Ruby Wax Reflects on Unforgettable Encounter with OJ Simpson Using a Banana

Ruby Wax Recalls Bizarre OJ Simpson Interview Where He Pretended to Stab Her with a Banana

Ruby Wax. Jo Hale/WireImage

TV presenter and comedian Ruby Wax shared her memorable experience of interviewing the late OJ Simpson.

In a recent article for The Times of London, published on Saturday, April 13, Wax reflected on the 17 hours she spent interviewing the ex-football legend back in 1998. The interview, which took place in Los Angeles, occurred almost three years after Simpson was acquitted of double murder.

After a long 17-hour filming session, I finally gathered the courage to ask him one last time about his alleged involvement in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. I was hopeful that he would confess, but instead, he simply looked at the camera, shook his head, and gave a small smile.

Later that day, in my hotel room, there was a sudden knock on the door. To my shock, it was Simpson himself. He entered, holding a banana above his head and pretending to stab at the air while letting out eerie sounds, reminiscent of the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. (It's worth noting that both Brown and Goldman were brutally stabbed to death.)

At dinner the night prior, Simpson had even recited his “favorite poem” for Wax about Lizzie Borden, who was acquitted of double murder in 1893.

Ruby Wax Recalls Bizarre OJ Simpson Interview Where He Pretended to Stab Her with a Banana

In a poem, it was written about Lizzie Borden, a woman from Massachusetts who was accused of killing her father and stepmother in 1892. The poem goes, "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one."

Regarding the banana incident, it wasn't the only strange "prank" that Simpson played on Wax. After finishing filming in April 1998, she recalled the last time she spoke to him. Simpson called her in London and said, "Hi, it's OJ. I did it." Then he quickly followed up with "April fool's" before hanging up.

Even though Simpson was acquitted of double murder, he was later found responsible in a civil lawsuit filed by the victims' families. He was ordered to pay $33 million in damages to Ron Goldman's family. At the time of his death, his debt with interest had accumulated to over $100 million, as stated by Ron's father, Fred Goldman.

"We’re going to work on that. There might be something out there," he mentioned to The Daily Mail on Thursday, April 11. "We’ve had this problem for a long time. It could be in a trust, probate, or all gone."

Simpson passed away from cancer at 76 on Wednesday, April 10. "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, lost his battle with cancer," Simpson’s family stated. "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this period, his family kindly requests privacy and understanding."

Editor's P/S:

encounter with O.J. Simpson paints a chilling portrait of a man who remained enigmatic and disturbing even after his acquittal. Simpson's bizarre