When people talk about the "Trial of the Century," they usually stick to the same script. You know the one: the white Bronco, the bloody glove, the celebrity lawyer "Dream Team." But if you want to understand the man behind the headlines, you have to look at the man who started it all. Jimmy Lee Simpson, O.J. Simpson's father, is a figure who has been largely pushed to the margins of history.
Honestly, it's kinda wild how little he's mentioned in the mainstream documentaries. While O.J. was the All-American hero turned pariah, Jimmy Lee’s life was a complex, layered story of secrets, identity, and a quiet struggle in San Francisco.
Who Was Jimmy Lee Simpson?
Jimmy Lee wasn't a football star. He didn't have the spotlight. Born in 1920, he lived a life that was pretty typical for a Black man of that era in some ways, but totally unique in others. For a long time, he worked as a custodian at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. He was also a cook and a custodian at a private club.
Basically, he was a working-class guy trying to make ends meet in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. He married Eunice Durden, and together they had four kids, including Orenthal James. But the marriage didn't last. By 1952, when O.J. was just four or five years old, Jimmy Lee walked out.
From that point on, Eunice was the one who really held the family together. She raised the kids in the housing projects, working as a psychiatric ward orderly. Jimmy Lee stayed in the picture, but he wasn't exactly the "stay-at-home-dad" type.
The Secret Life of a Bay Area Legend
Here’s where things get interesting—and where the history books usually get a bit shy. Jimmy Lee Simpson wasn't just a bank custodian. In the local San Francisco scene, he was known as a drag queen.
Imagine the 1950s and 60s. San Francisco was becoming a hub for LGBTQ+ culture, but it was still a dangerous time to be out. Especially for a Black man. Jimmy Lee lived a sort of double life. To his family and the public, he was the former husband and father. In the underground club scene, he was someone else entirely.
People who knew him in the Bay Area have since shared that he was well-known in that community. It wasn't until much later in his life—long after O.J. had become a household name—that Jimmy Lee officially came out as gay.
Why the Relationship Was Strained
It's no secret that O.J. and his father weren't exactly "best buds." In various interviews and biographies, like American Tragedy, it’s hinted that O.J. struggled with his father’s identity. Think about it: O.J. was the epitome of "hyper-masculinity" in the 70s. He was a bruising running back for the Buffalo Bills. He was a "man’s man."
Having a father who performed in drag and was gay didn't fit the image O.J. was trying to project to the world. There’s a specific story often cited where O.J. visited his father’s apartment as an adult and found him with another man. It was reportedly a moment of extreme tension.
O.J. once told People magazine back in the 70s that he "resented" his father's absence. But as the years went on, that resentment seemed to be fueled by more than just the divorce. It was a clash of worlds.
The Tragic End: AIDS and the 1980s
Jimmy Lee Simpson died in 1986. The cause of death was systemic—he died of complications from AIDS.
This was right at the height of the epidemic. At the time, O.J. was a massive star, working as a broadcaster and actor. He reportedly visited his father at the end, but the death was kept very quiet. There were no major public tributes. No grand gestures. Jimmy Lee passed away as a footnote in his son's rising legend.
It’s an incredibly sad way to go, especially considering how much shame was attached to the virus in the mid-80s. For O.J., who was obsessed with his public brand, his father’s lifestyle and cause of death were things he rarely, if ever, discussed in detail.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of folks think Jimmy Lee was just some "absentee father" who didn't care. That's a bit of a simplification. He was a man living in a time that didn't have a place for him. He was Black in a segregated society and gay in a homophobic one.
Some psychologists and biographers have speculated that O.J.'s desperate need for approval and his obsession with his "hero" image stemmed from a desire to be the "opposite" of his father. Whether that's true or just armchair psychology is up for debate. But you can't deny the impact.
Key Facts About Jimmy Lee Simpson
- Occupation: Custodian for the Federal Reserve Bank and a private club cook.
- Location: Primarily San Francisco, California.
- Identity: Later came out as gay and was active in the drag scene.
- Death: Died in 1986 from AIDS complications.
- Legacy: His absence and identity significantly shaped O.J.’s public persona and internal drive.
Why This Matters Now
You can't really "get" O.J. Simpson without understanding the shadow his father cast. The drive for fame, the need to be loved by everyone, the hyper-masculine posturing—it all feels like a reaction to a childhood spent wondering where he fit in.
If you're looking for more context on the Simpson family tree, you should look into Eunice Simpson’s influence as well. She was the rock. But Jimmy Lee was the ghost that O.J. seemed to be running away from for most of his life.
Next Steps for Research:
To get a fuller picture of the Simpson family dynamics, look for the 2016 documentary O.J.: Made in America. It’s one of the few pieces of media that actually takes the time to interview childhood friends who remember Jimmy Lee. You can also look into the archival records of San Francisco's LGBTQ+ history from the 1960s to see the world Jimmy Lee inhabited outside of his role as a father. Knowing the "why" behind the man helps make sense of the "how" regarding everything that happened later in 1994.