OJ Simpson’s Dad Was a Famous Drag Queen Whose Death Was The Reason For His 'Murderous Rage'

OJ Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, to Jimmie Lee Simpson, a cook, and Eunice Simpson, a nurse's aide in San Francisco. As per the Daily Mail, the legendary football player was so impoverished growing up on a squalid housing project that he contracted rickets and had to support his thin legs with steel braces. Decades later when he stood for the 'trial of the century' he only had his mother by his side, the Los Angeles Times reported that Eunice mentioned in her evidence that she was a single mother, raising O.J. and his brothers by herself after their father abandoned them at a young age. It later came to light that Jimmie Lee was a popular gay drag queen named 'Mama Simpson'. 

A 2016 book titled The Lies of O.J. Simpson by author George Carpozi Jr made multiple references to Jimmie Lee's life. It alleged that he was gay and active in the drag scene in San Francisco. Testimonies from family members also lend credence to these assertions. As per The New York Times, in 1977, the NFL star told Parents magazine that he carried a grudge towards his father. "I resented his absence, especially when I became a teenager and was trying to find out who I was. I really needed a man around then for guidance. I get along with my father now, but it's taken years for me to come to terms with my feelings," Simpson said.

An unknown source claimed in Carpozi Jr's book that Jimmy Lee turned gay after separating from his wife. "Mama Simpson, as he was known to me, used to hang around the hotel where I lived and was frequently dressed in drag. Everyone knew he was O.J.'s dad." Made in America, a two-part documentary about Simpson's life indicated that his "murderous rage" was a result of his hatred for his father.

In the documentary's second segment, the former football player punched his ex-wife for letting their son sit close to a gay man at a restaurant." I didn't know that he knew [O.J.'s father was gay], it wasn't something O.J. talked about. But he brought it up and told a story about [O.J.'s] father very organically," director Ezra Edelman told Business Insider. Simpson's childhood friend Calvin Tennyson recalled the moment when they noticed Jimmy Lee's sexual orientation.

He said in the documentary: “We went over to his dad’s house one day, and when his dad answered the door, he was wearing a bathrobe, which is perfectly normal. But then as his dad opened the door wider, there was another man in the background also wearing a bathrobe. It became clear that his dad was gay.” Simpson never talked about the intricacies of his relationship with his late father.