Oscars Sensation ‘Gary From Chicago’ Just Served 20-Year Prison Sentence: ‘Change Is Possible’
“Gary from Chicago” was a highlight of the Oscars on Sunday, but his surprise television debut came shortly after another major day in his life. Just three days before Hollywood’s biggest night, Gary Alan Coe was released from a California prison after serving 20 years of a life sentence for multiple felonies.
During Jimmy Kimmel’s tour bus skit, a group of unsuspecting tourists was ushered into the auditorium to mingle with Hollywood’s biggest stars, but it was “Gary from Chicago” who stole the segment. As soon as he kissed Nicole Kidman’s hand, he quickly began trending online, with the Chicago Bulls offering him tickets to a game and Gino’s East wanting to give him free pizza.
On Monday, Coe opened up to ABC7 Chicago about his time behind bars, where he says he found both religion and his fiancée, Vickie Vines.
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“Change is possible,” the viral sensation said. “It’s a sad day to be in prison for 20 years and not be able to be a dad, granddad to your children. You know what my son told me today, man, and I almost come to tears. He said he’s proud of me. So to hear your children say that they’re proud of me means the world to me.”
Coe is still listed as a resident of the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison at Corcoran. While his offenses are unclear, as the Los Angeles Times notes, a life sentence would imply some sort of three-strikes conviction. On Monday, public defender Karen Nash posted a photo with Coe and the following message to Facebook.
“I spent this afternoon laughing and crying with Gary and Vicky. For those of you who missed it, I spent years working on Gary’s case. He got a life sentence for stealing perfume in 1997, and we finally won release this year. He got out on Friday, and was sight seeing with his lovely fiancé Vicky. If you watched the Oscars, you know the rest.”
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Reports surfaced that Coe had been put away for rape; in actuality, he has a prior for attempted rape. Nash clarified on Facebook: “Hi all! Sadly we have seen some inaccurate reporting this morning! Gary was not sentenced on a rape charge! He does not have a rape conviction. He served 20 years for petty theft. He has a prior from 1975 for attempted rape when he was a teenager. If you see inaccurate reporting please forward the reporters name and contact. Cheers!”
Coe and Vines both charmed the A-list crowd in the Dolby Theatre, getting up close and personal with Ryan Gosling, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Aniston. However, it was Denzel Washington who really made an impression on Vines.
“I’ve been watching Denzel since he was on St. Elsewhere. Oh my God. I could die and go to heaven right now,” she told ABC.
During the telecast, Kimmel asked Washington to be the best man at their wedding, and at that, the Fences star grabbed the couple’s hands and pronounced them “husband and wife.”
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Since Washington isn’t ordained, black-ish star Anthony Anderson offered to do the job while hosting a post-Oscars telecast.
“The couple from Chicago, I am actually ordained to marry people, so if they are here, I will marry them,” Anderson said. “It didn’t really count when Denzel did it. I’m actually ordained to marry people in the state of California. So if they’re around, I was trying to get them up here so I could marry them on this show. Why wait ’til July?”
Coe and Vines plan to wed in California over the summer. No word yet as to whether Anderson will officiate.
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