Marguerite Whitley is the first wife of NFL player O.J. Simpson. The former couple was married for several years before divorcing. From their marriage, they became parents of three kids, unfortunately, one of their kids died.
It has been several decades since their divorce, and fans still wonder what she is doing nowadays. Upon her separation from Simpson, Whitley somehow disappeared from the media. In fact, when ESPN released the documentary, “O.J: Made In America,” there was no mention of his first wife.
Today we’re going to take an in-depth look into Marguerite’s life and know what she is up to these days.
Marguerite Whitley Early Life and College
Marguerite Whitley was born on March 20th, 1949, in San Francisco, California. She belongs to the African-American ethnicity and has American nationality. As she is primarily famous for being the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, there isn’t any info on her parents or siblings.
Her parents brought her up in San Francisco. She attended the Galileo High School, now Galileo Academy of Science and Technology. Her ex-husband also graduated from the same college. Additionally, reports suggest she is a University of Southern California graduate, the same alma mater as that of her ex-hubby.
What is Marguerite Whitley Doing Now?
It is a given fact that when you marry a star athlete, you don’t necessarily have to worry about the finances, let alone work. Having said that, Marguerite was still involved in a variety of odd jobs. She once worked as a clerk at the Walmart retail store. But, as of 2023, there are no details about what is the former celebrity spouse doing for a living at present.
Besides, her ex-husband Orenthal James Simpson is a former NFL star and commentator. During his eleven-season stint, he primarily played for the Buffalo Bills, with whom he even won five pro bowls, one-time MVP, and more. He was also inducted into both College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Besides his NFL career, Simpson is also a former actor who has worked in a number of movies and TV shows like Goldie and the Boxer, Saturday Night Live, Student Exchange, and more.
Marguerite and Her Ex-Husband O.J. Simpson’s Relationship Details: Their Marriage and Separation
Whitley first came across her future husband Simpson while studying at the same high school in San Francisco. At the time, Whitley was dating Orenthal’s friend, Al Cowlings. Yes, this is the same Al who was driving the white broncos during the infamous police chase in 1994.
Whitley and Simpson started going out after her relationship with Al went south. In fact, Cowling had asked his friend Simpson to talk to Marguerite after having conflicts as a couple. And instead, she broke up with Al and started dating Simpson. Although at first Cowling wasn’t entirely happy with their relationship, the threesome later reconciled.
After dating for some time, the duo decided to tie the knot. They exchanged vows in a private ceremony on July 24th, 1967, after Whitley turned 18. The ceremony took place in their hometown of San Francisco. At the time of their marriage, Simpson was 19 while his bride was 18.
Years later, in 1995, Whitley gushed about her wedding to her ex-spouse in a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters. “We were such kids, it was fun,” said Marguerite. She added,
“We didn’t have to answer to our parents anymore. We could party and stay out all night. It wasn’t a crazy wildness.”
As a matter of fact, that was the last time Whitley made her public appearance.
They became parents of three beautiful kids: Unfortunately, one of Marguerite’s children died
From their marriage, Marguerite and O.J. Simpson welcomed three children, Arnelle Simpson, born December 4th, 1968, Jason Simpson, born April 21, 1970, and Aaren Simpson, born September 24, 1977.
The three kids perfected the Simpson family, however, tragedy soon struck. In the August of 1979, the Simpson family was enjoying their poolside when Aaren fell into the swimming pool. Sadly, none of them were on the scene to rescue Aaren, and it was only later when her family found her motionless.
Soon paramedics arrived at the scene, however, it was too late as Aaren fell into a coma. A few days after the travesty, Aaren passed away. She died around one month before her second birthday. The incident literally shook Marguerite and Simpson to their core.
Many reports, to this day, maintain Simpson, in his mind, holds Marguerite responsible for his youngest child’s death.
Divorce with Marguerite Whitley and O.J. Simpson’s Impending Doom:
Although the pair were high school sweethearts, their relationship was tested several times over its course. In their 9-year-long marriage, the pair separated many times. Marguerite filed for divorce in 1973. According to her lawyer at the time, Harry Fain, O.J.’s growing stardom started hindering their otherwise blissful marital life. Moreover, she also accused him of adultery.
She has written in her memo that once when she called him out for cheating, he reportedly beat her. Regardless, their marriage eventually ended in the year 1978 when they finally decided to separate for good. In the same year, Simpson and Nicole Brown, whom he met in an LA hotel, moved in together. It is rumored that despite being married to Whitley, he still hooked up with the then-18-year-old Brown. Marguerite and her ex-spouse Simpson’s divorce was finalized in 1980.
A few years after divorcing his first wife, Simpson married Nicole. From their marital relationship, they became parents of two kids Sydney Brooke Simpson and Justin Ryan Simpson. Sadly, their marriage ended rather devastatingly. On June 12th, 1994, Nicole was murdered in cold blood at her residence in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, alongside her friend, Ron Goldman.
O.J. was subsequently arrested for his involvement in the crime.
Simpson Didn’t Find Guilty of His Wife and Her Friend’s Death
After numerous trials, Simpson was acquitted on both counts of murder. Soon after his acquittal, the families of the victims filed a civil suit against Simpson. And the court subsequently ordered the former NBA player to pay them $33.5 million for the victims’ wrongful deaths.
But, after the judgment, O.J. moved to Miami, Florida, and has yet to pay full alimony to them.
O. J. Simpson’s ex-wife Marguerite Married Two More Times: Who are Her Husbands?
A few years after cutting ties with her first hubby, Marguerite Whitley married transit supervisor Randolph Lewis in 1986. Her second marriage couldn’t hold out for long, and they divorced in 1991. They don’t share any children.
One-year after divorcing Randolph in 1992, she got married yet again. This time to a sales representative, Anthony Thomas. So far, there has been no news of her divorce from her third husband, which means they are still together.
What is Marguerite Whitley up to These Days?
Since her separation from Simpson, Marguerite Whitley has chosen to remain low-key. Contrary to other former celebrity spouses who love to remain in the spotlight, Marguerite here is quite different. In the event leading up to the trial of the century, she made a handful of appearances.
During the trial, when asked if Orenthal was ever abusive with her, she blatantly denied it, although providing no other context whatsoever. Her only television interview came in 1995 when she agreed to an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters.
As of this moment, she is living a relaxed life far from the media spotlight. After divorcing O.J., she also received millions of dollars as alimony.
Her Net Worth in 2023
As Marguerite Whitley has already vanished from the media, the exact amount of her net worth is yet to be revealed. But, as we said earlier that ex-celebrity-wife received a considerable amount of money from her ex-spouse as a divorce settlement. So, there is no doubt that Whitley is now living her life in a better way. And she is also still alive.
FAQ About Marguerite Whitley
- Whitley is 73 years old in 2023.
- She and her first husband O.J. Simpson are high school sweethearts.
- Marguerite, after her divorce from her first husband Simpson, married twice.
- She has three children with O.J.
- Marguerite is still alive and is now living a good life with her family.
