Mourning Malibu Mishap: Caitlyn Jenner’s Manager Killed in ATV Crash
Nothing captures the spirit of “weekend fun” quite like plummeting 350 feet into a ravine—just ask Sophia Hutchins, who died July 2 in what should have been a leisurely ATV spin around Malibu. The 29-year-old Pepperdine grad and longtime friend-turned-manager of Caitlyn Jenner struck the bumper of a passing vehicle, was ejected over a cliffside, and came to rest well below near Jenner’s ocean-view home. Law enforcement and family sources shared the grim details with TMZ, while E! News confirmed that first responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
Let’s all pretend we’re surprised that a celebrity circle got a front-row seat to tragedy. Hutchins—who first bonded with Jenner over bad coffee at a M·A·C photo shoot—spent the past decade steering Caitlyn’s career because apparently nobody else could resist charging ex-Olympians five-figure consulting fees. In 2019, Hutchins told The New York Times she had to rescue Jenner from “massive financial disaster,” which feels about as heroic as stopping someone from investing in Beanie Babies.
Hutchins wasn’t just a bossy sidekick. She co-starred in E!’s I Am Cait, rubbed elbows with Eva Longoria, and even dropped life lessons about entrepreneurial spirit at The Hollywood Reporter’s Empowerment in Entertainment event. If there’s one thing more riveting than an ATV face-plant, it’s learning about gloss shades at Kylie Jenner’s birthday party—because nothing says “legacy” quite like a viral lip shimmer.
Sources insist no one else was harmed, which somehow feels like the least surprising twist in this cliffhanger. An unnamed law enforcement official told TMZ that the ATV’s collision with a moving car was “unexpected,” as though four-wheeled off-roaders usually mingle politely with coastal traffic. Hutchins’ family is now left sifting through grief and Instagram highlights of red-carpet selfies with Kendall Jenner, where she cheerfully noted that life is “blessed.”
Caitlyn paid tribute in a brief statement calling Sophia “my best friend, family and confidant,” which is sweet, if also a little convenient when you’ve just lost the only person preventing you from going broke. It’s hard to imagine Jenner’s next business pivot without her trusty right hand, though rumors of a self-managing reality series are already bubbling up—because why mourn when you can monetize?
In the end, we’re left with a cautionary tale: if you’re going for a spin in Malibu’s scenic hills, maybe swap that ATV for a less ambitious tricycle. Tune in next time for more heavy equipment meets human folly, and remember—if it seems too idyllic to be safe, it absolutely will be.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, E! News, The New York Times
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
