A participant in the ill-fated 2006 prank show "Juiced," comedian and journalist Harmon Lee, has detailed his experiences working alongside O.J. Simpson. The show, which aimed to be a comeback vehicle for Simpson a decade after his acquittal in the murder trial of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, is now the subject of a new limited series on Hulu.
Lee described being hired as Simpson's "sidekick" for the hidden camera prank show, which was a knockoff of MTV's "Punk'd." The premise involved Simpson surprising unsuspecting individuals after they fell victim to various pranks, often exclaiming, "You've been Juiced!" Lee noted that despite the show's premise, the producers stipulated that the murders could not be mentioned.
On set, Simpson made light of his infamous white Ford Bronco chase, which occurred after he missed a deadline to surrender to police following the 1994 murders. "It's got great escape-ability," Simpson reportedly quipped, adding, "It was good for me." Lee, who was also a journalist planning to cover the show for Vice, found this behavior disturbing, stating, "I tried to digest why OJ would make light of the vehicle that literally symbolized his ex-wife's brutal murder."
Lee recalled moments where Simpson's ego seemed fragile. During one instance, when Lee repeatedly called him Danny Glover, Simpson reportedly roared, "I ALREADY TOLD YOU I'M NOT DANNY GLOVER!" In another incident, while being made up to look like an old man for a prank, Simpson repeatedly said, "The lights are on me. I'm feeling like a star," and told jokes that fell flat. One particularly jarring joke involved Simpson referring to Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, saying, "Who's the first Jewish guy to get a Heisman Trophy? Fred Goldman, because he's got mine!"
The show's production was marked by Simpson's increasing detachment and, at times, intoxication. Lee described an incident in Las Vegas where Simpson, dressed in an Elvis Presley jumpsuit to play a motel clerk, was "completely hammered." Despite the producers' efforts to salvage footage, Simpson's inebriated state led to him slurring, "Hey! I'm OJ! Do you recognize me?" to unsuspecting guests.
Lee expressed skepticism about the show's intent from the outset, viewing it as a potential "vanity PR project" designed to rehabilitate the reputations of its creators, who also produced shows like "Bum Fights" and "Backyard Wrestling." He declined an earlier offer to participate in a similar project pitched to Netflix, which he felt was an attempt to "clear the names" of the "Juiced" team.
Following the taping of "Juiced," Lee wrote about his experiences for Stuff Magazine and later Vice. He recounted an irate voice message from the producer of "Juiced" who was upset that Lee had "bad mouthing the product" and stated it "wasn't funny." Lee countered that calling something as "grotesque" as "Juiced," which attempted to turn an alleged murderer into a prankster, "funny" was misguided.
Looking back, Lee described the production as embodying a "toxic bro culture" and noted that Simpson's notoriety as an acquitted murderer was the sole reason for the show's existence, not an obstacle to overcome. Simpson's attempt at a public comeback through "Juiced" ultimately failed, and the show itself garnered little attention. This period also coincided with Simpson's controversial plan to release a book titled "If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer," which faced swift backlash and was canceled. Simpson later served a nine-year sentence for armed robbery in Las Vegas.