BET Awards faces criticism over O.J. Simpson tribute as Ron Goldman’s father calls it “just wrong"

BET Awards is facing backlash over an O.J. Simpson tribute made during the "In Memoriam" segment of the ceremony on Sunday, June 30, 2024.

For the uninitiated, O.J. Simpson is a former professional football player and actor who was accused of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He was ultimately acquitted of the murders in a controversial verdict. He died of prostate cancer in April 2024, at the age of 76.

A day after the BET Awards aired, Ron Goldman's father, Fred, told NBC News that including Simpson as part of the ceremony was inappropriate. He stared:

"I thought it was wrong. I thought it was just wrong. It’s hard to imagine that he would fall in the same category as the vast majority of other people they honor."

He later told TMZ that BET Awards should issue an apology, adding that the move was a slap in the face of his and Nicole's families.

"I think they shouldn't include anyone of that caliber -- a wife beater, murderer … can't imagine why they would include someone like that," Fred said.

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"They should be fired"- Nicola Brown's sister on BET Awards honoring O.J. Simpson

Per a Page Six article, attendees quietly paid their respects to the deceased as their names and a photograph flashed across the screen. O.J. Simpson, whose name appeared with the label "former football player," was honored along with notable late black entertainers like baseball star Willie Mays and the iconic actor Louis Gossett Jr.

According to a report by the Hollywood Reporter, the move was met with "noticeable silence" by the audience before being replaced by uncomfortable laughs and murmurs.

Talking about including Simpson in the "In Memoriam" section of the ceremony, Nicole Brown's sister Tanya told TMZ it was "inappropriate to give an abuser and murderer recognition." She stated:

"Whoever thought of doing that owes every domestic violence victim an apology... and that’s including our family. And, they should be fired."

In addition to being an NFL player, Simpson was also an actor. His most notable work includes starring in the Naked Gun series. The third film in the series was released just three months before the infamous murders.

Nicole and Ron were found stabbed to death outside her home in Los Angeles in 1994. Soon, Simpson was named a murder suspect. He initially evaded arrest, which led to a televised police chase. Two years after his highly controversial acquittal (in 1995), Simpson was found financially liable for the double homicides and ordered to pay $33 million in damages (which he never paid in full).

Despite the widespread opinion that he was guilty, the former football player never admitted to the crimes. In 2007, he released the book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, a hypothetical account of how he would have committed the murders if he were the true killer.

The BET Awards have not released any official statements about the decision to honor O.J. Simpson.