- Gary Coe, 60, was one of many surprise guests at last year’s Oscars telecast
- Denzel Washington even pretended to marry him and his then-fiancée
- Coe said his life was ‘horrible’ after his criminal record was revealed in the media
- He had been released from prison for three days before the Oscars after spending 20 years in prison for an alleged attempted rape
- Coe says a few days after the Oscars, he and his fiancée ended their engagement
The man who went viral as ‘Gary from Chicago’ at last year’s Academy Awards said his life has been turned upside down because of it.
Gary Alan Coe delighted audiences after he stepped off a Los Angeles tour bus and made a surprise appearance the Oscars last February where he and other tourists were able to meet the celebrities in attendance.
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Coe’s appearance on the Oscars.
However, the next day, his criminal record began to be unearthed by news outlets
The man who went viral as ‘Gary from Chicago’ (left) at last year’s Academy Awards said his life was ‘horrible’ especially after his criminal record began to be unearthed by news outlets
Coe (left) delighted audiences after he stepped off a Los Angeles tour bus and made a surprise appearance the Oscars last February where he and other tourists were able to meet the celebrities in attendance, including Denzel Washington (center)
‘It was horrible,’ Coe told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘I didn’t ask to be put on the Oscars. I was minding my own business, walking down the street.’
Prior to his appearance on the show, Coe had only been been released for three days after serving 20 years in prison.
He’d been sentenced as part of the three-strikes law in California, with one of his arrests for an alleged attempted rape.
The 60-year-old Coe has been accompanied on the surprise trip by his then-fiancée. Denzel Washington, who was seated at the front of the audience, memorably pretended to officiate their wedding during the show.
Within a week of the award show, their engagement had ended. Coe says the Oscars debacle was a factor along with the recent passing of his fiancée’s twin brother.
Within a week of the award show, their engagement had ended. Coe says the Oscars debacle was a factor along with the recent passing of his fiancée’s twin brother.
However, Coe, says he is currently engaged to another woman. He says the media has attempted to make his Oscar moment ‘something ugly.’
‘And how about the way it’s come down? Look what happened to Harvey Weinstein!’ he said.
‘Come to find out that the people up in really high places are the ones we should’ve been watching, and not some poor little black guy that’s been locked away in prison for the last 20 years!’
This year’s Academy Awards will air on Sunday at 8pm ET on ABC.