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Late American football player OJ Simpson was included in the "in memoriam" segment of the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday, June 30, 2024. The decision reportedly surprised several people, including those who were present at the event. While everybody was clapping when the photos of other individuals in the category were shown, a wave of silence prevailed as soon as Simpson's photo was displayed.
Simpson was described as a "former NFL player" in the photos. After the moment of silence, the crowd applauded; however, they still seemed to be in surprise. The reactions, however, didn't stay limited to those in the crowd. Netizens have reacted to the event as well.
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"Lol OJ Simpson in memoriam for anything is WILD no matter how you slice it," a fan tweeted.
"OJ Simpson popped up on the screen and ppl in the audience didn't know what to do #BETAwards," one fan wrote on X.
"Audience kinda laughed at OJ SIMPSON #BETAwards," wrote another fan.
Fans expressed their surprise as to how Simpson made it to the list.
"I thought it was just me," a fan wrote.
"Shout out to BET for not being afraid to put OJ Simpson in the rest in peace tribute," wrote another fan on X.
"They knew what they were doing," read a tweet.
Several other celebrities, apart from OJ Simpson, were honored at the BET Awards
The 24th BET Awards was held on June 30, 2024, in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater. Actress Taraji P. Henson hosted the award event for the third time this year. The award nominations were first revealed on May 16, 2024. Apart from Simpson, several others, like Bill Cobbs, Carl Weathers, Willie Mays, Clarence Avant, Maurice Hines, Richard Roundtree, and many more, were honored at the 2024 awards.
Simpson was a football player who played in the NFL for about 11 years. He was primarily with the Buffalo Bills. The late footballer was, however, wrapped in controversy after his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, was murdered in 1994. OJ Simpson was accused of the deaths of Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman; however, he was acquitted of all the charges in the criminal trial.
Simpson passed away in April 2024. While he was acquitted of the murder charges, his image was tarnished forever. His legal troubles however didn't end there. In 2007, he was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment, but was paroled and released in 2017.
Several artists, like Drake, SZA, J Cole, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Tyla, Usher, and Beyoncé, to name a few, had received nominations. Canadian rapper Drake received the maximum number of nominations, totaling seven.
Several performances from well-known artists took place at the award event on Sunday. Artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Will Smith, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Latto, and Keke Palmer were among those who performed at the event.
