Who was Sophia Hutchins? Tragic star's transgender journey, unorthodox relationship with Caitlyn Jenner and support for Trump

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Caitlyn Jenner 's close friend and manager Sophia Hutchins passed away on Wednesday at the age of 29 following a tragic ATV accident in Malibu.
Both law enforcement and family sources stated she was pronounced dead at the scene after the ATV hit the bumper of another moving vehicle - causing it to 'plummet 350 feet down into a ravine' near the reality star's home.
It is not known if Jenner was at home at the time of the accident or witnessed the crash.
Hutchins had notably developed a longtime friendship with Caitlyn years earlier - and also underwent her own transgender journey while a student at Pepperdine University.
The pair first crossed paths a decade ago in 2015, and Sophia has often credited the ex of Kris Jenner as an inspiration to complete her transition.
Similar to Caitlyn, Hutchins had been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and MAGA - and met the U.S. president last year.
DailyMail.com takes a look at Sophia's transgender journey, relationship with Jenner and support of Trump following her heartbreaking death.
Transgender Journey
Sophia was formerly Scott Hutchins and began her transition while attending college - but previously revealed that she had identified as female at a young age.
As a student at Pepperdine, she began to undergo certain medical procedures as well as hormone treatments and hair removal.
The businesswoman had seen a therapist - who helped aid in the decision to transition but seeing Jenner's 20/20 interview where the star announced her own transition put everything into full swing.
During an interview with her school newspaper in 2016, Hutchins reflected, 'I've always had the question of "Do I want to transition from male to female?"
'I never thought a lot about doing it until I got into college because I was able to break away from my family and started to establish my own identity.'
She had also given credit to her time at school 'to deal with a lot of issues that had always been there.'
And after watching Caitlyn's interview, Sophia explained that it, 'made it so much more real for [her], like normal and successful people do this and people are okay when they do it.'
Hutchins ended up taking some time off of school in order to complete her gender transition.
When she was at the age of 15, Hutchins remembered telling a friend that she was female for the first time.
'It's almost like it just came out. I didn't even mean to let it out since I had been so used to holding it in and brushing it under the rug.'
In 2019 during an appearance on Jim Breslo's Hidden Truth Show, Sophia also got candid about her gender identity.
The media personality remembered making comments about her gender dysmorphia to her parents as young as age five.
After her transition, Hutchins stated, 'I truly feel my spirit, my soul, my mind is exactly the same, I am just so much more comfortable physically.
'Before I transitioned I felt like "Yeah, I'm definitely just a girl, but I'm in the wrong body." And I felt trapped in that body.'
She added, 'And I needed to have the hormones to change the body, for me, the surgeries to change the body.
'But for me, that's what I wanted to do, and that's what made me ultimately so at peace.'
While at Pepperdine, Hutchins was the chair of the LGBTQ+ committee in SGA and a member of the school's first LGBTQ+ club Crossroads.
She had also been the former CEO of the nonprofit organization called the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation.
It helps 'promote equality and combats discrimination by providing grans to organizations that empower and improv the lives of transgender people, including youth, ant-bullying, suicide prevention, healthcare, housing, employment, and related programs,' per the official website.
Caitlyn Jenner relationship
Sophia first met Caitlyn in 2015 and two years later, moved into Jenner's $3.5 million Malibu mansion and began working as the star's manager.
She took over the role from Caitlyn's ex-wife Kris Jenner, 69, after their 2015 divorce.
Hutchins often appeared on Jenner's E! reality series I Am Cait, which was a spin-off of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that followed the star's shock transition.
The series ran for just two seasons but it gave glimpses into Jenner and Hutchins' unorthodox life together.
Despite living under one roof, Hutchins previously told The New York Times that she and Jenner 'were never romantically involved' with each other - a sentiment that pair have repeated over the years.
'I don't feel a need to address my sex life, quite frankly, unless I want to,' she sternly told the outlet at the time.
During an interview with People in 2021, Sophia discussed being able to collaborate with Jenner and said, 'I feel blessed that we are able to work together.'
As for her own business ventures, Hutchins served as CEO of the now-defunct spray sunscreen brand LUMASOL, which launched in 2020 and was promoted by Jenner's stepdaughter Kim Kardashian.
While it's unclear when she met Jenner, Hutchins began appearing by her side in 2015 shortly after she went public with her shock transition.
They reportedly were introduced by their hairdresser, and they developed a strong friendship. The pair have spent holidays together and also appeared at red carpet events.
But because of their tight bond, the duo faced intense dating speculation during their over a decade of friendship.
Back in 2018, Hutchins fueled the flames by previously described Jenner as her 'partner' and even admitted that they were 'inseparable'.
'I wouldn't describe it as romantic. I would describe it as we're partners, business partners – I'm the executive director of her foundation,' Hutchins dished on an episode of The Hidden Truth Show podcast.
However, both Jenner and Hutchins have made a conscious effort to publicly shut down the romance rumors.
In 2021, Hutchins told People that she was not and had never been interested in starting a romantic relationship with her longtime friend.
'I don't want controversy. I am just trying to live my life. Caitlyn is a parent to me. I have said that a million times. It is a parental, familial relationship,' she said.
'There's no hanky panky,' she insisted. 'I feel like I've been saying that for the past five years.'
Jenner, who was married three times when she was known as Bruce Jenner before transitioning, described herself as 'very single' while attending the White House Correspondent Dinner with Hutchins last year.
Hutchins previously addressed allegations that she was 'mooching off' Caitlyn during a 2019 appearance on Good Morning Britain.
'Everyone thinks I'm mooching off Caitlyn but I do have my own job and my own career that I have to focus on,' she told viewers during the sit-down.
In the same interview, Hutchins praised Jenner as being 'one of the most selfless people you will ever meet.'
Vocal Trump supporter
Sophia has also publicly voiced her support for Donald Trump over the years - and has often posed with a MAGA hat on social media.
Late last year in November, she shared photos from what appeared to be Trump's Mar-a-Lago in Florida on election night.
At the time, she penned: 'Election Night w/ 500 of my closest friends! A true love fest! Don't think anyone slept for 48 hours!'
Hutchins could be seen posing with a few friends at a table inside a crowded room - and Jenner was spotted sitting nearby.
Last year, Hutchins had the opportunity to meet the billionaire.
She uploaded a photo of herself beaming beside Trump in front of an American flag with the caption: 'The energy, passion, and commitment for our movement to Save America has never been greater! We will never give up.'
In January of this year, Hutchins uploaded a photo of herself and Jenner celebrating Trump's inauguration with Judge Jeanine Pirro and other MAGA superstars to Instagram.
Sophia also made appearances in segments for Fox News - which she shared to her Instagram page.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Hutchins could be seen interviewing on the network under the title of 'Trump 2024 Campaign Surrogate.'
She also was open with her social media followers about casting her vote for Trump during last year's U.S. presidential election.
Sophia had uploaded other snippets from election night, and wrote: 'It's been a wild ride. From the convention & inauguration in 2016, to 2020, to the most insane campaign in US history in 2024, I love this family as if they were my own.
'I will keep fighting for America in any way I am told - we've made it this far and I don't plan on stopping, only speeding up.'