Charlie Sheen opened up about the surprising secret he shared with O.J. Simpson after running into him at age 10.
In a passage from The Book of Sheen: A Memoir, which was released on Tuesday, September 9, Charlie, 60, recalled crossing paths with Simpson while joining his father, Martin Sheen, on set.
“During a lengthy break between production set-ups, I got into a heated and surreal game of ping-pong with that same man by his other nickname, The Juice,” he wrote. “O.J. was extremely competitive and clearly didn’t give a f*** that his opponent was a shy ten-year-old child.”
Charlie was “two points away” from winning against Simpson when the athlete’s paddle “changed hands.”
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“The sneaky move was so smooth and subtle, I’m positive it went completely unnoticed by everyone,” he continued about how Simpson “clocked” that Charlie noticed his switch-up. “He was staring right through me when he made the swap. It was a silent signal telling me in no uncertain terms: ‘Not tonight, kid.’”
After the victory went to Simpson, Charlie referred to his right hand as “f***ing lethal,” writing, “O.J. and I shared a secret that night. He knew that I knew, and for whatever reason it stayed right there, between the two of us. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was set up. Lured in with the off hand, only to be crushed like a bug when it mattered most.”
Charlie later addressed Simpson’s high-profile trial for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson.
“Like everyone else, we were speechless and shocked as the final twisted chapter of a sports and media icon was disintegrating before our very eyes,” he wrote. “My childhood ping-pong bully had crossed the ultimate line. I’d never known a murderer before that, and yet sadly (as we all know), thanks to twelve morons and a paper tiger prosecution, technically I still didn’t.”
O.J. was arrested and subsequently charged in 1994 with the murder of Nicole and Ron Goldman. In one of the most talked-about verdicts of all time, O.J. was famously acquitted of the murders in 1995, but he was found liable for Ron and Nicole’s deaths in a civil trial three years later.
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After a private battle with prostate cancer, O.J. died in 2024 at age 76. “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” read a statement shared via X at the time. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
The news came two months after it was reported that O.J. was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. O.J. never publicly confirmed his diagnosis.
In addition to the excerpts about O.J., Charlie’s The Book of Sheen: A Memoir covers his ups and downs in the public eye. Released one day before his Netflix doc, aka Charlie Sheen, both projects highlight Charlie’s childhood in Malibu, his success in the ’80s and ’90s and his headline-making drug use over the years.
The Book of Sheen: A Memoir is out now.
