brown Simpson and later found reality TV fame along with the pair's other close friend, Faye Resnick, who has guest starred on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." O.J. Simpson and Kris Jenner were also close friends. But the killings caused a family divide when the Kar-Jenner matriarch believed O.J. Simpson was guilty of the murder as Robert Kardashian Sr. served as a defense attorney for the former athlete, which Kim detailed in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone.

"I definitely took my dad's side," Kim Kardashian told the outlet. "We just always thought my dad was the smartest person in the world, and he really believed in his friend." As far as what she believes now, she says, "It's weird. I just try not to think about it."

Celebrity reactions: Caitlyn Jenner posts 'good riddance' amid O.J. Simpson death

The Kardashians portrayed in FX 'American Crime Story' about murder trial

In FX's "The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," executive produced by Ryan Murphy, the Kardashians' inner conflict surrounding Simpson took center stage.

Robert Kardashian Sr. is portrayed by "Friends" star David Schwimmer while Selma Blair played Kris Jenner and Cuba Gooding Jr. starred as Simpson. In the show, which is based on real events, Kardashian began to break down after telling his ex-wife that Simpson might be found innocent for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

"He was my friend for 20 years. I can barely look at him anymore," he told Jenner.

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In reality, Kardashian admitted in an ABC interview with the late Barbara Walters that he doubted Simpson's innocence.

In November, Kim Kardashian opened up to GQ in its Man of the Year issue about how the trial affected her life and her own father's experience as an attorney inspired her to go to law school. She is also one of the country's most prolific criminal justice reform activists.

"My dad pulled Kourtney and me out of school. He said, 'I want you girls to witness a piece of history and what a trial is like,'" Kim Kardashian recalled. At the time, their mom was "sitting on the other side" of the courtroom as a close friend of Nicole.

"She said, 'You're supposed to be in school. What are you doing here?' Kourtney and I didn't even look at her," she said, adding that the trial was "really tough" on their family. "Kourtney and I were drawn to our dad. We felt like mom was happily remarried, so we would live with dad. We didn't want him to be by himself."

Is O.J. Simpson Khloé Kardashian's dad? Both have shut down rumors

On Father's Day 2019, Simpson shut down conspiracy theories about him being the dad of Khloé Kardashian, who has opened up about the controversy on the family's reality TV show before.

"Bob Kardashian, he was like a brother to me," Simpson said in a video posted to Twitter. "He was a great guy. He met and married Kris (Jenner) and they really had a terrific time together when they were together, unfortunately that ended.

"Khloé, like all the girls, I'm very proud of, just like I know Bob would be, if he was here, but the simple facts of the matter is, she's not mine," Simpson added.

Kardashian has also denied the rumors.

Kim Kardashian jokes about O.J. Simpson on 'SNL'

During a fall 2021 appearance hosting "Saturday Night Live," makeup mogul Kim Kardashian brought up her dad, Kardashian Sr., in her monologue which was lauded by critics for her comedic timing.

"I credit (my dad) with really opening up my eyes to racial injustice," she said. "It's because of him that I met my first Black person. Want to take a stab in the dark at who it was?

"I know it's sort of weird to remember the first Black person you met," she added, "but O.J. does leave a mark, or several, or none at all. I still don't know."

Kim Kardashian West recalls tearful, 'emotional' reunion with O.J. Simpson and her sisters

In 2019, the reality star/entrepreneur appeared on the first two episodes of her close friend Jonathan Cheban's podcast, "Foodgod: OMFG."

"I think the last time I saw him was in Miami," she remembered. "It was before he had gone to jail this last situation… I think me, Kourtney and Khloé were in Miami in a club – and we ran into him in the VIP section."

Contributing: Josh Peter, Erin Jensen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OJ Simpson, Kardashians connection: The relationships, explained