Erika Girardi Has the Most Interesting Connection to O.J. Simpson
The singer details how this factors into her Real Housewives origin story in her new memoir, Pretty Mess.
To say that Erika Girardi rolls with an A-list crew might be an understatement. Her husband is Tom Girardi, whose successful law career influenced the Julia Roberts flick, Erin Brockovich. Her partner-in-crime is Mikey Minden, a man who has worked with everyone from Usher to the Pussycat Dolls and Pink. And she's also besties with former model Yolanda Hadid, who, of course, we have to thank for planting the seed in Erika's mind to join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It turns out, Erika and Yolanda are pals all thanks to a guy you may have heard of: Robert Shapiro, famously one of the members of O. J. Simpson's "dream team" during the 1995 murder trial. (Erika also reveals in the memoir that she was married by another member of Simpson's legal team, so her connection runs deep.)
Erika recalls the early days of her friendship with Yolanda in this exclusive clip from the audiobook of her memoir, Pretty Mess, out now.
In the same chapter, Erika recalls the day she auditioned for RHOBH and how she eventually got the call that helped her "pivot" to her next big move. (As it turns out, Erika nearly quit her pop career around this time.) As a Real Housewives superfan longtime creative director Minden was overjoyed. Her husband and son were also happy for her. As for Erika's mother, Renee, well, this was her exact reaction:
When I called Renee to tell her about it, she said, "Oh, that's cool. I've never warched the show before, but I guess I will now." You guess? Thanks for setting your DVR for your only child Renee.
Erika details her complicated relationship with her mom, who had her at 18, elsewhere in the book, noting how certain traits she inherited from her mother definitely influence her behavior on the show:
I definitely picked up Renee's talent for saying hateful things, and I would use that against her. That's why I'm always so afraid to lose my temper on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. If I ever did, I'm afraid I would eviscerate someone.
Erika dishes more about her memoir, below.
See more of Erika before she joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
