Did Marcia Clark & Christopher Darden Hook Up? 'The People V. O.J. Simpson' Raises The Question Again

FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has brought the trial of the NFL superstar back into the public eye. Sure, it's a dramatization, but given the drama of this case, not much embellishment was needed to make it a TV-worthy plot. Mystery, murder, corruption — it has it all. It even has some romance. Recent episodes have fans speculating about the tension between prosecuting lawyers. But in real life, did Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden hook up?

If you've been following along with American Crime Story, you know that Darden has joined the prosecution team. The show writers did not waste much time establishing the possibility of romance between him and fellow-attorney, Clark. But, what's behind that? Is it just TV hyperbole? What's the real story?

It's confusing. At the time, Clark denied the rumors. When asked about their relationship outright, Clark said, "It's completely false. God knows where that one got started." She added, "Go away! It's ridiculous!" But in Darden's 1996 book, In Contempt, he is just about as clear about their relationship as one can be without blatantly saying that they were hooking up. He wrote that he and Clark were "two passionate people thrown together in a trial that left us exhausted and lonely." He went on to claim that he helped Clark through her divorce, and they spent lots of time together, in and outside the courtroom. He wrote, "We sat up listening to hip-hop and R&B. We danced a few times and drank a few bottles of wine. In my mind, that is a relationship."

After the trial, People magazine reported that Darden said he would "marry Marcia" as soon as she divorced. The New York Post quoted sources in 1995 from the Los Angeles prosecutor's office who said that their relationship was common knowledge: ''Everybody knows about them. Everybody's saying that it shows at least one good thing came out of that wretched trial."

If the two were, in fact, romantically involved, nothing every came of it. After her divorce, Clark never remarried. Darden, oddly enough, married a different woman named Marcia, and they are still together.

Regardless of whether Clark and Darden hooked up (the world may never know!), American Crime Story fans are loving even the possibility. Up till now, Clark has given the show stellar reviews. It will be interesting to see if she maintains that opinion as it delves into her alleged courtroom romance.