Talking with Milwaukee’s Kato Kaelin

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Photo by GabboT - Wikimedia Commons

Kato Kaelin

Kato Kaelin

“Life is short, and I’m grabbing it by the balls”

-Brian “Kato” Kaelin

When Milwaukee native Kato Kaelin moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s, his friends and family had no doubt he’d succeed at whatever he chose to do. But Kaelin’s eventual success as an actor, television and podcast host, and producer far exceeded anyone’s expectations. As a pre-teen, his nickname came from the Green Hornet’s chauffeur, Kato, played by Bruce Lee. As a high school student at Nicolet, Kaelin and his friends often spent Friday evenings at Barnaby’s pizza restaurant before heading off to bowl at Brown Port Lanes. On Saturday nights, they cruised the neighborhoods for house parties, especially the ones at a Lake Shore Drive mansion. He's still best friends with the two guys he hung around with then.

In LA, Kaelin became an overnight celebrity because of his involvement with O.J. Simpson’s sensational murder trial in which Simpson allegedly killed his ex-wife, Nicole, and her lover.But like nearly all personalities who seem to appear out of nowhere, Kaelin spent years paying his dues, and when his time came, he was ready. In a recent interview, Kaelin talked about his life in Milwaukee and subsequent experiences in Hollywood.

You’re 63 years old. Why do you still have all that hair?

(Laughs) I love that! (laughs). I’m fortunate that I don’t look as old as I am. I started juicing when I was still in college, and I still do it today. I don’t want to sound too California about this, but it really works. I always put kale in my juicer because it has so many health benefits.

You’ve become very successful in the last 35 years. Do you attribute that to luck or hard work?

It’s both. Certainly the O.J. trial got me in the spotlight, but I’m out there every single day looking for something that’s right for me. People say I’ve already had my 15 minutes of fame. I want 16 minutes, or more. I’m willing to work hard to achieve that. It’s all about proving that I have some talent.

You were already an actor by the time of the trial.

As soon as I got to Los Angeles, I enrolled at the Acting Academy. I was there seven years before the trial. I was in a 1987 movie called Beach Fever. I did commercials for Coca-Cola, Sprite, Cherry Coke and some other stuff. I’ve been a member of SAG-AFTRA [the Screen Actors Guild] for 35 years.

How did you get an agent to represent you?

The Academy held showcases attended by agents looking for clients. After the performances, they’d hold a meet-and-greet where we could talk to the agents. I was invited to meetings at their offices and out of that I got representation.

Many of your film and television appearances have you appearing as yourself rather than a character.

(laughs) I have no problem with that! Name recognition really does help.

When did you decide to pursue acting as a career?

While I was still at Nicolet High School. My two best friends, Will Stumpe and Tom O’Brien, and I hosted the school variety shows, which were really a lot of fun. We also put together an act called the Young Generation Revue and performed at clubs on comedy night. We were underage but they always let us in. God, those were some of the best times of my life, just hanging out with my buddies laughing all day. I couldn’t wait to get to school in the morning. I got the bug for show business back then.

When you attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, what was your field of study?

Communications. I loved every part of that. I had a campus radio talk show called “Kato and Friends”, and I had a television show on Channel 10 called “The Gameshow”. I didn’t graduate because I moved to Los Angeles to keep doing what I loved.

Can you explain how you became part of O.J. Simpson’s life?

Sure. I was working with an actor, Grant Cramer, and we went to Aspen for a Christmas break. Nicole Simpson was there, and Grant knew her, so we all hung out. I was living in Hermosa Beach at that time, and when we got back to LA, Nicole rented her guest house to me. I became very good friends with her family, and I adored her kids. She and O.J. decided to get back together, and that’s when I met him. When she moved to the house on Bundy Drive, O.J. invited me to live in a bungalow on his property. But he and I were not friends. We didn’t hang out at all. This was a temporary situation for me while I looked for somewhere to live. However, I was on the grounds of his estate the night of the two murders.

And then your recognition factor increased with the 1995 murder trial.

It did. Suddenly people were saying, “Hey, who’s this Kato guy”? The whole thing kind of went backwards because I would have rather been recognized for my acting rather than a murder trial. But God had a blueprint for my life, and I took it all. In the years since then, I’ve been doing movies, television shows, and podcasts. Before COVID, I hosted Wizard World Comic Con for four years. We traveled to 50 cities, and it was such great fun. Fans could interact with people from the movie studios, DC and Marvel comics, anime artists, and so many more guests. When I travel now to promote a project, people will come up to me and say how much they loved “An Eye for an Eye” or one of my other shows instead of, “Hey, where’s O.J.”?  I feel like I’ve finally turned the corner.

What’s on the horizon for you?

Right now, I’m the executive producer of a project called “Ice Wars” and we’re really excited about the reaction. It’s MMA-style fighting with real hocket stars testing their combat skills. Also, as I get a bit older, I’m thinking about buying a place in Wisconsin, maybe near my sister in Lac du Flambeau. I’ve never stopped loving Milwaukee and Wisconsin and being close to my family. That’s why I come back so often.