It is the rumor that launched a thousand memes. Seriously. If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet in the last decade, you’ve seen the side-by-side photos comparing the facial structure of Khloe Kardashian and the late OJ Simpson. People obsess over her height. They point at her hair texture. They pore over old episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians like they’re searching for clues in a cold case file. But honestly, the Khloe Kardashian OJ connection is one of those pop culture myths that says way more about our obsession with DNA and scandal than it does about the actual biological reality of the Kardashian family.
The "Juice" was a constant presence in the Kardashian household long before the cameras started rolling. Robert Kardashian Sr. wasn't just a lawyer; he was one of OJ's closest friends. He was the man who famously held the garment bag after the Bronco chase. He was the guy who stayed by Simpson's side throughout the "Trial of the Century." Because of that proximity, the public has spent years trying to retcon Khloe’s birth into a plot point from a true crime drama. It’s messy. It’s kinda mean-spirited. And it’s a theory that ignores a lot of basic facts about how genetics—and families—actually work.
The Origin of the Khloe Kardashian OJ Rumors
Where did this even start? It wasn't just some random Twitter user in 2014. The fire was stoked years ago by a few specific sources. Kris Jenner admitted in her 2011 memoir, Kris Jenner... and All Things Kardashian, that she had been unfaithful during her marriage to Robert Sr. She was remarkably candid about her affair with a man she called "Ryan," later identified as soccer player Todd Waterman. That admission was the gasoline.
Suddenly, every tabloid in the world was asking: "If she cheated with one man, who else did she sleep with?"
Then came the ex-wives. Jan Ashley and Ellen Pierson, two women who married Robert Kardashian after he divorced Kris, went to the press with a bombshell. They claimed Robert told them Khloe wasn't his biological daughter. "Khloe is not his kid—he confirmed that to me after we got married," Ashley told Star magazine back in 2012. You have to take that with a massive grain of salt, obviously. These were women who were in legal battles with the Kardashians over Robert’s estate. Bitterness is a hell of a drug.
The public didn't care about the source's credibility. They just looked at Khloe. She’s taller than Kim and Kourtney. She has different features. In a family that practically lives under a microscope, being the "odd one out" physically is enough to spark a conspiracy. People started looking for a father figure who fit the bill, and because of the trial, OJ Simpson was the easiest target.
Why the Timeline Doesn't Actually Add Up
Let’s look at the calendar. Khloe was born in June 1984. For the Khloe Kardashian OJ theory to be true, the affair would have had to happen in the fall of 1983. At that time, Kris and Robert were very much together, and the families were spending holidays and weekends side-by-side.
Could it have happened? Maybe in a movie. But in reality, OJ was married to Nicole Brown Simpson. Kris was raising three small children. While the families were close, there has never been a shred of physical evidence—no secret letters, no sightings, no "source" within the inner circle—that suggested Kris and OJ were ever anything more than family friends.
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Even OJ himself eventually weighed in. Before his death in 2024, he was stopped by a photographer in Vegas. He laughed the whole thing off. He basically said that while Robert was like a brother to him, he never had a romantic interest in Kris. He even went on Twitter (or X, whatever we're calling it now) to state clearly that he was "very proud" of Khloe, just like he was of the other Kardashian kids, but that he was definitely not her father.
The DNA Test That (Sorta) Ended the Debate
If you watched the early seasons of KUWTK, you remember the episode where the family tries to get Khloe to take a DNA test. It was dramatic. It was tense. Khloe was genuinely hurt. She felt like her sisters were questioning her identity just for a storyline.
She eventually did a DNA test on the show, but it wasn't to check if OJ was her dad. It was a 23andMe-style test to check her ancestry. The results showed she was 53% European (Middle Eastern), which aligned perfectly with Robert Kardashian’s Armenian heritage. If she were OJ’s daughter, she would have shown a significant percentage of Sub-Saharan African DNA. She didn't.
- Robert Kardashian’s Heritage: Armenian (Middle Eastern/Caucasian).
- Khloe’s DNA Results: Confirmed Middle Eastern markers.
- The Outcome: Science basically took the OJ theory and threw it out the window.
But conspiracy theorists are stubborn. They claimed the test was faked for TV. They claimed the producers swapped the swabs. When you want to believe something, facts are just obstacles.
The Emotional Toll of a Public Identity Crisis
Imagine growing up and having the entire world tell you that your dad isn't your dad. It’s brutal. Khloe has been vocal about how much these rumors hurt her. She idolized Robert Kardashian Sr. He died when she was only 19. For people to try and strip that connection away from her for the sake of a "gotcha" moment is, honestly, pretty dark.
Robert Sr. knew about the rumors. He didn't care. According to family friends like Malika Haqq and even the Kardashian sisters themselves, Robert loved Khloe fiercely. He treated her as his own because, in every way that mattered, she was his own. Biology is just one part of fatherhood.
The Khloe Kardashian OJ rumors also ignore the very real physical resemblance Khloe has to other members of her family. If you look at photos of Robert Kardashian’s own mother, Helen Kardashian, the resemblance to Khloe is striking. They have the same face shape, the same "strong" features that Kim and Kourtney (who look more like Kris) don't necessarily share. Genetics is a lottery. Sometimes you look like your mom, sometimes you look like your great-grandmother.
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The Alex Roldan Theory: The Other "Father"
Because the OJ theory has so many holes, the internet moved on to a "backup" dad: Alex Roldan. Alex was Kris Jenner’s hairdresser for decades. He’s tall. He has a similar facial structure to Khloe. People even pointed out that Khloe’s middle name is Alexandra.
Again, it’s all circumstantial. It’s people playing detective with Google Images. Kris has denied this one just as vehemently as the OJ rumors. But it proves a point: the public is obsessed with finding a "secret" father for Khloe because they simply can't accept that she just looks different from her sisters.
Why We Can't Stop Talking About It
So why does the Khloe Kardashian OJ story keep resurfacing every few years?
It’s the perfect storm of celebrity culture. You have the Kardashians, who are the titans of modern fame. You have the OJ Simpson trial, which is the most famous legal event in American history. When you link those two things together, you get a narrative that is irresistible to the tabloid industrial complex. It’s "Prestige Gossip."
Also, we live in an era of DNA obsession. With the rise of Ancestry.com and MyHeritage, everyone is looking for a secret in their family tree. We project that onto celebrities. We want there to be a twist. We want the world to be as dramatic as a scripted TV show.
But sometimes, the truth is boring.
The truth is that Kris Jenner was a young woman who made mistakes in her marriage, but those mistakes didn't necessarily result in a secret love child with a Hall of Fame football player. The truth is that Robert Kardashian Sr. died believing Khloe was his daughter. The truth is that Khloe has spent her life defending her place in her own family.
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Reality Check: The Facts We Know
- Robert Kardashian stayed married to Kris for years after Khloe was born.
- DNA ancestry tests performed by Khloe showed Armenian markers consistent with the Kardashian lineage.
- OJ Simpson denied the rumors repeatedly until his death.
- Kris Jenner has admitted to one affair, but never one with Simpson.
- The physical resemblance between Khloe and her paternal grandmother is documented.
Moving Beyond the Conspiracy
If you're still convinced there's a cover-up, nothing is going to change your mind. That’s how conspiracies work. But if you look at the evidence objectively, the Khloe Kardashian OJ connection is a myth built on top of a tragedy. It’s a way for people to stay connected to the drama of the 90s while consuming the reality TV of today.
For Khloe, the "who is the father" game has been a source of genuine trauma. She’s had to endure "Who’s your daddy?" jokes for nearly two decades. In a 2017 episode of Revenge Body, she talked about how she used to let the rumors get to her, but eventually had to realize that she knows her truth, and that’s all that matters.
Actionable Takeaway: How to Fact-Check Celebrity Rumors
If you want to be a more discerning consumer of celebrity news, keep these steps in mind:
- Check the source of the "bombshell." Is it an ex-employee, a disgruntled family member, or a peer-reviewed DNA test? Most "insider" quotes are paid for by tabloids.
- Look at the timeline. Does the birth date align with the alleged affair? In the case of Khloe and OJ, the families were close, but there's no evidence of the specific proximity needed for an affair during the window of conception.
- Understand genetic variance. Siblings don't always look alike. Recessive genes can skip generations. Looking "different" isn't proof of a different father.
- Respect the family's boundaries. While the Kardashians live publicly, the question of paternity is a deeply personal one. If the people involved have denied it and science backs them up, it's usually time to put the theory to bed.
The obsession with the Khloe Kardashian OJ link says more about our need for scandal than it does about the actual history of the Kardashian-Simpson friendship. Robert Kardashian Sr. was Khloe’s father in every way that counts. He raised her, loved her, and gave her his name. In the end, that’s the only fact that really matters.
Next Steps for Readers
- Verify the Armenian Heritage: Look into the history of the Kardashian family’s migration from Armenia to the U.S. to understand why Khloe’s DNA results are consistent with her paternal line.
- Review the 1995 Trial Context: To understand the depth of the friendship, watch documentaries on Robert Kardashian’s role in the OJ Simpson defense team; it explains why the families were so intertwined.
- Compare Ancestry Data: Research how 23andMe results identify specific ethnic markers (like Armenian DNA) which are distinct from West African markers, providing a scientific basis for debunking paternity myths.