Daily Mail cites OJ Simpson’s ‘drag queen dad who died of AIDS’ as a reason for ‘murderous rage’

An article in the Daily Mail describes OJ Simpson’s father, who was reportedly a gay drag queen who died of Aids, as one of a number of “dark truths” behind the former NFL legend’s “murderous rage.”

Simpson, a former American football star, actor and defendant in one of the most-watched trials in US history died on Wednesday (10 April) after a battle with prostate cancer.

His family broke the news on X/Twitter, saying: “Our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes of privacy and grace.”

In an article on the history of OJ and his infamous 1995 murder trial, in which he was controversially cleared of murdering his wife, Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, the Daily Mail argued that his “drag queen father who died of Aids” was a reason behind his “murderous rage.”

OJ was later jailed for his part in an armed robbery.

The Daily Mail headline seemingly claims that Simpson’s dad, Jimmy Lee Simpson, who is believed to have been gay and to have died of an Aids-related illness, was an element in the “making of a monster.”

Detailing Simpson’s upbringing, the article stated: “The child of a broken home, he grew up on a grim housing project in San Francisco, so poor that he developed rickets and had to wear steel braces on his skinny legs.

“His father was reportedly a well-known drag queen who later announced he was gay and died from Aids.”

Jimmy Lee’s sexuality was reportedly first noted in the book The Lies of OJ Simpson, by George Carpozi Jr, who heard the claim from an unnamed source.

It was further supported in the 2016 documentary OJ: Made in America, in which childhood friend Calvin Tennyson said: “One day we went over to his dad’s house and knocked on the door. When his dad opened the door, he was in a bathrobe, which is not a crime.

“But then [he] kind of opened the door more, and there was a guy in the back in a bathrobe too. It was obvious that his dad was gay.”

In a 1977 interview with Parents magazine, reported by The New York Times, OJ was quoted as saying he was not close to his dad, and “resented his absence”, adding: “When I became a teenager and was trying to find out who I was… I really needed a man around for guidance.”