Caitlyn Jenner is finally speaking out after the devastating loss of Sophia Hutchins.
The 75-year-old Olympian opened up about her grief nearly two months after Hutchins’ sudden death in a horrific ATV accident near Jenner’s Malibu home. The tragedy struck on July 2 when Hutchins, 29, collided with the bumper of a moving vehicle carrying two passengers. The impact forced her ATV over the shoulder of the road, plunging 350 feet down into a ravine.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Eduardo Saucedo later explained that Hutchins “may have been speeding and rear-ended the other car, the other party, and then that caused her to veer to the right and go off the cliff,” in a statement to Daily Mail.
Jenner, who had remained silent until now, broke her silence during an appearance on Fox News @ Night on August 28. “Just recently, my good friend Sophia passed away in a tragic accident,” she said. “For the last seven weeks, I’ve been dealing with death, and it’s so difficult.”
The reality star revealed she was already grappling with the grief of losing Hutchins when she was asked to weigh in on another devastating tragedy: the mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school on August 27, which left two children dead and 17 others injured. Jenner admitted the school shooting “really hit me hard,” especially in light of her own mourning.
“Here I am dealing with my grief, and I just can’t even imagine parents who dropped their kid off at school and, like that father just said, ‘I’ll never get a chance to talk to him again,’” she explained, referring to Jesse Merkel’s comments about his late 8-year-old son, Fletcher.
“That is just so horrible,” Jenner continued, visibly emotional. “I’ve been dealing with grief, and these people have a long road ahead of them, and they’re going to be dealing with grief also.” She concluded her remarks with a message of compassion: “My prayers and blessings are with the victims.”
Jenner and Hutchins had been close since 2017, when the young entrepreneur began managing Caitlyn’s career and eventually moved into her home. Their bond often sparked romance speculation, though both repeatedly shut down the rumors.
In a 2021 interview with People, Hutchins made their relationship crystal clear: “Caitlyn is a parent to me. I have said that a million times. It is a parental, familial relationship.” She added, “I feel so blessed and humbled to be a part of such an amazing family and that she treats me like a daughter. There’s no hanky panky. I feel like I’ve been saying that for the past five years.”
According to her death certificate from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Hutchins’ official cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force injuries. Her death was ruled an accident.
