Simpson claims account, appearing after the 25th anniversary of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s murder, will ‘set the record straight’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

OJ Simpson’s surprise Twitter debut, which came several days after the 25th anniversary of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend, has spurred sharp criticism and emphatic calls to action.

Writer Yashar Ali tweeted: “I see that the unrepentant murderer just joined Twitter”, referring to the one-time football star, who was accused of the 12 June 1994 killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Simpson has always maintained his innocence.

While the 71-year-old, who now lives in Las Vegas, was acquitted of the murder charges, Brown and Goldman’s families sued him in civil court for wrongful death, winning a $33.5m judgment. The vast majority of this judgment has not been paid.

Ali urged Twitter users to support Goldman’s sister, who hosts a new podcast called “Confronting: OJ Simpson.”

“Can everyone do me a big favor? Please follow Ron Goldman’s sister, @KimEGoldman She should have more followers than that monster Please RT,” Ali wrote.

Danny Deraney, a top Los Angeles publicist, slammed Simpson’s new followers, who now total about 630,000.

“If you followed OJ Simpson on Twitter, I think you should be obligated to tell Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown’s families and tell them why you did so. In fact do that with all murdered victims families if you choose to follow a murderer on Twitter,” Deraney tweeted.

Prominent figures in the entertainment world also criticized Simpson’s Twitter debut, including the Emmy-nominated comedian Billy Eichner.

He asked Simpson’s new followers, “Seriously, what the f--k is wrong with you?”

Randi Mayem Singer, who wrote the screenplay for Mrs. Doubtfire, also questioned Simpson’s followers, writing on Twitter, “Why? Why would you do that? Please explain to me.”

Comedienne Chelsea Handler’s sardonic response – “Let’s all take a moment to be happy OJ Simpson joined Twitter and not Trump’s cabinet. It’s the little things these days” – prompted a reply from Goldman’s sister.

“I could think of a hundred million other things to be happy about than a double murderer joining anything … but I get your point,” Goldman wrote.

In a video posted to Simpson’s Twitter page – which was not verified by the social media company but was reportedly confirmed to be authentic by Simpson himself – he says he has a “little gettin’ even to do”.

He also claimed that his Twitter account would be used to “set the record straight”.

Simpson was released from prison in October 2017 after being arrested in 2007 over a botched Las Vegas robbery. He was found guilty the next year.

Another disgraced public figure also prompted outrage on Twitter over the weekend in the shape of Bill Cosby, who is now imprisoned in Pennsylvania for sexual assault.

A tweet from his verified account, as well as an Instagram account, referred to Cosby as “America’s dad”.

“I know it’s late, but to all of the Dads … It’s an honor to be called a Father, so let’s make today a renewed oath to fulfilling our purpose – strengthening our families and communities,” said the much-derided post.

Cosby’s spokesman told USA Today that the disgraced star had asked that a Father’s Day message from him be posted and that it was aimed at soon-to-be released prisoners.