The O.J. Simpson trial was the longest in California history and resulted in an acquittal
that divided the nation. More than a hundred witnesses testified for the defense and the
prosecution combined, but one emerged a star — Kato Kaelin.
The O.J. Simpson trial began on January 24, 1995, and wouldn't end until the jury came
back with a verdict of not guilty on October 3, 1995.
"We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson
not guilty of the crime of murder."
During the trial, Kato Kaelin, who was living in a guest house on Simpson's property, would
become an important witness who helped piece together the timeline of the June 12 murders.
Even though they were committed at Nicole's condo at 875 South Bundy Drive, Simpson lived
just seven minutes away at 360 North Rockingham Avenue.
The distance between the residences became a key point in the case because it showed
opportunity. Kaelin's testimony connected what investigators believed may have happened
on Simpson's North Rockingham property before and after Nicole and Goldman were killed.
Though Simpson provided an alibi, it was shaky at best, and one that his limousine driver
would contradict during his testimony at trial. When Kaelin took the stand, unbeknownst to
everyone, he'd become a highlight of the trial and a star.
Kaelin was born Brian Kaelin on March 9, 1959, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His acting career
kicked off in the late '80s but his life changed when he met Nicole a few years before her
death. In 1992, Kaelin met the recently divorced Nicole while vacationing in Aspen, Colorado.
The two struck up a friendship and would end up becoming very good friends. Such good friends,
that at some point Kaelin — an aspiring actor — moved to Los Angeles to live with
Nicole.
Kaelin would also meet Simpson while living there, but optically Kaelin's presence at
the house looked fishy. He was, after all, a single bachelor living with a divorcee and
her children. When Simpson offered him the chance to live at a guest house on his North
Rockingham property, free of charge, the up-and-coming actor took the opportunity. That is how he
ended up being at the site of a key location in the case.
Simpson told investigators that he didn't sleep ahead of preparing for his flight to
Chicago, which his limo driver was scheduled to take him to. But his driver testified that
he failed to reach Simpson on his intercom multiple times. When he was finally able to
alert Simpson that he arrived at his house to take him to the airport, Simpson claimed
that he had overslept. The stories differed, leaving some time unaccounted for. This is
where Kaelin would become important.
The night of the murders, Kaelin testified that he and Simpson went out to get some fast
food. They returned to Simpson's house shortly after. About an hour later, Kaelin said he
heard a series of loud bumps outside the guest house where he stayed. Upon investigation,
Kaelin said he surveilled the property and met up with Simpson's limo driver, who was
waiting for his boss at the main gate to the house. Simpson later emerged from his home
when the driver attempted to reach him via intercom again. From there, Simpson's driver
was finally able to drive him to the airport.
In the early-morning hours of June 13, the bodies of Brown Simpson and Goldman were discovered
and investigators immediately headed to Simpson's property. There, they found his Ford Bronco
with a visible bloodstain, and the infamous glove — a key piece of evidence the prosecution
presented that would end up helping the defense instead.
"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
The decision to search Simpson's property was heavily criticized because authorities
at the time had not yet obtained a proper search warrant. But the aftermath of their
findings led to a highly publicized highway chase, Simpson's arrest, and subsequent trial,
which brought a lot of attention to almost everyone involved. During the trial, Kaelin
testified for five days. And at one point it appeared to prosecutors that he was changing
his testimony. This led to him being declared a hostile witness.
While Kaelin was grieving the loss of his friend, he too, would find fame because of
the trial. He was an aspiring but struggling actor who had a few minor roles in several
projects. But when the trial was all over he didn't just disappear from the spotlight.
Never mind that people wanted to know about this close friend of Nicole's and Simpson
— news stations wanted to interview Kaelin about the trial. Kaelin also hosted a radio
show, did an interview with Larry King and Barbara Walters, and capitalized on his newfound
fame.
By the mid-'90s Kaelin found himself in several more movie roles, but nothing major. Despite
years going by, he continued to find himself doing interviews about the O.J. Simpson case.
He talked to Larry King again in 2014, and Walters, in which he revealed that he believed
Simpson to be guilty — a thought he never shared during the trial and the height of
his celebrity.
"In my opinion, yes. I think he's guilty."
Kaelin also did several interviews when the FX show The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American
Crime Story premiered in 2016.
Kaelin criticized the dramatization of The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
in his weekly episode reviews for The New York Daily News. He even had some things to
say about the hair and costume of the actor who played him in the series.
Truth be told, even though Kaelin is no A-lister and has never had a steady acting role on
a television series, he is still acting today. His most recent role was in the 2018 TV movie
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time. But his biggest success in Hollywood has come in the
form of appearing as himself on talk and game shows, presenting gigs, and reality-TV shows.
One of those shows was Celebrity Big Brother 2, in which he filmed 10 episodes in 2019.
It's not clear what Kaelin's been up to, career-wise, these days, but as of 2021, he did take part
in The Los Angeles Tribune's Quantum Leap Forum in February.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.