After remaining silent for weeks, Caitlyn Jenner has finally spoken about the death of her close friend Sophia Hutchins. “Recently my good friend Sophia passed away in a tragic accident,” she admitted in an August 28 interview.
The 1976 Olympic gold medalist’s comments were in response to the Minneapolis school shooting on August 27. “When this happened, it really hit me hard,” she explained of the tragedy at Annunciation Church and Catholic School. “Because here I am dealing with my [own] grief.”
Caitlyn Jenner called Sophia Hutchins’ death “difficult”
“I’ve been dealing with grief,” the I Am Cait alum told Fox News @ Night. “These people have a long road ahead of them, and they’re going to be dealing with grief … It’s so difficult.”
Tragically, Caitlyn’s manager, business partner and close friend died in an ATV accident on July 2. Sophia somehow collided with the bumper of a moving car near Caitlyn’s Malibu home and fell into a 350-foot ravine. Subsequently, she was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 29.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum first met Sophia in 2015. They quickly became fast friends, and Sophia inspired headlines when she moved into Caitlyn’s home just two years later.
Despite their living situation, the pair insisted they were merely platonic friends. In 2018, Sophia told the Hidden Truths podcast that they were “business partners … sharing a life.” In 2020, she reiterated that there was “no hanky panky” in their relationship.
At the time, Sophia described Caitlyn as “parental.” She added that she felt “blessed and humbled to be a part of such an amazing family … [Caitlyn] treats me like a daughter.”
Around the same time, whispers were circulating that Caitlyn and Sophia might join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As both Teddi Mellencamp and Denise Richards were leaving the show, there was room for some new characters. But Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen quickly put the kibosh on that idea. As he said, that particular rumor was coming “from inside the house” (i.e., Caitlyn and Sophia started it).
After Olympic gold put her on the Wheaties box, Caitlyn reached a new level of fame on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She starred on the show for 14 seasons, alongside then-wife Kris Kardashian and their blended family.
Prior to her transition, the couple were married 22 years and share two children, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. In spite of their current estrangement, Kris was her first call after Sophia’s passing. “[I] didn’t know who else to call,” Caitlyn said.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK KRIS WILL TAKE ON THE JOB OF MANAGING CAITLYN’S BUSINESS AGAIN?
