What is Paula Barbieri's Net Worth?
Paula Barbieri is an American model and actress with a net worth of $2.5 million. During her peak modeling years, she posed for Victoria's Secret and Vogue. However, she gained the most recognition for her relationship with O.J. Simpson during the period of his ex-wife’s highly publicized murder.
Early Life
Born on December 31, 1966, in Panama City, Florida, to Marianne and Vincent Barbieri, Paula began modeling at a young age. By her teen years, she was living in Europe and walking runways in Paris and Milan. During this period, she had a brief affair with film director Roman Polanski. She later dated actor Dolph Lundgren and singer Michael Bolton.
Career Success
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Paula Barbieri transitioned to acting. Her first official film credit was as a "pool hustler" in a 1992 episode of the erotic series "Red Shoe Diaries." She went on to appear in several straight-to-video films, including "Double or Nothing," "The Watcher," "The Dangerous," "The Misery Brothers," "Night Eyes 4: Fatal Passion," and "Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass."
In October 1994, Barbieri featured in a pictorial in "Playboy" magazine.
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O.J. Simpson Relationship
Paula Barbieri is perhaps best remembered for her relationship with O.J. Simpson around the time of the death of Nicole Simpson on June 12, 1994. They dated on-and-off for approximately two years before Nicole's death. O.J. was reportedly attracted to Paula due to her resemblance to Julia Roberts.
O.J. and Paula met through his friend Marcus Allen. One day, as Paula was pulling into the driveway of her apartment building, she reconnected with Marcus, who soon invited her to hang out with O.J., who was going through a tough divorce. That evening, O.J. volunteered to rub Paula's shoulder with a balm for her pain, leading to frequent phone calls and eventually becoming a couple.
The night before Nicole was found murdered, Paula was with Simpson. On the morning of the murder, they had a heated argument after O.J. told her she could not attend his daughter Sydney's recital. Paula left in anger, leaving a 15-minute voice message on O.J.'s answering machine, breaking up with him and announcing her plans to attend a Michael Bolton concert in Las Vegas. Paula had met Michael earlier that year when she starred in his music video for the song "Completely," which you can watch here:
In the days between Nicole's death and O.J.'s famous car chase, Paula stayed with Simpson at his friend and lawyer Robert Kardashian's home, bringing along his passport and several thousand dollars in cash.
During Simpson's criminal and civil murder trials, Paula gained infamy for her involvement. At the civil trial, lawyers representing the Goldman family suggested that Paula's voicemail aggravated O.J.'s anger. Despite this, Simpson claimed never to have listened to it. Paula testified via video feed, stating that she never experienced abuse from Simpson nor heard him speak ill of his ex-wife.
After Simpson was acquitted, he was photographed visiting Paula several times in Panama City, though their relationship reportedly ended in 1995.
Book Deal
In January 1997, Little Brown and Co. announced a $3 million book deal with Paula Barbieri to write about her life with Simpson. In October 1997, she released "The Other Woman: My Years with O.J. Simpson, A Story of Love, Trust, and Betrayal."
In a 1997 interview with Larry King on CNN, when asked about O.J.'s guilt, Paula avoided firm judgment, saying:
"I'm choosing not to look further into making a decision one way or another, and I ask people's forgiveness on that."
Paula has not spoken publicly about O.J. or the trial in many years.
Personal Life Today
In April 2000, Paula Barbieri married Florida judge Michael Overstreet. She has a daughter from a previous relationship.
