Derrick Levasseur Gets Support From ‘Big Brother’ Alums As He Returns To TV For O.J. Simpson True Crime Series
Derrick Levasseur is back on television, but it’s not for a reality TV competition. Levasseur, who was crowned the champion of the CBS summertime reality show Big Brother 16 back in 2014, is currently appearing on the Investigation Discovery true crime program, Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence. The six-part investigative series, which takes a look at alternative theories surrounding the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, is narrated by Martin Sheen.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Derrick Levasseur explained that he has no plans to be an actor, and he participated in the buzzy new series simply because he works in law enforcement.
“I’m just a guy who happened to be on a reality show,” Levasseur told THR. “And now I’m on an investigative network. I’m a cop. I didn’t try to be an actor. This is what I do for a living.”
Derrick Levasseur is a police sergeant and 13-year veteran of a Rhode Island police department, and he specializes in undercover work. Big Brother fans saw some of this investigator’s sleuthing skills first hand, but Levasseur’s new TV gig shows a whole new side of him.
For the true crime series, Levasseur even teamed up with retired LAPD detective Tom Lange, the man who famously talked Simpson out of committing suicide during his high-profile Bronco chase. Derrick admits he had “some good times and some tense times” with Lange as they filmed the series, which tosses out a little-known theory that O.J. Simpson’s son, Jason, could have been behind the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Levasseur said that on a personal level, he wanted to take a hard look at the Simpson case to see for himself if the LPAD officers were corrupt or inept during the highly-scrutinized investigation more than 20 years ago.
“One of the big things around this case is that there were a lot of accusations regarding the police,” Derrick told THR.
“People said their investigation was lacking and that they made a lot of mistakes and that was a big reason why O.J. Simpson was acquitted…One of my main goals coming onto the show was to try and speak with the lead investigators of this case. I didn’t want to talk to the media. I didn’t want to talk to the families for that aspect of what I needed. I wanted to talk to the actual people who did it.”
Twenty years after the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Derrick Levasseur won the $500,000 Big Brother grand prize after outsmarting and out socializing his fellow houseguests. Levasseur told THR that in the aftermath of his Big Brother fame, he has had to deal with fans showing up at his police station just to meet him.
“I don’t mind meeting people, but that’s not what the police department is for,” Derrick said. “It’s not a meet and greet. It’s my job, and it’s a very serious job. So, when I’m on a traffic stop, I’m worried about my safety and the safety of the person I’m stopping. I don’t have time to take a photo.”
Derrick Levasseur celebrated the Jan. 15 premiere of Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence with several of his Big Brother friends, including the CBS reality show’s Season 18 champ, Nicole Franzel. Levasseur also got support on social media from BB16 pal Cody Calafiore, as well as popular Big Brother alums Danielle Donato and Amanda Zuckerman.
So proud of @DerrickL for The Missing Evidence on @DiscoveryID love you bro! So happy for you and what's to come! TUNE IN TOMORROW!
— Cody Calafiore (@Cody_Calafiore) January 16, 2017
Take a look at the video below to see Derrick Levasseur working his regular job on Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
