This might be a basic question, but I’ve always wanted to conceptualize JUST how crazy this was in modern times.
Would Kanye killing Kim Kardashian be comparable? More? Less?
OJ was pretty much a “has been” when the murders took place. He was still well known, but out of the headlines for years. People like Kanye and Kardashian are (I hear) very popular currently and such an act would be much more shocking and “big newsy.”
Plus, they are both famous, while Nicole Simpson was pretty much unknown.
For comparable, I offer Larry King killing one of his ex wives.
Well, part of the sensationalism, without a doubt, was the racial component. You don’t necessarily have to have it be a black on white crime, but whatever the factors were, it would have to outweigh the racial component. “Has beens” have killed before, and I’m of the opinion that there are more than one white guy “has been” that has killed their wife and gotten away with it.
Simpson wasn’t an A-list star in 1994 but I wouldn’t call him a has-been. The Naked Gun movies were popular and he had just signed for a tv series.
Plus, Simpson had a public reputation as a nice guy. His violent history was hidden. He did not have the controversies that Kanye West has had.
So, in terms of comparing it to somebody today, let’s say it would be around the level of of surprise of Matt LeBlanc killing his ex-wife. Not somebody at the top of Hollywood but somebody everyone knows. And not somebody you would have ever expected to commit murder.
I don’t think you could re-create the setting of the Nicole Brown Simpson / Ron Goldman murders. A black celebrity accused of killing his white ex-wife and her friend. The racial tension in L.A. surrounding that time because of the Rodney King beating by LA police officers three years earlier and the police officers’ being acquitted just two years earlier. Any other time, and OJ would have probably been convicted.
But if we’re going to try and make a comparison:
Anthony Weiner killing Hamu Abedin and Hillary Clinton
Roseann Barr killing John Goodman and Sara Gilbert
Melania Trump killing Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen
Bart Simpson killing Mr. Burns and Smithers
Bobby McFerrin killing his wife? Sort of generally remembered as a nice guy, not thought of very much recently.
Jerry Rice?
Peyton Manning or Joe Montana?
I had never heard of OJ’s wife before the murder.
Jody Arias killing her boyfriend sure got a lot of media mileage.
Username/OP combo!
May be repeating what others have already disputed, but Simpson was all over the place - TV, movies, commercials - at the time. He wasn’t an A list actor but he was in recent popular movies, had current endorsements, was regularly on tv sports broadcasts and actively seeking and getting new projects. He had an affable, prestigious public persona. Heisman Trophy winner who set NFL rushing records and turned into a comic actor. He ran through the airport in Hertz commercials. He was doing all kinds of TV specials related to football and not. Middle-aged white people loved him.
Bobby McFerin had a hit song 30 years ago. OJ Simpson had a wide release movie, endorsements, did the toin coss at the Super Bowl, was working on a new tv series, and worked as a color commentator on NBC NFL games, all within the previous year of the murder.
Peyton might not be far off, besides the racial aspect and I don’t think he’s divorced. But he’s a retired NFL star who’s done commercials and remains well-liked and popular. I don’t even think hanging out with Trump hurt him any. Both did SNL.
Taye Diggs killing Idina Menzel
Quincy Jones killing Peggy Lipton and/or Nastassja Kinski
One other enormous factor in the coverage surrounding the O.J. Simpson murder that hasn’t yet been mentioned was the infamous white Bronco chase. Rather than surrender to police as agreed, O.J. fled. Because this took place in L.A., T.V. new helicopters covered the chase. Almost every T.V. station in the country picked up the coverage, and 95 million people ended up watching it. This made it a story of direct interest to about a third of the country, and the frenzy took off from there.
O.J. was by no means one of the best known or most popular celebrities in the country. He was nothing like a Kanye West. I think Jerry Rice is probably a good comparison. He was someone who was generally well-liked, but not someone who was regularly covered in the media. The Bronco chase made him an instant mega-celebrity. So you have to imagine someone you’ve heard of, but not a major celebrity, suddenly doing something that makes them known all over the country.
Maybe a good comparison (in terms of O.J.'s celebrity before and after the Bronco chase) would be Meghan Markle, who was certainly known for her acting and Suits, but became world-famous because of her marriage.
No one knew Nicole Brown Simpson or Ron Goldman before they were murdered. The victims in this case were meaningless, besides the fact that Nicole was the white ex-wife of a black star.
FWIW, I was a teenager in 1994 and didn’t know who OJ Simpson was prior to the murders. I had actually seen Naked Gun 33 1/3 (although not the earlier Naked Gun movies), but his performance wasn’t particularly memorable and the name “OJ Simpson” meant nothing to me at the time. If I’d been a football fan I might have heard his name more often, but it’s my recollection that while Simpson was familiar to our parents, among people my own age he was not well-known. So if you’re looking for a modern equivalent, it would have to be someone today’s teens don’t know or care much about.
As several posters have noted, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman weren’t celebrities, so a modern equivalent wouldn’t involve the murder of a celebrity either.
How about Michael Strahan? He’s the right age (mid-40s), has the football superstardom (single-season sack record, Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame), the media credentials (Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael), and the clean image. The only thing missing is the college stardom (he played for a mediocre Texas Southern team).
Athlete/entertainers seem to be from wrestling nowadays. Dwayne Johnson is definitely too popular, Dave Bautista isn’t popular enough. Maybe John Cena in a few years?
No wall-to-wall TV coverage, but for impact it’s hard to beat one of America’s first celebrity killings - Aaron Burr shooting Alexander Hamilton to death in a duel.
Weehawken, New Jersey has never recovered. 
Would the murder of Phil Hartman by his crazy wife count?
It’s not just the murder, it’s the freeway chase and suicide note he left.
That night where he ran from the police is burned into my mind. Never seen anything like it with a famous person.
If Karl Malone killed his ex-wife and drove down the freeway with a gun to his head, it would compare. Or Steve Yzerman, for example.
Between the football and the movies, Simpson’s celebrity status was pretty broad and deep. Add the racial component, the bronco chase, etc and it becomes pretty hard to match. A celeb perp and victim might do it but let’s change up the genders and make it Mia Farrow killing Woody Allen.
Dave Bautista beating the shit out of Ryan Gosling was the only part of the new Blade Runner that I could stay awake through.