O.J. Simpson Honored At BET In Memoriam Segment, Crowd Caught Off Guard | TMZ Live - video Dailymotion

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Check out the clip from the ceremony -- the audience was enthusiastically applauding Sunday as photos of the departed flashed onscreen ... but when O.J.'s picture appeared, labeling him  "Former NFL Player," an awkward silence enveloped the room.

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00:00to O.J. Simpson being mentioned at the BET Awards and in a way that really shocked people

00:07there in the audience during the award show and certainly shocked some people who were

00:12watching at home, specifically the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

00:19But first, this was the moment that happened during the BET Awards.

00:22This was Sunday night, downtown L.A. at the Peacock Theater, and they were doing the In

00:27Memoriam, which you'll hear the introduction that was made here, which I think added to

00:35why people were stunned that he was included.

00:38As we celebrate black excellence tonight, we must also honor the black excellence that

00:43we unfortunately lost this year.

00:46It's never easy to say goodbye to those who influence us, but we can take a moment to

00:51celebrate and acknowledge their contributions to the culture.

00:58Yeah, there was, it was silence for a few seconds and there actually was a smattering

01:11of applause.

01:12There was a little bit of laughter, too.

01:14Yeah.

01:15Uncomfortable laughter.

01:16Yes.

01:17And there were incredible people who were mentioned in this In Memoriam.

01:22And it really raises-

01:23It was just striking to see, to me, watching it, it was like, all right, Willie Mays, you

01:27get Richard Rountree, Clarence Amant.

01:30And then all of a sudden-

01:31And then O.J.

01:32And it raises a really interesting issue because undeniably, I mean, look, the guy won the

01:37Heisman Trophy.

01:38The guy was an accomplished actor.

01:40A record, by the way, record setting athlete in the NFL.

01:44Right.

01:45So there were-

01:46There are things.

01:47Plenty of accomplishments.

01:48And I have to question, you know, how do you ignore the fact that he slaughtered two people?

01:54Because that's not up for debate.

01:55Look, I don't think you ignore it, but I think these In Memoriam segments, a lot of people

01:58think it's a celebration of a good life.

02:01It's really a celebration of an important life.

02:03And there are a lot of important people who also do negative things.

02:05I mean, we're going to see this at the Oscar In Memoriams coming up where, you know, Woody

02:10Allen will eventually pass away, Harvey Weinstein will pass away.

02:12These guys were undeniably big parts of Hollywood for a very long time, but they were also probably

02:17bad people.

02:18So how do you square the two?

02:19And I think you just have to acknowledge-

02:20By the way, I just want to stop you for a second.

02:23When you, look, Woody Allen has not been charged with anything.

02:27I know there are, you know, there's a back and forth, but to say undeniably bad people,

02:32I don't think we are in a position to say that.

02:35No, I wouldn't say undeniably.

02:37Maybe Bill Cosby, who's had lawsuits against him and so forth and has been convicted, although

02:41it was overturned.

02:42I mean, what do you do with people like that?

02:43He's undeniably a huge part of Hollywood history.

02:45This is going to come up when the Oscars happen next year, because will OJ be mentioned?

02:52Because-

02:53He won't be.

02:54Because it's way more political.

02:55And, you know, it's interesting because People Magazine did something today on the 50 great

03:02moments of U.S. athletes winning gold medals.

03:08I still don't know how to refer to this.

03:10It was Bruce Jenner at the time.

03:12But Bruce Jenner famously won, and he should have been, and now she should have been among

03:19the 50 and was left out.

03:21And she said something about that today.

03:23They didn't mention Caitlyn?

03:25They did not put her in as one of the top 50.

03:28And look, I think part of it is politics.

03:30And I think those politics extend all around Hollywood.

03:33But that's, that one is more, politics should not, that's a sporting event, right?

03:40But it's also-

03:41But Caitlyn Jenner hasn't done anything to harm anyone, right?

03:46But it's politics.

03:47I know, but that's where politics shouldn't come in.

03:50But it-

03:51And you're right.

03:52We will see what happens with OJ at the Oscars.

03:55There were some people who were outraged by this.

03:57As I mentioned, the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and also Ron Goldman, they, I don't

04:04know whether they saw it live or they just heard about it because it immediately went

04:08around on social media.

04:10This was the reaction that we got first from Fred Goldman.

04:14He said,

04:15I don't think it was appropriate to highlight him.

04:17God knows why they included him.

04:19I can't imagine him in anything positive.

04:22I think they should issue an apology, but I don't think they will.

04:26And then Tanya Brown, Nicole's sister, said,

04:29It is inappropriate to give an abuser and murderer recognition.

04:32Whoever thought of doing that owes every domestic violence victim an apology, and they should

04:37be fired.

04:39Hi, I'm Candace Maynard from West Virginia.

04:42I just think it was a little bit insensitive of them to the families to include him and

04:47uncomfortable for the audience as well because they were so caught off guard.

04:51And it also overshadowed, I think, everybody else who was being honored in the memorial.

04:55So I just think that the organizers probably should have put a little bit more thought

04:59into the impact of including him.

05:01That's a really good point, that people aren't talking about the Willie Mayses and everybody

05:05else.

05:06They're talking about OJ Simpson.

05:07If OJ wasn't there, would anyone really have been like,

05:10No.

05:11They didn't put OJ.

05:12No.

05:13No.

05:14I doubt it, but you never know.

O.J. Simpson Honored At BET In Memoriam Segment, Crowd Caught Off Guard | TMZ Live

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