Playboy, Marge Simpson (The Simpsons), and my one shot with a young handsome A-List Jewish Director
By Josie Goldberg
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) -12/11/2024
I have received some comments from my friends and subscribers that I never write about my romances with my Jewish men, and that I should write about my own people as well. In honesty I write about my romances around the time I met or broke up with them as it becomes more surreal to me.
When I was a playboy model, I was lucky enough to go to Miami Beach one winter and enjoy my short-term success as a playboy model in one of the hottest spots in America, South beach, Miami. One day I was walking on Lincoln Rd and met a Rabbi who was recruiting Jews to come to his Temple for the celebration of Chanukah. The Rabbi asked me what I do in the entertainment industry, and he said that he has a best friend who is going to be my husband one day. He told me he is an A-List director and lives in Los Angeles.
Of course, I accepted especially when the Rabbi told me his name. I immediately googled him and almost fell over. His name was Brett Ratner and he was in his prime with his career as an A-List film director (directed and produced Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men, The Last Stand, Tower Heist and Hercules). He also directed music videos for artists like Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Madonna, Wu-Tang Clan, Dru Hill and many popular artists and shot fashion campaigns for (Jimmy Choo) and many other top brands. Brett also had some high profiled romances with famous actress, singers, athletes and models, Rebecca Gayheart, tennis star Serena Williams, Maggie Q, Lindsey Lohan, rumored Mariah Carey.
There was only one problem that I saw and that was the height factor. I stand at 5’10 and Brett is 5’8. The Rabbi said height is just a number, like age. I was 27, and Brett was 40. Everything else matched up and the “Shidduch” (a Jewish arranged marriage) was coming. The Rabbi arranged for us to meet at his house to light Shabbat candles to get our relationship going. Brett seemed to cancel with excuses that his car had a flat tire and left me hanging for a couple weeks. The morning, I was set to leave back to California, Brett started calling me at 5am and says I’m in front of your hotel and let’s get breakfast before your flight. I’m not like most woman, give me a chance to tell a man what I think of him, and I can destroy the relationship before it starts. Brett and I both realized there is nothing there between us at the bagel joint. Brett dropped me off back at the hotel with two bagels for the flight and said have a safe flight.
When I got back to Los Angeles, it was so weird, but we would randomly bump into each other at various events and Hollywood hot spots. He slowly started to develop a relationship with me or so I thought. He started calling me and I started looking at him differently. His assistant even invited me to an event where I met his mother, her Latin handsome younger boyfriend, his brothers and his iconic grandma Finata. Which is the name of mine as well. The relationship went sideways with his mother when she asked me to hold Brett’s little bother who was 3 years old at the time. When I held the baby in my arms, I said is this Brett’s baby? You should have seen the look in her eyes. I asked where Brett was. She smirked and said he is with his super model girlfriend in St. Bart’s. I got jealous so I started to talk with her handsome Latin lover and before I knew it, she grabbed her kids, and grandma and they all bolted. Brett’s assistant looked very nervous. I think her Latin boyfriend was also digging me. Looking back, I was young and immature. Brett continued to play games with me. He started sleeping with my talent agent at the time in retaliations for me trying to entertain his mom’s boyfriend that he was funding. It did not bother me because I had not fallen for him yet.
I played it cool and could control my emotions. I think he liked my style of fighting back. One day things took a turn when he called me on speaker and said I am sitting at the Polo lounge and telling me friends about you, my future wife and wanted you to come join us for dinner. I said Brett you can’t just call me at the last minute, but then I changed my mind and decided I had nothing to lose and drove high speed to meet him. I knew in my gut that I was disrespecting myself, but hey I was starting to think he was serious with me. As soon as I arrived the maître d’ said Brett had just left 10 minutes ago. I was shocked, I called him and was confused. He did not pick up and he texted me “don’t you ever embarrass me in front of my friends, when I call you, you jump when I’m ready to see you.” I kept calling as I was so mad, and he kept ignoring. I ended up calling his house line and demanding his staff to put me through. I called 4 or 5 times and told them I’m the future Mrs. Ratner and he better pick up the phone and answer me. On the fifth time he picked up the phone and did I give it to him again, this time I was so FURIOUS. I texted him why don’t I come over and we can have tea and talk in person. He calmed me down and I let it go. He was an asshole but when he saw I was about to explode he knew to be a mensch and diffuse me. He said he is too tired and will get together in the next couple of days. He probably had one of his girlfriend’s there.
We ended up never going on a date. I went to his house once for lunch with my agent. She snuck me in her back seat when we drove through his security, but Brett was mad when I popped up with her! He said there was no food for me, I said I did not come to eat. I came for closure! I slammed my hand on this table and said, you can’t have various (girlfriends) living in your house. You’re a Jewish man and this is not kosher. He straightened out and turned into the man I started to love and admirer. I put my foot down and realized there is something to work on here. He is trainable! I can convert as I thought! Brett changed his voice, got up and said OKAY, if you want to work with me, you’re going to listen to me. The first thing he did was throw his photobook at me with all his accomplishments. I was super impressed. He then told me to lose 20/30 pounds so he can shoot me for fashion campaigns. I told him Brett I am a playboy model and a reality star. I know my limitations and capabilities. I would like you to shoot me for a Playboy Cover which he has never done. He looked at me and said you need to lose weight and stop taking the easy cheap way out. I told him it would be so cool for a Jewish A-list director to shoot me a Jewish reality star Playboy model.
He then said my future wife will never grace the cover of Playboy especially shot by me. We then had a lovely lunch, and he gave me a tour around his house. He even threw me in his famous photo booth which was used in the Jessica Simpsons music video “A Public Affair”. I left lunch and thought we were moving forward one way or another. Was I in for the biggest shocker and let down of my life. Things started to go sideways again when my former talent agent realized that Brett was taking me more seriously than her. I can’t get into too many details, but the police had to come and put her in jail for a night as Brett brought her jealousy to another level.
Brett one day sent me a text message that made me cry for 24 hours straight and I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. He wrote “Guess what Josie? I just got done shooting my supermodel girlfriend Alina Puscau for the November Cover for Playboy 2009”. I said Brett that was my idea with you, and you told me that Playboy was trash modeling for fat asses. He just ignored me. I felt like a train ran over me over and over. After I calmed down, I went from sad to mad. I called Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion and told Playboy what had happened and how unfair Brett Ratner was with me! His secretary relayed the information to Hef. Nothing else was said to me and the release was set for 3 weeks. I just got over it the best that I could. Playboy pulled an audible the last second before releasing Brett Ratners cover with Super Model Alina Puscau and put the cartoon character Marge Simpson from The Simpsons tv show on the cover and made Bretts cover with his supermodel girlfriend the alternative one. So, I messaged back and said, you got upstaged by “Marge Simpson” a cartoon character LOL….
He immediately lost a screw and called me and said, “You’re going to Die” and I said why hunny bunny? Brett said because everyone who turns against me dies. I said but you hurt me first, you stole my idea and then threw it my face and called me a fat ass. We went back and forth, but his voice was broken, and I could feel his destitution. We both knew there was no going back after this last little encounter. I also told him, he better be careful, so he does not end up like his father.
According to “The Hollywood Reporter” Bretts dad Ronald Ratner died homeless and alone from the result of drug use. Brett laughed at me and said, I am “Hollywood’s Golden Child” and you are nothing. I said that’s your opinion and time will tell. I asked him, “Didn’t your mom teach you that whatever you wish on others comes back tenfold?” I told him I’m a Jewish woman, I am the apple of Gods eye!
In November 2017 The Los Angeles Times ran an article on how Brett Ratner was accused in the (MeToo) Movement by actresses Olivia Munn, and Natasha Henstridge and five others for sexual harassment and misconduct that allegedly took place in private homes, on movie sets or at industry events.
https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-brett-ratner-allegations-20171101-htmlstory.html
This scandal plagued Bretts’ Hollywood career and he has been stalled since the MeToo Movement in October 2017.
I am “Only Josie Knows” and I know that God has his reasons for all that he does for us. I could not understand for a long time why I was not able to convert this amazing connection this Rabbi gave me. I tried so hard to turn it into something productive for me. I mean Brett had everything I wanted and more. I honestly thought I needed him, but as time has shown, I DON’T, I’m getting them slowly on my own and having the best time doing it. I do still think Brett Ratner is extremely brilliant, talented and exceptional on a professional level of creating art. I love his work, and that can never be taken away from him. I was never sexually abused by Brett Ratner like another woman are claiming, however I was abused emotionally which is equally as painful. I never expected Brett to treat me like that, especially with his A list status. Its taboo for Jews to do other Jews dirty especially woman. I know I said I wanted to marry an A-list Jewish Director on The Dr Phil show “Spoiled and Entitled” but like Tyler Perry’s slogan and movie “I Can do Bad All by Myself”. I am the real Jewish matriarch as “Amyisraelchai” and no man can destroy me. There is a reason they call me “Only Josie Knows”
