Magic Johnson, Jemele Hill & More Celebs Share Mixed Reactions To O.J. Simpson’s Death

While Magic and Cookie shared their sympathies for O.J.’s children, Marc Lamont Hill — author, activist, and TV personality — slammed any efforts to shed positive light on the deceased.

He shared his strong sentiments on the former NFL player in at least two separate posts on X.

“O.J. Simpson is DEAD!!! Do NOT make him a hero or a martyr,” Marc wrote in one post.

In another, he said, “O.J. Simpson was an abusive liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood. His acquittal for murder was the correct and necessary result of a racist criminal legal system. But he’s still a monster, not a martyr.” 

In other posts on his timeline, Marc has been explaining his take on O.J.’s death.

It’s not fence straddling. It’s nuance. OJ was a bad person. He killed 2 people. He was rightly acquitted because the police engaged in misconduct. That doesn’t make him innocent. https://t.co/GcyN79jyZQ

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) April 11, 2024

Meanwhile, sports journalist and commentator Jemele Hill kept her comments on O.J.’s death short. She reacted with a “Wow” to his family’s post on X.

Then, she followed up by saying, “I’m sure people on this app will be very responsible with the news that OJ Simpson has died.” 

This. https://t.co/bnvpCfoRzp

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 11, 2024

As expected, O.J. Simpson’s death is global news, which means it’s also being discussed in other media forms aside from social media. That includes television, and in particular, on the daytime talk show ‘The View.’

On Thursday, the segment’s co-hosts, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, discussed the death. Whoopi Goldberg announced the news then the other women offered additional thoughts.

Hostin spoke about feeling a “great sense of injustice” with how O.J.’s murder trial turned out. She credited the prosecutors’ “masterful” efforts at the time as the influence behind her career as a prosecutor.

Joy facilitated the follow-up questions, while Alyssa spoke on Nicole and Ronald’s family finding peace in O.J.’s death.

“My only thought is I hope it gives some peace to the family of the victims. They did win the civil suit after the fact, because I agree, I think it was a miscarriage of justice, but that doesn’t make up for it. So I hope it helps them to find some peace,” Farah said.

Caitlyn Jenner was one of the first celebrities to react to the death news.

She went viral early Thursday after suggesting that O.J.’s death was “good riddance.”

RELATED: Whew! Caitlyn Jenner Weighs In On The Death Of O.J. Simpson

Meanwhile, White House Secretary Karine Jean Pierre offered her condolences while addressing the press on Thursday.

Watch the moment below.