How accurate is FX’s “The People v OJ Simpson”? You be the judge. Welcome to OJ Fact Check.
Episode 1: Was Michael Jackson Really Afraid of Lime Green?
The Facts: Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance) tells his wife as much, in an early scene.
The Verdict: This seems made up.
Episode 2: Were There Really Two White Broncos?
The Facts: “Believe it or not, there are two white Broncos,” says Det. Tom Lange (Chris Bauer) midway through the second episode.
The Verdict: Yep.
Episode 3: Did Time Magazine Really Make O.J. Simpson Blacker?
The Facts: The show says it was one of the ways race was injected into the trial.
The Verdict: Time was very, very sorry.
Episode 5: Did a Lawyer Really Collapse in Court?
The Facts: The show features Bill Hodgman (Christian Clemenson) collapsing during a hearing.
The Verdict: Didn’t happen.
Episode 5: Did O.J. Simpson tell Chris Darden to Get Off His Bench?
The Facts: The show says O.J. (Cuba Gooding Jr.) was very sensitive about who warmed his bench.
The Verdict: The real Chris Darden also says O.J. Simpson was also very sensitive about who warmed his bench.
Episode 5: Did Johnnie Cochran really tell Chris Darden to make the white prosecutors deal with Mark Fuhrman?
The Facts: Cochran gives Darden (Sterling K. Brown) that advice after the bench incident on the show.
The Verdict: Cochran didn’t say it right after the bench incident, but he did say it, according to Darden.
Episode 5: Did Mark Furhman Really Own Nazi Medals?
The Facts: The episode ends with a very dramatic reveal — Fuhrman (Steven Pasquale) looking at a prized Nazi medal.
The Verdict: The real-life Darden says the real-life Fuhrman told him he did collect German World War II medals.
Episode 6: Did a Clerk Really Joke About Marcia Clark Buying Tampax?
The Facts: The show said she had a ridiculous moment at the supermarket check-out.
The Verdict: The show is completely accurate.
Episode 6: Did Chris Darden Really Compliment Marcia Clark’s Topless Photo?
The Facts: The show says he did.
The Verdict: He did.
Episode 7: Did Chris Darden and Marcia Clark Almost Kiss?
The Facts: We know, it’s ridiculous to care about this, but Darden says it’s the thing people ask about the most.
The Verdict: Darden says he and Clark had a “relationship” but isn’t specific.
Episode 8: Did a Juror Really Say Black People Prefer Target Stores to Ross Stores?
The Facts: On the show, a juror named Tracy makes that claim, and Cochran nods.
The Verdict: We couldn’t find any evidence this happened.
Episode 9: Did Chris Darden and Marcia Clark Risk Jail Over Judge Ito’s Ruling on the Mark Fuhrman Tapes?
The Facts: On Feb. 23, 1995, Judge Ito told Darden he was holding him in contempt — but their argument had nothing to do with the Fuhrman tapes. And the”contempt” argument happened six months before Ito’s Aug. 31, 1995 ruling on the tapes.
The Verdict: The show dramatically altered the reason and timing of the “contempt” argument.
