7 Shocking Facts About 'If I Did It' By O. J. Simpson: The Controversial Book That Skyrocketed After His Death

The book "If I Did It" by O. J. Simpson remains one of the most controversial and morbidly fascinating publications in modern American history, a hypothetical 'confession' to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The narrative, which details how Simpson would have committed the brutal 1994 slayings, was a lightning rod of public outrage from the moment it was announced. The book’s bizarre journey—from a canceled 2006 release to its eventual publication under the control of the victims' family—is a testament to the enduring, dark legacy of the "Trial of the Century."

The controversy surrounding the book received a fresh surge of global attention in December 2025 following the death of Orenthal James Simpson in April 2024, causing sales to dramatically skyrocket and bringing the chilling text back to the top of bestseller charts. This renewed interest compels a closer look at the book's history, its ghostwriter's shocking belief, and the extraordinary legal battle that saw the victims’ family seize control of Simpson’s narrative.

The Life and Death of Orenthal James Simpson: A Brief Biography

Orenthal James Simpson, universally known as O. J. Simpson or "The Juice," was a figure whose life spanned the heights of American celebrity and the depths of criminal notoriety. His biography is a stark contrast of achievement and infamy.

• The Enduring Legacy Of Haylor 5 Shocking Facts About Harry Styles And Taylor Swifts Relationship 10 Years Later Sf662

• Born: July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California, U.S.
• Died: April 10, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 76.
• Nickname: "The Juice."
• Career: Legendary professional football player (Heisman Trophy winner, NFL Hall of Famer), sports commentator, and actor.
• The Murders: Acquitted in 1995 of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, following the highly publicized "Trial of the Century."
• Civil Judgment: Found liable for the wrongful death of Ron Goldman and battery of Nicole Brown Simpson in a 1997 civil lawsuit, ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victims' families.
• Later Conviction: Convicted in 2008 of armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas, Nevada, and served nine years in prison before being paroled in 2017.

The Hypothetical Confession: What 'If I Did It' Actually Says

The core premise of If I Did It is a chilling, hypothetical account of the events leading up to and including the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on June 12, 1994. The book was written with ghostwriter Pablo Fenjves, who was a neighbor of Nicole Brown Simpson and even testified during the criminal trial.

The 'Hypothetical' Narrative Device

Simpson and his original publisher, ReganBooks (an imprint of HarperCollins), framed the book as a fictionalized thought experiment. The narrative is written in the first person, describing the sequence of events with a crucial linguistic shift: the author consistently uses phrases like "If I had done this..." or "This is how it would have happened..." to maintain the pretense of innocence following his criminal acquittal.

However, the content is so specific and detailed that it is widely interpreted as a thinly veiled, non-legal confession. The book describes a "dark side" alter ego referred to as "Charlie," who is allegedly responsible for the actual violence, a narrative device that was heavily scrutinized and mocked by the public and media.

• The Facts Of Life Cast Where Are Eastlands Girls Now 2024 Updates 2tx8p

The Ghostwriter’s Firm Belief

Ghostwriter Pablo Fenjves later revealed that the process of working with Simpson only solidified his own belief in Simpson's guilt. Fenjves, who was a witness during the original trial, described a "chilling" moment where Simpson "exploded" when Fenjves stated his belief that Simpson was guilty.

The ghostwriter’s contributions, particularly the final, critical chapter that details the actual act of violence, were reportedly the most difficult to secure from Simpson, who was evasive on the most incriminating details.

The Legal Battle: How the Goldman Family Seized the Narrative

The most compelling and unique part of the book’s history is its extraordinary path to publication, which involved a major legal victory for the victims' families. The book was originally set for release in 2006, but immense public backlash and protests from bookstores and the victims' families led to the cancellation of the publication by News Corp (the parent company of HarperCollins).

• The One Where They Tanked Jokes 15 Shocking New Secrets From The Friends Tv Show Behind The Scenes G9zdh

The $33.5 Million Civil Judgment

Following his acquittal in the criminal trial, O. J. Simpson was found liable for the wrongful death of Ron Goldman and battery of Nicole Brown Simpson in a 1997 civil lawsuit. The jury awarded the families $33.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages, a debt Simpson largely avoided paying throughout his life.

The Seizure of Rights

In a landmark legal move in 2007, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the rights to the book to the family of Ron Goldman, led by his father, Fred Goldman, and sister, Kim Goldman. This decision was a direct attempt to seize Simpson's assets—including the book's profits—to satisfy the outstanding civil judgment.

The Renaming: Confessions of the Killer

After acquiring the rights, the Goldman family took two decisive actions:

• They renamed the book to "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer."
• They added new content, including a foreword by Fred Goldman and a chapter by Pablo Fenjves, to contextualize the book and frame it as Simpson’s actual confession.

This move was highly symbolic, turning Simpson's attempt to profit from the murders into a tool for the victims’ justice and financial compensation. The majority of the profits from the book's sales now go to the Goldman family.

The 2024 Sales Spike: A Post-Mortem Phenomenon

The death of O. J. Simpson in April 2024, due to cancer, reignited public curiosity about his life and the sensational crimes he was associated with.

This renewed interest had an immediate and measurable impact on the sales of If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. Reports confirmed that sales of the controversial title skyrocketed following the announcement of his death, sending the book to the top of various bestseller lists. This final, posthumous surge in popularity underscores the enduring cultural fascination with the case and the book’s unique position as a piece of true crime literature.

The book, which has been described as "less of a 'book' than 'a scathing, convincing and extensive condemnation'" of Simpson, continues to serve as a financial mechanism for the Goldman family to collect a portion of the long-unpaid civil judgment. It remains a grim, yet essential, text for anyone seeking to understand the full, complex, and deeply unsettling narrative of the O. J. Simpson saga.