Shrek 2 Had An OJ Simpson Reference Which Everyone Missed

From the opening beats of Smash Mouth's 'All Star' to iconic lines like 'that'll do Donkey, that'll do', the Shrek franchise is full of memorable moments. However, even years after the release of the films there still might be some jokes you've missed.

One such example comes in Shrek 2 in the form of a reference to former American football player OJ Simpson. Watch below:

As I'm sure you'll know, Simpson became known far beyond the world of sports when he became a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The pair were killed in 1994, long before the release of Shrek 2 in 2004, and as a result many of the fans who went to see the film as children might have been too young to know much, if anything, about the case at the time.

Looking back now, though, with more knowledge of the case and with the help of shows like The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story on Netflix, you might have better luck spotting the reference.

Following the murders, a warrant was put out for Simpson's arrest after he was charged with two counts of murder. Later that day he was spotted travelling in the back of a white Ford Bronco driven by his best friend and former teammate, Al Cowlings.

He was first seen on the San Diego Freeway in Laguna Hills, and gradually travelled east back to his home in Brentwood.

The reference might have clicked for some of the more hardcore Shrek fans out there, but if not, allow me to explain.

It comes during Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots' chase scene, when the 'dispatcher' in the film can be heard saying 'we’ve got a white bronco heading east into the forest'.

In this case, the 'bronco' refers to the horse Donkey turns into after drinking the Fairy Godmother's magic potion, rather than the white car Simpson was riding in.

However, the link is hard to ignore once you've spotted it - which, if you're like me, might not have been until now.

Fans of the film have taken to Twitter to share their amusement after learning about the clever reference, with one writing: "Shrek 2 is really cinema. I'm now understanding this was a OJ SIMPSON REFERENCE."

Another tweet reads: "I am today years old [when I learned] that this reference was about OJ Simpson."

More than 20 decades after the original film's release, Shrek continues to surprise us.

Featured Image Credit: Dreamworks/Alamy

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Crime

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.