The BET Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment is an annual moment for Black folks to take a somber look at those we lost. But Sunday’s awards ceremony had an inclusion that left viewers typing “WTF” on social media.
OJ Simpson’s inclusion in the 2024 “In Memoriam” section had many wondering why the infamous celebrity was included...and with a “Former NFL Player” description underneath, a photo of Simpson appeared in the emotional segment of the evening.
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Famously, the late star athlete and actor was accused of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994. While Simpson was famously acquitted of all murder charges, his reputation remained forever stained. As The Root reported, Simpson died earlier this year at 76 after a cancer battle.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Simpson’s appearance surprised the audience at the ceremony, with a “noticeable silence” taking over the crowd when his image appeared.
“A moment later, there was a smattering of applause, but many in the audience were a bit surprised to see his face, with one person in attendance noticing some titters among the crowd,” the outlet reported.
Simpson’s image popped up alongside late stars Bill Cobbs, Carl Weathers, Willie Mays, Clarence Avant, Maurice Hines, Richard Roundtree, Ron Cephas Jones, Rudolph Isley, Irish Grinstead of 702, Louis Gossett Jr., Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew and Dexter Scott King.
Of course, the viewers at home were shocked as well, taking to the internet with their takes on Simpson’s surprising inclusion. X, formerly known as Twitter, was flooded with posts about the wild moment, with one user writing that “OJ Simpson in memoriam for anything is WILD no matter how you slice it.”
Other users wrote that the BET Awards “lost the plot” by including the controversial figure in the segment. “BET is deeply unserious for putting OJ Simpson in the Memoriam montage,” another user wrote in a post.
Check out some of the reactions below:
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