7 Things to Know About Kato Kaelin

The other night, I watched a DVD called Hail Caesar, which I had mistakenly placed in my Netflix DVD.com queue, instead of the 2016 version starring Josh Brolin and George Clooney. I decided to watch the 1994 version anyway, which is about a young man trying to win his sweetheart’s hand through a challenge waged by her father. The movie wasn’t bad, for a silly comedy, but it is remarkable for the uncredited actor it contained.

During a party scene, Anthony Michael Hall is joined by several attractive, affluent-looking young men, one of whom looked familiar to me. That’s the guy who lived in O.J.’s guesthouse, I thought. A quick Google search turned up the name Kato Kaelin, whose listing on iMBD.com, includes Hail Caesar.

In his early thirties when he shot the scene, Kaelin had no idea that he’d soon be famous, a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His became a household name for his testimony at the O.J. Simpson trial. Here are seven things to know about Kato Kaelin.

1. Brian Gerard “Kato” Kaelin is his real name. The nickname comes from Bruce Lee’s character in the 1970s television series, The Green Hornet.
2. He was born on March 9, 1959 in Milwaukee, WI. He was raised Catholic and is the second-youngest of six children.
3. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and California State University Fullerton.
4. He was married to Cynthia Coulter in the 1980s and has a daughter, Tiffany Kaelin Knight.
5. Kaelin owns a clothing company with long-time friend Rhonda Shear called Slackerwear.  The clothing line features “comfortable styles for all your couch potato moments.”
6. Kaelin says he was not O.J.’s friend. He was Nicole Brown Simpson’s friend.
7. Since the O.J. trial, Kaelin has appeared on various game shows, reality shows, and has taken on the role of TV and radio host, often related to sports. In 2016, he starred in the movie, B.C. Butcher, which is a prehistoric slasher flick.

How might Kato Kaelin’s life have been different if he hadn’t moved into the guesthouse on the Simpson property?

Kaelin is active on Twitter and Instagram.

P.S. After I posted this piece, Kato Kaelin contacted me and told me a little about what he’s up to these days. He says,

I travel with Wizard World comic con as Emcee. Incredible fun. Also, I wrote show WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME. I have show runner attached & we are crossing fingers. It’s phenomenal premise & true crime show. BC Butcher is Troma comedy film that was just released. They promote a lot on Twitter.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing more from Kato Kaelin and wish him the very best.

Ann Silverthorn

Disclaimer: I am a member of Netflix’s DVD.com Director’s program, which gives me free access to movies. If you sign up with my referral link, I may receive a referral reward.