Faye Denise Resnick (née Hutchison; born July 3, 1957)
is an American television personality, author, and interior designer. She is best known for her involvement in the
O.J. Simpson murder trial and for her appearance on the reality television series ''
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated as ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment of '' The Real Housewives'' franchise, i ...
''.
Early life
Faye Resnick was born July 3, 1957, one of four children.
Resnick claimed her father regularly beat her for wetting the bed when she was a child
(the October 20, 1994 ''L.A. Times'' article indicated it was her stepfather who beat her, escalating from spankings when she was a youngster to "hideous beatings" as she matured).
According to Resnick, her mother ignored her husband's rampages. Her mother worked a day job as a nurse and was a budding journalist at night. She ultimately became a successful columnist who wrote about
holistic medicine
Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ar ...
, and later became a
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...
, making Faye's childhood "even more chaotic".
Resnick "describes her mother as a religious fanatic whose predictions that
Armageddon
Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
would come in 1975 prompted Ms. Resnick to rush into her first sexual encounter beforehand".
Resnick—then Faye Hutchison—left home to live with an aunt in the
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
, where "she was crowned 1975 Maid of
Hayward, a moment captured in a newspaper photograph showing her on the verge of tears. It was a beginning of sorts because it gave what Resnick described as 'both an ego boost and some career ideas.'"
Resnick claims she attended law courses at a community college, although there is no record of this,
and later became the director of a
John Robert Powers
John Robert Powers (September 14, 1892 – July 21, 1977) was an American actor and founder of a New York City modeling agency.
In 1923, Powers founded a modeling school. The John Robert Powers Agency represented models who aspired to success in ...
finishing and modeling school. However, the organization has no record of her employment.
She is a former manicurist.
Personal life
Resnick has been married four times, and gave birth to one daughter, Francesca, as ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' reported in November 1994:
The Resnicks paid $1.3 million for a home formerly owned by
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
chairman
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...
, and Faye became active in activities associated with the Beverly Hills School District, where Francesca attended elementary school,
such as the Beverly Hills
P.T.A. During the 1990–91 academic year, she served on the board of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation; obtaining that position required a minimum donation of $1,000 and recognition as a school activist.
At that time, David Margolick of ''The New York Times'' News Service reported that "She also became addicted to drugs".
Faye and Paul Resnick, a wealthy hotel refurbisher, divorced amicably in 1991.
Faye's settlement netted her a payout of $194,000. His daughter Jackie stated in 1995: Faye "was the absolute worst of his
ive
Ive or IVE may refer to:
Music
* Ive (group), a South Korean girl group
* I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group
People
* Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name
* Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...
nightmare ex-wives. She put a great strain on our relationship."
Since then, Jackie has publicly stated that she wrongfully blamed Faye for the strained relationship she had with her father at the time, and that she has great love and respect for Faye.
Resnick, an admitted cocaine addict, attended multiple drug rehabilitation programs in the eight years preceding November 1994.
Consequently, although she maintained that she was sober at the time her book was published, her past drug use led some to question her credibility and motives
and the defense team in
O. J. Simpson's murder trial to allege that
Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the second wife of American professional football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson. She was murdered outside her Brentwood home, along with her friend Ro ...
and
Ronald Goldman
Ronald Lyle Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American restaurant waiter and aspiring actor. A volunteer working with children suffering from cerebral palsy, Goldman appeared as a contestant on the short-lived game show '' Studs' ...
were
executed by drug dealers to whom Resnick owed money in an attempt to scare her.
Friendship with Nicole Brown Simpson
Resnick and
Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the second wife of American professional football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson. She was murdered outside her Brentwood home, along with her friend Ro ...
, the ex-wife of former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player and actor
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname "the Juice", was an American professional American football, football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) ...
, first met in 1990. According to
Robert Kardashian
Robert George Kardashian (February 22, 1944 – September 30, 2003) was an American attorney and businessman. He gained recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during Simpson's 1995 murder trial. He had four children with hi ...
, Resnick only knew Brown for a year and a half. The two socialized in and around
Brentwood, Los Angeles
Brentwood is a suburban neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California.
History
General
Modern development began after the establishment of the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the ...
and vacationed in Mexico together.
Resnick's third husband, Paul, reported that a concerned Brown called him in early June 1994 to report that "Faye was getting out of control" and abusing cocaine again. Resnick stayed for several days at Brown's condominium until on June 9, 1994, Brown and several other friends conducted an
intervention and persuaded Resnick to check into the Exodus Recovery Center in
Marina Del Rey, California
Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...
.
Three days later, Brown and her friend, waiter
Ronald Goldman
Ronald Lyle Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American restaurant waiter and aspiring actor. A volunteer working with children suffering from cerebral palsy, Goldman appeared as a contestant on the short-lived game show '' Studs' ...
, were
murdered
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...
.
Books
Resnick collaborated on two books connected to the O. J. Simpson murder trial:
* ''Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted'' (1994, with
gossip columnist
A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially in a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are written in a light, informal style, and relate opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities fr ...
for ''
The National Enquirer
The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips ( checkbook journalism), a ...
'',
Mike Walker)
reveals information unflattering to
Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the second wife of American professional football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson. She was murdered outside her Brentwood home, along with her friend Ro ...
(and Resnick) and has been panned by some detractors as a
roman à clef
A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...
. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' termed it "the first of the major O.J. Simpson books to hit the shelves" and noted it was a best-seller.
''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City.
Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'' dubbed it "the best-selling apotheosis of trashiness".
The president of Dove Books, Michael A. Viner, said Resnick received a six-figure advance for her literary effort, which was rushed to stores in an unusually voluminous first press run of about 750,000 hardcover copies.
* ''Shattered: In the Eye of the Storm'' (1996, with Jeanne V. Bell) describes Resnick's experiences with the O. J. Simpson trial and her views of both opposing legal teams. The ''L.A. Times'' termed it "a
New Age
New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
nonfiction work about women who suffer domestic violence and their journey toward recovery", and cited as her literary influence New Age author
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, speaker, and political activist. She began her professional career as a spiritual leader of the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan. Williamson has written s ...
.
Media appearances
Resnick posed nude for ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' magazine in March 1997, appearing on the cover of the American issue and in interior photos, and she has participated in multiple interviews about the photo spread.
She has also appeared in multiple episodes of ''
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated as ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment of '' The Real Housewives'' franchise, i ...
'' as a friend of cast member
Kyle Richards
Kyle Egan Richards Umansky (; born January 11, 1969) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. Since 2010, she has appeared as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', and as of 2025, is the last rema ...
. Her most infamous appearance is in season one, when she engages in an argument with
Camille Grammer
Camille Meyer ( Donatacci, formerly Grammer, born September 12, 1968) is an American actress, dancer, model, and television personality. She is known for appearing on several seasons of the reality television show, '' The Real Housewives of Beve ...
and
Alison Dubois at Grammer's dinner party. It was later dubbed, by many cast members, as the dinner party from hell. During this dinner, she was referred to by Grammer as "the morally corrupt Faye Resnick". Cast member
Lisa Vanderpump
Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
referred to her as "Faye Rancid" during one episode.
Faye also appeared in Season 10, Episode 6 of ''
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family. It aired ...
'' entitled, "Don't Panic", as a guest at her friend
Kris Jenner's birthday party in Las Vegas.
Faye appeared again in ''
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family. It aired ...
'' for Season 12, Episode 3 entitled, "Significant Others and Significant Brothers". In this episode, she uses her skills as an interior designer to help her friend Kris Jenner decorate her son's new house. The decor is in a style that Jenner's daughter Kourtney Kardashian questions as being too feminine.
She was portrayed by actress
Connie Britton
Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence for her roles in the television series ''S ...
in the 2016 television series ''
American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson'' which is based on the
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname "the Juice", was an American professional American football, football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) ...
trial.
References
External links
Faye Resnick Design
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resnick, Faye
1957 births
Television personalities from California
American women television personalities
American non-fiction crime writers
American interior designers
American people of Italian descent
American people of Spanish descent
Former Jehovah's Witnesses
Living people
O. J. Simpson murder case
People from Brentwood, California
People from Hayward, California
American people of African descent