Nicole Brown Simpson's Sisters Say the Years Without O.J. Were Very Freeing for Her

Two days after the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were discovered outside of Nicole's Brentwood home, the Los Angeles Times ran a piece about the gruesome murders. The headline read "O.J. Simpson's Ex-Wife Found Stabbed to Death," which says something about how the world viewed Nicole and even more about Ron, who has been largely ignored in this tragic story.

Nicole did not have an identity beyond being the former spouse of a beloved football player. He would eventually be charged with their murders then acquitted, but the world still has a narrow idea of who Nicole was. In June 2024, a LIfetime documentary about Nicole's life featuring "50 participants, including those who knew Nicole the best, her friends and family," marks the 30th anniversary of their deaths. Nicole's sisters were heavily involved in the project. Here's what we know.

Nicole Brown's sisters wanted to give her a voice, which was the impetus behind the documentary. Tanya, 54, Dominique, 59, and oldest Brown sister Denise, 66, want people to see Nicole as more than a victim whose murder was turned into true-crime content. Never-before-seen footage of Nicole as well as interviews with friends and family will allow viewers to see that her life was filled with joy, and more than the sum of its end.

While speaking with People, Denise said the 30th anniversary felt right. They collectively decided it was "probably the best and the last time to hear her voice and tell her story." Tanya, who has previously revealed that she tried to take her own life a decade after Nicole's death, wants the world to see her sister as more than a body under a white sheet. "That’s not Nicole," she said. "We want people to see this beautiful human being."

They all agreed that wherever Nicole is now, she's doing one thing and one thing only. "Dancing in heaven. That’s what she’s doing," Tanya told People. Dominique says that from time to time, she gets to see a smiling, happy Nicole: "I’ve had lots of dreams about Nic. She’s always in her jeans and a leather jacket, always happy, dancing, social. And she’s always still alive."

O.J. Simpson forever altered the lives of the Goldman and Brown families. While the Goldmans were suddenly and horrifically thrust into Simpson's universe, the Browns were intimately involved with the man they believed murdered these two people. When O.J. passed away on April 10, 2024, it was a strange feeling for all who knew him in whatever capacity that was.

Nicole's sister Dominique told People that it was "very complicated." On the one hand, it was the end of a devastating era but on the other, their sister's children also lost their father. For that reason, Dominique refused to comment on his passing. What many people might not know is, the two children he shared with Nicole where asleep in the house the night their mother was murdered.

Tanya, on the other hand, has zero problem speaking her mind on the subject. "This is a person who’s been in our life for a very long time, who wreaked havoc on our family," she said. He may be gone, but it's difficult to forget him. What they prefer to do is remember Nicole, especially in the last years of her life after O.J. was out of it.

"What no one knows she experienced before her death is freedom,” Dominique said. "There was this levity about her. She was glowing." Sadly there is a silver lining to this fatal story, and it's what was born from it. "The Violence Against Women Act was passed due to Nicole’s murder," Denise reminded People. "She is the root behind a lot of change. Unfortunately it took my sister’s life to make it happen."