Kris Jenner is known for her talent in making stories disappear to protect her family. But there’s one rumor she can’t shake: the alleged affair between her and O.J. Simpson.
“I answered the phone, and it was a call from jail. It was O.J.,” Kris remembers. O.J. Simpson, accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, was Kris’s close friend. “I will always feel guilty,” she admits. Some speculate that O.J. might be Khloe Kardashian’s real father. O.J. once said, “I always thought Kris was a cute girl.” When asked if O.J. ever tried to reach out to her, Kris responded, “My loyalty was with Nicole and her family.”
Today, we explore how losing her best friend Nicole Brown shaped Kris into the mother she is today, and uncover her complicated past with O.J. Simpson. “He was like a big brother to me,” Kris explains. “I had known O.J. since I was 17. When I met Robert, I met O.J. We were very close family friends, spending holidays and vacations together.”
When Kris met O.J.’s wife, Nicole Brown, they hit it off immediately. “Nicole Brown Simpson was one of my best friends,” Kris says. “O.J. was Uncle O.J. to us, and Nicole was Aunt Nicole. She had a beautiful soul and so much love for her family and kids. Nicole was the best mother I had ever known. Her life was all about her children. I love you! When you watch this tape as you get older, see that little quilt you’re laying on? Mommy made that for you.”
Kris thought she and Nicole shared everything, but Nicole was hiding her pain to protect her kids. One day, Nicole made a frantic 911 call: “911 emergency. Could you get someone over here now? He’s back. Please. Okay. What does he look like? He’s O.J. Simpson. He’s going nuts.” Just when Nicole was finally going to open up to Kris about her pain, Kris got a devastating phone call.
“I was coming back from taking the kids to school and was supposed to meet Nicole. We planned to have lunch, and she wanted to show me some things and talk about what was in her safe. As I was getting ready to meet her, her mom called. I picked up the phone, and she said, ‘Nicole’s been shot.’ I replied, ‘Okay, I’m on my way. Where do I go?’ And then she said, ‘No, she didn’t make it.'”
“O.J. Simpson is accused of killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. That’s probably what she wanted to reveal to me, which broke my heart. I will always feel guilty that I didn’t pay more attention. That was really traumatizing for her,” Kris says.
Struggling with her guilt about not being there for Nicole, Kris watched as the world focused only on O.J. “In the case of the century, the most famous man ever charged with murder. O.J. Simpson’s trial is a business. It’s a business for the media, it’s a business for the people selling t-shirts,” Kris reflects.
Kris put her grief aside to be strong for Nicole’s family. “Nicole’s mom called me and asked, ‘Can we get Sydney and Justin’s stuff out of their rooms?’ The LAPD had left the blood on the steps and down the front of her house. When I opened the door, I almost fainted because the whole house was black. I had never been to a crime scene before, so I didn’t know what fingerprinting really entailed. It was like it was frozen in time.”
But Kris was so focused on being there for Nicole that she forgot about her own family. “It was very difficult because my ex-husband was on one side, and I was kind of on the other, and the kids were in the middle. My dad took us to court one day with him and didn’t tell my mom. I remember my mom sitting with Nicole’s parents, and Kourtney and I were sitting right behind O.J. It kind of tore our family apart.”
Kris’s kids sided with Robert because they hadn’t forgiven her for a painful mistake she made years earlier. “I had an affair with a soccer player. It’s one of my biggest regrets in life that the marriage fell apart. We always protected our dad because we felt bad for him; he didn’t want the divorce. We knew it was my mom’s fault.”
Kris lost her family, and Nicole was the only one there for her when she received more heartbreaking news. “I got pregnant and had a miscarriage, and my body completely shut down. I was moody and depressed. Nicole really got me through that. She told me, ‘I promise you’ll get pregnant again. I’m going to give you all of my maternity clothes.’ She was the most amazing friend.”
And in the middle of Nicole’s trial, the promise she made to Kris came true when Kris discovered she was having a baby. “This has been a really tough year, tough 15 months for all of us. Kris was actually pregnant with Kendall Jenner. I think I’ve realized that I’ve latched onto the legal side of things rather than dealing with the emotional side that just misses my friend. I mask my sadness so well by being angry.”
When Kris received a shocking call, she couldn’t hold back her emotions. “Did O.J. ever try to reach out to you? It was dinnertime, and we were all sitting down. I answered the phone, and it was a call from jail. It was O.J. I handed my mom the phone because he wanted to speak to her, and I remember them getting into it. He wanted to talk and explain how he felt. My mom was extremely vocal about her feelings. She believed her friend was murdered by him. My loyalty was with Nicole and her family.”
Kris Jenner showed up to court wearing Nicole Brown’s maternity clothes. “Kris remembered what Nicole had taught her and learned to put her kids first, just like Nicole always did. Family is everything. Once I surrendered my life to my kids and put my priorities in the right place, I learned from my mistakes. I think my one regret is getting divorced. But then I look at Kendall and Kylie. That says it all.”
“Kendall, what’s your middle name? My middle name is Nicole. My middle name is after Nicole Brown Simpson because that was my mom’s best friend, and I’m honored to have this name.” Kris got her family back. But 25 years later, on the anniversary of Nicole’s death, the media accused Kris of the ultimate betrayal. “Oh my God. Did you see that article? O.J. Simpson once bragged about his hot tub hookup with his wife’s best friend Kris Jenner that led the momager needing hospital treatment. What? Saying that he ‘f* that bitch until I broke her.’ That never happened.”
Rumors about a supposed affair between O.J. Simpson and Kris Jenner have persisted for years, with some fans even speculating that O.J. might be Khloe Kardashian’s father. “Khloe is so obviously not a Kardashian. After 25 years, you’d think people would move on. But this time, Kris stood her ground to protect her family. I’m done with these baseless rumors. It’s unfair to both Nicole’s family and mine. I had to take a stand. I sued the Daily Mail today. I called my lawyers and said, ‘Take it down, or we’re coming after you.'”
Kris is determined to honor Nicole’s memory by focusing on the positive times they shared. “The last time I was here was with you and Nicole. We sat right over there. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. Instead of dwelling on the tragedy, we should remember the wonderful moments we had with her and celebrate the incredible woman she was.”
“Nic, say something. Like what?” Nicole profoundly impacted Kris’s life, teaching her what truly matters. “My kids are my world. You helped us reach our dreams and realize our potential. Life is full of challenges, but the Kardashians face them together. Never underestimate the influence of someone who is no longer with you on your life and soul.”
