‘O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?’ Set to Premiere on Fox

It took over a decade, but the interview O.J. Simpson taped for his infamous book If I Did It will finally air. Fox announced Thursday it will air a two-hour special called O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession? on Sunday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

In 2006, Simpson spoke with publisher, producer and TV host Judith Regan for an interview meant to promote If I Did It, in which Simpson gave a “hypothetical” account of how he would have murdered ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, on June 12, 1994.

Fox claims the tapes were “lost – until now.” The network also promises Simpson’s “explosive words will be heard,” and he answered questions about the “Trial of the Century.”

Soledad O’Brien taped new introductions and comments for the two-hour special. She will also be joined by other analysts to discuss the interview and to add context.

Back in 2006, Regan’s HarperCollins imprint was set to publish If I Did It, and 400,000 physical copies were made before it was cancelled. Part of the promotion for the book was an interview with Regan set to air on Fox, since Fox and HarperCollins are both owned by News Corp. In November 2006, News Corp pulled the plug on the project and the interview never aired.

“I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,” News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said at the time. “We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.”

Three weeks after the book was cancelled, News Corp fired Regan. Regan later sued News Corp, which paid her a $10 million settlement, The New York Times reported.

If I Did It was eventually published as If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer by Beaufort Books after a legal battle with the Goldman family. The book was amended to include a statement from the Goldman family, and the book cover was changed. The final version had “I Did It,” with the “If” in tiny letters, hidden in the “I.”

Last fall, Simpson was released from jail after he was convicted of robbery and kidnapping charges in Las Vegas for a 2007 incident. He was previously acquitted for the 1994 deaths of Goldman and Brown Simpson, but was ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the victims’ families after a civil lawsuit.