It’s one thing to be a celebrity child born into a family of actors and singers, but a completely different story to be a child entangled in a nationwide famous murder case.
That’s Sydney Simpson’s story, O.J. Simpson’s and Nicole Brown’s daughter. Stick around as we dive deeper into her parent’s trials, education, love life, and career growth.
Who Is Sydney Simpson?
If you’re one of the many viewers captivated by the O.J. Simpson trial, then you’re probably aware of Sydney Simpson. She’s none other than O.J.’s daughter. Back during the trial, Simpson was captured in film alongside her father.
Of all the people involved in the case, Sydney was most heavily affected by her mother’s brutal murder at the alleged hands of her father.
Sydney Simpson’s Parents
From her two parents, you’re more likely to recognize the “Juice.” O.J. was a highly praised football player. He was prized for his speedy sprints across the field as a running back and achieved several awards, including six Pro Bowls and First-Team All-Pro for five selections.
He was also part of the NFL All-Decade Team during the 70s. After all these winnings, the Hall of Fame player retired in 1980 when he married Nicole Brown.
Brown was a waitress at Daisy, the Beverly Hills nightclub. When describing their relationship, insiders often used “obsessive” and “volatile.”
According to divorce papers, Brown stated O.J. “required that she be with him.” By then, she had dropped out of her school, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, to live with him. In Kris Jenner’s memoir, she wrote, “He was already incredibly possessive of Nicole. Even when she went to the bathroom, O.J. would wonder out loud when she would return.”
Trial Involvement
At the time of her mother’s untimely death, Simpson was asleep beside her then-five-year-old brother, Justin Simpson. They lived at their mother’s place following the divorce from O.J. Simpson in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
One year after the divorce and all accusations of spousal abuse from O.J.’s end, the couple attempted to reunite. Nonetheless, that reconciliation proved fruitless after Brown’s body was discovered in her apartment complex.
After the murder, Simpson fell into the hands of the press. The trial was excessively publicized, even named “The Trial of the Century.” Dealing with the loss of her mother while facing extreme pressure from the press took a toll on her. As the trial ended, Simpson avoided the public eye at all costs.
Eventually, she legally changed her name to Portia to hide from the spotlights.
Early Life
Simpson was born on the 17th of October 1985 in Los Angeles. By 1992, her parents, O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown, divorced.
About two years after the separation, the notorious murder of Brown and her friend Ron Goldman happened, and accusations were hurled at her ex-husband, leading to the famed trial. During that time, Brown’s family attempted to keep Sydney and her brother far from the media.
Post-trial, Simpson and her brother needed guardians. Their maternal grandparents, Juditha and Louis Brown, took on that role. Following O.J.’s innocence, he could share custody with the guardians.
Both families wanted to keep the children’s identity on a low profile. When Sydney took on a restaurant job in Atlanta in 2014, a reporter tracked her down and exposed her and her brother’s identities.
Education
During her high school years, Simpson attended Gulliver’s Academy. By 2010, she enrolled in the prestigious Boston University to undertake a degree in Sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Career
As you might already imagine, Simpson wants nothing to do with fame and Lala Land. She and her brother ventured into the real estate industry. Before that, she started working as an event coordinator for Canoe.
By 2014, she decided to relocate to St. Petersburg, Florida and took up a role as a real estate agent. She now owns a real estate company called Simpsy LLC with her brother, Justin.
The venture has owned over 13 properties since 2015. The venture paid cash for low-income rental spaces, totaling about $500,000 worth of properties in cash.
Carmen Gorton, one of Simpsons’ tenants, went public after finding out who their realtor was. In a talk with the New York Post, he said, “I had no idea.”
Some of her properties include two units at 379 47th Ave. South retailing for $47,500 and an apartment at 1247 22nd Ave. South costing $35,000. She didn’t stop there. Simpson also owns and operates a restaurant.
Is Sydney Simpson Married?
Since Simpson primarily keeps a low profile, it’sasserting whethershe’ss tying the knot is complex. Nonetheless, several speculations show that she has a boyfriend. A video by the Daily Mail reveals the once-celebrity child walking back from a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, with an alleged boyfriend, Robert Blackmon.
Blackmon is a politician who previously ran for the St. Petersburg City Council. In another media post published in 2017 by the New York Post, Blackmon seemingly hinted at their relationship.
Referring to Simpson, he said, “She’ss been selflessly supporting me and not worried about herself.”” Nevertheless, Blackmon later confirmed that he and Simpson were only friends.
Before that, Simpson had a five-year relationship with Stuart Alexander Lee between 2007 and 2012. She met him during her high school years.
He told RadarOnline,” Sydney is a real good girl with a good head on her shoulders. She is not lazy. She works very hard.”
He went on to discuss her refusal to speak out about her thoughts on the murder publicly, saying,” When I was with her, I got friends in the industry I tried to set her up with, and she said fame is a scary thing. It’s so natural to tell your side of the story.”
After reluctantly confiding to Lee regarding her mother’s murder, she believed that O.J. was innocent and that it was a busted drug deal.
Besides that, Simpson’s relationship with Lee ended because his music career had taken too much of his time. He reassured, “There’ss are no hard feelings on either side. I want to see her happy.””
Final Thoughts
SydneySimpson’ss life is nothing short of inspiring. After undergoing the hardships of not only losing her mother but facing the media’s glare, she managed to build a successful career alongside her brother.
Despite the mental challenges she has faced along the way, Sydney remained solid and steadfast.
