Caitlyn Jenner Reacts to Backlash Over O.J. Simpson Message

Caitlyn Jenner isn't taking anything back.

After the Olympian was criticized for her response to O.J. Simpson's April 11 death—with users referencing her own history—Caitlyn sent a swift message.

"I know you all think it's cute to compare a fatal car accident (with multiple vehicles involved) to a BRUTAL MURDER," she wrote in an April 12 statement shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, referencing, in part, the 1994 deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. "But Remember… OJ said something to the effect of… I could kill her (Nicole) and get away with it bc I'm #OJSimpson."

In the statement, Caitlyn also acknowledges her involvement in a 2015 multi-vehicle car crash that led to the death of a woman named Kim Howe.

"We believed from the start that a thorough and objective investigation would clear Caitlyn of any criminal wrongdoing," Caitlyn's attorney Blair Berk previously told ABC News. "We are heartened the District Attorney has agreed that even a misdemeanor charge would be inappropriate. A traffic accident, however devastating and heartbreaking when a life is lost, is not necessarily a criminal matter."

Though no criminal charges were filed against her, a number of lawsuits came out of the fatal crash, including from a third and fourth driver as well as Kim's stepchildren. Caitlyn settled with Jessica Steindorff—a driver of one of the four cars involved—in December 2015 and with Kim's stepchildren in January 2016. Details on these settlements were not publicly disclosed.

The backlash against Caitlyn came after she tweeted on April 11, "Good Riddance," following the death of O.J. at the age of 76 from cancer. Users were quick to compare the death from Caitlyn's car crash with the 1994 killing of Nicole and Ron—whose deaths O.J was arrested for before ultimately being found not guilty.

He was, however, found guilty in a civil case brought by the families of Nicole and Ron and ordered to pay $33.5 million in 1997. A decade later, in September 2007, O.J. released the book If I Did It, which theorized about the murders of Nicole and Ron.

Caitlyn's connection to the case stems back to her marriage with Kris Jenner, with whom Caitlyn shares daughters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner. Kris had been married to the late Robert Kardashian Sr.—with whom she shared kids Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Rob Kardashian—for 13 years. Robert was good friends with O.J. and acted as one of the former football player's ten defense attorneys. 

In the years following O.J.'s acquittal, Caitlyn has been vocal about her dislike for O.J. as well as her belief in his culpability. 

"That night the verdict came in, Kourtney and Kimberly were in school and obviously they loved their father, and they should," she recalled on I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2019. "They'd been following this for a year and a half and when they walked in the door, I think it was Kourtney who said, 'Well, I told you he didn't do it.'"

"And I just said to the girls, 'Just because he got a not guilty didn't mean he didn't do it,'" she continued, "'and I don't want his name ever mentioned in this house again.'"

For more on O.J.'s life and trial, keep reading.  

Simpson was born in 1947 and started his football career at the City College of San Francisco. After playing for two seasons and being named a junior college All-American, Simpson transferred and started playing  for the University of Southern California's Trojans in 1967. 

The following year, he won the Heisman Trophy.

Following his college football career, the running back entered the NFL and played for the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977.

In addition to playing football, Simpson explored acting—including in the movie The Klansman. He later appeared in The Towering Inferno, Killer Force and The Cassandra Crossing. 

Simpson attended the Cannes Film Festival with producer Patrick Wachsberger in 1975.

Simpson was married to Marguerite Whitley from 1967 to 1979. Together, they welcomed three children: Arnelle, Jason and Aaren. Aaren died following a drowning accident in 1979.

The family is pictured at their home in 1975.

Following his near-decade with the Bills, the athlete joined the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for a two seasons before retiring from football.

Simpson pictured here posing with his Ferrari at Warner Bros Studios.

After playing the game, Simpson became a sports analyst. Here, he can be seen covering a game for NBC in 1980. 

Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985, the same year they welcomed their first child together, Sydney, and Simpson was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Here, the pair is pictured at an Oscars viewing party in 1983.

Simpson and Brown also welcomed a son, Justin, in 1988. The couple divorced four years later in 1992.

Here the family is pictured at the Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult premiere in 1994—the same year that she was killed.

In June 1994, Simpson was accused of murdering Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. He took off in a white Bronco, and millions of people watched the televised police chase.

Simpson's 1994 mug shot after his arrest.

Simpson went to trial in 1995, and the case captured the nation. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted on all counts.

He was found liable for Brown and Goldman's deaths in 1997 in a civil lawsuit filed by their families and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages,  according to The New York Times.

Simpson would make headlines again when he penned the book If I Did It. The Goldman family later obtained the rights to the manuscript as a way to help satisfy the amount Simpson owed them, CBS News reported, and the subhead Confessions of the Killer was added.

However, these wouldn't be Simpson's last trials. In 2008, he was found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping and 10 additional charges that were in regard to a memorabilia robbery in Las Vegas, and he was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison, per The New York Times. Simpson, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, served nine years in prison before he was released on parole.

 Simpson speaking at a parole hearing.

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