Entertainment

A.C. Cowlings Has Been Avoiding The Spotlight

The O.J. Simpson trial, during which Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, seemed to bestow infamy to everyone who was involved in even the slightest way. From people who stayed in Simpson's guest house to the head prosecutor of the case, everyone was given a level of media exposure that some wanted, and others sought to avoid. One of the most notable figures to arrive in the media landscape during the case was Al "A.C." Cowlings, who came to notoriety as the driver of Simpson's low-speed Bronco chase. Now that FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is pulling the story back into the global discussion, viewers may want to know where is A.C. Cowlings today?

While many of the personalities in the case have since been propelled to fame, Cowlings has chosen to avoid the limelight in the post-trial world. In recent years, people have tried to reach out to him for his commentary on the now 20-year-old case, but Cowlings has refused to give many statements to the press. When CNN correspondent Kyra Phillips tried to reach out to him in 2014, he reportedly replied, "I just want to be left alone. I'm not going to talk. I'm an old man, and that's all I have to say."

During a time when it seemed that everyone who knew Simpson was trying to sell their story, Cowlings refused. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Al followed O.J. like his shadow, both in their youth and afterward," said Joe Bell, who played high school football with both men in San Francisco. "They were joined at the hip, you might say."

Near the twentieth anniversary of the case, USA Today reported that Cowlings was "working for B. Wayne Hughes, founder of Public Storage, and living in the Los Angeles area." Cowlings has succeeded in secluding himself from the media, but in recent months, has come back into the spotlight over his reported criticism of American Crime Story. TMZ reports that Cowlings is "threatening to sue FX if it dares to paint him in a bad light when The People vs. O.J. Simpson hits the air." His rep told TMZ that Cowlings "hates the media," which isn't much of a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the lives of those connected to the Simpson trial.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner plays Cowlings in the series, and because he has maintained a non-media presence, Warner told The Wrap that he "scoured the Internet" for information on one of the only two men in the world that know exactly what occurred inside the white Bronco. Cowlings is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious people related to the trial, and unfortunately for the very private man, American Crime Story is only going to renew people's interest in him.