BUCKiT® #59-Kato Kaelin: Famous Witness From the OJ Simpson Trial, on the Importance of Staying True to Who You Are

On a hot and muggy day, in July ’94, an aspiring actor has just finished testifying as a prosecution witness in the televised preliminary trial of the OJ Simpson case. He walks out of the courthouse to a throng of media shouting “SMILE, TURN THIS WAY, TALK TO US”. Overnight Kato Kaelin has become famous all over the world and for all the wrong reason. His life would never be the same again. Kato Kaelin, also known as America’s Famous House Guest, gained notoriety for his role as a minor witness for the prosecution in the OJ Simpson Murder Case. Kato was living in Simpson's Rockingham estate guest house on the night of the two murders, June 12, and witnessed some of OJ’s movements before and after the time of the murders. As a result, Kato was thrust in to the media spotlight, at the same time losing control over his public image. Whatever he said or did set him up as a target. He was popular with many but hated too. Realizing he couldn’t convince the world who he really was, he focused on what he could do—be himself. It’s 25 years and more than 15 minutes of fame later and Kato is still a household name. But he’s stayed the course and stayed the same… genuine, energetic, likeable, goofy and very, very funny!