What Happened to Kato Kaelin?

For the latter half of 1994 and for most of 1995, the nation (and the world) was consumed with one hot story — that of O.J. Simpson and whether he committed the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. On June 12, 1994, the two were found murdered at Nicole Simpson's condo in the upscale area of Brentwood, Los Angeles, per Orange County Register. Crime was rare in that neighborhood, let alone a double murder that left a bloody scene. Having just divorced a few years earlier, the main suspect and assumed killer in the crime was Nicole's ex-husband, former NFL player, and Hall of Famer, O.J. Simpson. The suspicion around Simpson eventually led to his arrest and would dominate the news cycle like nothing before.

Dubbed the "trial of the century" (via Biography), the O.J. Simpson murder trial was indeed one of the most famous of its time. The high-speed highway chase, the arrest that followed his initial plea statement, the dream team of lawyers he later hired, his unforgettable glove fitting in the courtroom — the trial was an attention-grabber that a lot of people paid attention to daily. The former football player and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was on trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson Brown, and it was during the proceedings that a lot of details would come out about O.J. and what happened the night his ex-wife was murdered.

Kaelin was portrayed in the media as a ditzy actor whose testimony was impotent — "Saturday Night Live" concluded a sketch about the trial with Kato agreeing with the prosecutor that he was "useless" — but according to Kaelin, he endured worse after the trial ended, when he began receiving death threats from people angry about Simpson's "not guilty" verdict (via Daily Mail). Why did Kaelin, who described himself to the Mail as "a very small player in this whole thing," get this kind of attention?

During the trial, Kaelin, who was called by the prosecution, testified that he heard a "thumping noise" against one of the outside walls of the house. However, he did not see anything, or anyone, when he went outside. He also testified that he and Simpson spent time together earlier that same evening. As reported by Famous Trials, Kaelin's testimony also covered his friendship with Nicole Brown Simpson, whom he met before knowing Simpson.

You may have heard the expression "famous for being famous," and the phrase refers to a person who has attained celebrity status despite any real talent or accomplishment. We won't name names here, but you can very easily think of several people who fall into the category of having become "celebrities" for no real reason other than they got caught up in the celebrity-making machine.