The O.J. Simpson trial has been back in the news lately with the upcoming FX miniseries American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson airing on February 2, and with it has come an unexpected focus on the Kardashian family.
David Schwimmer portrays the late Robert Kardashian, one of O.J.'s defense lawyers, in the series, and Kris Jenner is played by Selma Blair. But now the real Kardashian matriarch is speaking out about her relationship with both the disgraced NFL star and his murdered ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
"[O.J. and Nicole] were two of the best friends I ever had in my entire life," Kris, 60, tells People. " The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star also reveals the effect that Nicole's death and O.J.'s trial had on her personally.
"I went to bed one night and I woke up the next morning and my entire universe had changed," she says. "They were two of the best friends I ever had in my entire life. They were my family. O.J. was like my big brother. So I not only mourned the loss of Nicole, but I mourned the loss of O.J. and that relationship."
"I have these vivid memories of an amazing friendship and a life that we all had together," she recalls. "[Nicole] was funny, she was beautiful and loyal and passionate and the best mom I had ever met."
But Kris also reveals that she wishes she had known about her friend's domestic abuse at the hands of O.J., thinking that maybe she could have prevented what happened to Nicole.
"I saw all the pictures and the police reports and I heard tapes of Nicole calling 911 [after she was abused by O.J.]," she says.
"That was stuff I didn't know anything about. I beat myself up because I felt like I wasn't paying attention," she continues. "Like, how did I miss this? But that's typical in an abusive relationship – that the woman doesn't speak out about how she's being treated."
But now, Kris is hoping that the new miniseries will help shine a light on domestic abuse for victims who may be hesitant to come forward. "[Nicole's death] could have been prevented," she says. "I have five daughters so of course I want women everywhere, especially women of this new generation, to know the story."
"They need to realize that they have a voice and they need to tell somebody if someone has hurt them," she goes on to say. "And if Nicole's legacy can be protecting other women, then that would be a really positive thing."