Career Timeline of Caitlyn Jenner: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Caitlyn Jenner made an impact.
Caitlyn Jenner is an American media personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, formerly known as Bruce Jenner. Jenner gained global recognition for winning gold in the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In later life, Jenner publicly came out as a trans woman in 2015, becoming a prominent figure in the transgender community. This transition was documented in a reality television series, 'I Am Cait,' which explored her journey and the challenges faced by transgender individuals. Beyond athletics and media, Jenner has also ventured into politics, running as a Republican candidate in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election.
1970: Debut as a Decathlete
In 1970, Jenner debuted as a decathlete in the Drake Relays decathlon in Des Moines, Iowa, finishing in fifth place.
1972: Decision to Dedicate to Training
In 1972, Jenner made the decision to dedicate the next four years to training for the decathlon and then move on to other endeavors.
1972: U.S. Olympic Trials and Munich Olympics
In 1972, Jenner qualified for the Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Trials and later competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, finishing tenth in the decathlon.
1973: Decathlon Competitions
Between 1973 and 1976, Jenner competed in 13 decathlons.
August 1974: Track & Field News Cover
In August 1974, Jenner was featured on the cover of Track & Field News magazine.
1975: AAU National Championships Loss
In 1975, Jenner experienced a loss at the AAU National Championships due to a "no height" in the pole vault.
1975: Championships and Gold Medal
In 1975, Jenner won the French national championship and a gold medal at the Pan American Games, setting a tournament record.
August 9, 1976: Sports Illustrated Cover
On August 9, 1976, Jenner appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
1976: Gold Medal Victory
At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Jenner won the gold medal in the men's decathlon with a world-record score of 8,618 points.
1976: Decathlon Competitions
Between 1973 and 1976, Jenner competed in 13 decathlons.
1976: Inspired to Train
In 1972 and leading up to 1976, Jenner was inspired to train to compete at the Olympic Games after watching Soviet Mykola Avilov win the decathlon event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Jenner trained six to eight hours a day, every day, 365 days a year.
1976: Olympic Trials Record
In 1976, Jenner set a world record at the Olympic trials in Eugene.
1976: Saturday Night Live Parody
In 1976, the "hero shot" and the Wheaties cover were parodied by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live.
1976: World and Olympic Record
Jenner's 1976 world and Olympic record was broken by four points by Daley Thompson at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
November 22, 1977: Refuting Charges Against Wheaties
On November 22, 1977, Jenner went to San Francisco to refute charges filed by San Francisco district attorney Joseph Freitas that General Mills, the maker of Wheaties, had engaged in deceptive advertising in its campaign that featured Jenner.
1977: Wheaties Spokesperson
In 1977, Jenner became a spokesperson for Wheaties brand breakfast cereal and appeared on the cover of the cereal box.
1978: America Alive! Co-Host
In 1978, Jenner co-hosted the short-lived daytime talk and variety series America Alive!
February 1979: Gentleman's Quarterly Cover
In February 1979, Jenner appeared on the cover of Gentleman's Quarterly magazine.
1979: Victory in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
In 1979, Jenner won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, holding off Al Unser.
1980: Film Appearance
In 1980, Jenner made her film appearance in the comedy Can't Stop the Music and starred in the made-for-TV movie The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story.
1980: Contacted by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Team
In 1980, Jenner was contacted by NASCAR Winston Cup Series team DiGard Motorsports about driving the No. 88 car for the 1981 season, expressing interest but ultimately not being hired.
1980: World and Olympic Record Broken
Jenner's 1976 world and Olympic record was broken by four points by Daley Thompson at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
1981: Olympic Decathlon Video Game
In 1981, Jenner appeared in the video game Olympic Decathlon.
1981: Grambling's White Tiger
In 1981, Jenner starred in the made-for-TV movie Grambling's White Tiger.
1981: Ricky Rudd Hired by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Team
In 1981, Ricky Rudd was hired by NASCAR Winston Cup Series team DiGard Motorsports for the No. 88 car, after Jenner had expressed interest in the role in 1980.
1982: CHiPs Guest Star
During the 1981–1982 season, Jenner became a semi-regular cast member in the police series CHiPs, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish for six episodes.
1982: Second victory in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
In 1982, Jenner won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race for a second time, passing Ted Nugent with two laps remaining.
1984: Mary Lou Retton Succeeds Jenner
In 1984, Mary Lou Retton succeeded Jenner as a spokesperson for Wheaties.
1985: Silver Spoons Appearance
In 1985, Jenner appeared in an episode of the sitcom Silver Spoons called "Trouble with Words" and revealed personal issues with dyslexia.
1985: Olympic Decathlon Score Reevaluated
In 1985, Jenner's Olympic decathlon score was reevaluated against the IAAF's updated decathlon scoring table and was reported as 8,634 for comparative purposes.
1986: Victory at 12 hours of Sebring and success in IMSA Camel GT series
In 1986, Jenner achieved her first victory in the 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class, driving the 7-Eleven Roush Racing Ford Mustang with co-driver Scott Pruett, finishing 4th overall. 1986 was Jenner's most successful year, finishing second in the championship to Pruett.
1989: Dirty Tennis Appearance
In 1989, Jenner played herself in the comedy short Dirty Tennis written by James Van Patten.
1991: American Record Surpassed
In 1991, Jenner's converted mark from 1985 stood as the American record until it was surpassed by eventual gold medalist, and world record holder, Dan O'Brien.
1996: Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon Video Game
In 1996, Jenner appeared in the video game Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon.
January 2002: Participation in The Weakest Link
In January 2002, Jenner participated in an episode of the American series 'The Weakest Link,' which featured Olympic athletes.
March 2003: Cast member of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
In March 2003, Jenner was part of the cast of the American series 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'.
2003: Appearance on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
In 2003, Jenner appeared on the American version of 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'.
May 2005: Cameo appearance in The Apprentice
In May 2005, Jenner made a cameo appearance in a season-three episode of 'The Apprentice'.
March 2006: Participation in Skating with Celebrities
In March 2006, Jenner partnered with Tai Babilonia for 'Skating with Celebrities'; they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes.
2007: Keeping Up with the Kardashians
In 2007, Jenner began appearing on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
2008: Additional Television and Talk Show Appearances
In 2008, Jenner made additional television appearances, including Nickelodeon's made-for-TV film 'Gym Teacher: The Movie' and episodes of 'Murder, She Wrote'. Jenner also appeared in the 'Lingo Olympic Winners' episode, and talk shows such as 'Hannity' and season 1, episode 21 of 'The Bonnie Hunt Show'.
November 2010: Photograph shown in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
In November 2010, a photograph of Jenner was shown in a janitor's resume in an episode of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'.
2011: Appearance in Jack and Jill
In 2011, Jenner appeared in the Adam Sandler comedy 'Jack and Jill' in a scene with Al Pacino. The film won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture.
June 2015: Private appearance at Los Angeles LGBT Center
In June 2015, Caitlyn Jenner made a private appearance at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where she spoke with trans youth, after coming out as a trans woman.
July 2015: Premiere of I Am Cait
In July 2015, the eight-part TV documentary series "I Am Cait" premiered on E! to an audience of 2.7 million viewers. The show focused on Jenner's transition and its impact on her relationships.
October 2015: "I Am Cait" renewed for second season
In October 2015, the TV documentary series "I Am Cait" was renewed for a second season.
March 6, 2016: Premiere of second season of I Am Cait
On March 6, 2016, the second season of "I Am Cait" premiered. In 2016, the show tied for Outstanding Reality Program at the GLAAD Media Awards.
April 8, 2016: Release of "Finally Free" lipstick
On April 8, 2016, MAC Cosmetics collaborated with Caitlyn Jenner to release a lipstick called "Finally Free," with 100% of the selling price going to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative.
May 2016: GLAAD Media Award for Diane Sawyer interview
In May 2016, Caitlyn Jenner's 2015 interview with Diane Sawyer won Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine at the GLAAD Media Awards.
June 2016: Depiction in Kanye West's 'Famous' video and Epic Rap Battles of History
In June 2016, Jenner was depicted in Kanye West's song "Famous" video and in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History.
September 2016: Appearance in Transparent
In September 2016, Jenner appeared in the Amazon Prime TV series 'Transparent' in a dream sequence during the season three episode "To Sardines and Back".
2016: Starred in I Am Cait
From 2015 to 2016, Jenner starred in the reality television series I Am Cait, which focused on her gender transition.
April 25, 2017: Publication of memoir, The Secrets of My Life
On April 25, 2017, Caitlyn Jenner's memoir, "The Secrets of My Life", was published.
July 2017: Contemplation of Senate run and condemnation of transgender military ban
In July 2017, Caitlyn Jenner considered running in the 2018 race for the U.S. Senate to represent California. Also in July 2017, she condemned President Trump's order reinstating a ban on transgender people from serving in the military.
2018: World and American All-Time List Ranking
As of 2018, Jenner was ranked twenty-sixth on the world all-time list and ninth on the American all-time list.
2018: Possible senate run
In July 2017, Caitlyn Jenner contemplated running in the 2018 race for the U.S. Senate to represent California.
November 2019: Participation in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
In November 2019, it was announced that Jenner would be participating in the nineteenth season of the British version of 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'
April 2021: Consideration and launch of campaign for Governor of California
In early April 2021, it was reported that Caitlyn Jenner was considering running for Governor of California in the 2021 recall gubernatorial election as a Republican. Later in April 2021, on April 23, Jenner officially launched her campaign.
2021: Appearance on The Masked Singer and Big Brother VIP
In 2021, Jenner appeared as "Phoenix" on season five of 'The Masked Singer' and was the second contestant unmasked. In the same year, Jenner also appeared in the Australian version of 'Big Brother VIP'.
2021: Gubernatorial Recall Election and Fox News
In 2021, Jenner ran in the California gubernatorial recall election and finished 13th with one percent of the vote. Six months later, Jenner was hired by Fox News as an on-air contributor.
2021: End of Keeping Up with the Kardashians
In 2021, Jenner's appearance on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians came to an end.
2022: Hired as on-air contributor for Fox News
In 2022, Fox News hired Jenner as an on-air contributor.
2022: Founded Jenner Racing
In 2022, Jenner founded Jenner Racing, a team in the all-female W Series open-wheel championship. The series folded midseason, though their driver Jamie Chadwick was declared the champion as the points leader when the final races were canceled.
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