Nicole Brown Simpson’s ex-boyfriend Joseph Perulli has broken his silence about how O.J. Simpson’s “unemotional” behavior led to their relationship ending.
In an interview with People published Tuesday to promote his new book, The Forgotten Briefcase, Perulli recalled how he hooked up with Nicole in 1992, shortly after Kris Jenner split from the football player.
Ms. Perulli said that Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce Jenner) told her at the time that Nicole was “amazing” and a “great mother” but that “her only problem is O.J.”
Despite the warnings, Perli was “very attracted” to Nicole and they began dating.
But one night, after leaving Nicole’s home in Brentwood, Calif., Perulli said he felt “an eerie feeling” when he smelled her perfume outside. A week later, a neighbor told Nicole that she saw O.J., who was wearing the same perfume as her, hiding in the bushes that night.
Perulli said Nicole confronted O.J. and claimed the NFL star was “just driving by and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
OJ is also said to have told Nicole, with whom he shares daughter Sydney and son Justin, that there was “no problem” between him and Perulli.
Ron Davis
But Mr Perulli felt like “a human being split in two,” he said, adding: “One side of me was in love and the other was wondering if love was possible with someone in her situation.”
Mr. Perulli said that during a dinner date with Nicole, she told him that O.J. hit her “really badly.”
“She was shaking. She said it happened so suddenly,” Perulli recalled. “She lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she didn’t feel like she could talk about it because it might hurt her children. I thought she was going to die.”
Nicole is also said to have told Perulli, “I would rather die than go back to that man.”
Ms Perulli admitted she was “woefully unprepared” for how to respond because she “didn’t know anything about domestic violence”.
Perli said he was on a weekend trip to Laguna Beach with Nicole’s parents when someone warned him that O.J. was in town and attending the same family’s barbecue.
“I never thought I’d be able to live a life like this, feeling like this guy was lurking everywhere I went,” Perulli explained. “It was difficult, but we decided to break up the next day and end the relationship.”
Perli said that after they broke up, he had a dream that he and Nicole “were driving and jumping off this cliff and we died together in her car.”
Perulli and Nicole, who tried to remain friends after their breakup, did not meet again until Jenner’s Christmas Eve party in 1993, where Perulli was shocked to see Nicole back with O.J.
Perulli said OJ was “shaken up” and “sweating” when he spoke at the party.
“He put down his champagne flute, looked at me and said, ‘It’s just an illusion,'” Perulli recalled. “He turned and took off.”
In June 1994, Perulli learned the tragic news that Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman had been murdered outside Nicole’s home, and immediately assumed O.J. had killed them.
“I definitely felt like Ron Goldman could be me,” Perulli said. “absolutely.”
Perulli was “as distant as possible” during OJ’s 1995 murder trial, explaining to prosecutor Marcia Clark that he “disrespected his love for Nicole” after tabloids exposed their relationship.
When O.J. was acquitted, Mr. Perulli said he remembered the chilling words that ran down his spine: “It’s just an illusion.”
OJ was later found responsible for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman in a 1997 civil trial.
In 2008, he was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping after leading five men in an armed confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas hotel.
The football player served nine years in a Nevada prison before being paroled in October 2017.
He died of prostate cancer in April 2024 at the age of 76.
Perulli’s book “The Forgotten Briefcase” has been released.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
