Gary From Chicago Was Released From Prison Just Days Before Oscars After Serving 20 Years

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 28, 2017 3:49PM

For a guy who seemed almost obsessively insistent on documenting his surroundings, there was precious little information at the ready about Gary Alan Coe, a.k.a. "Gary from Chicago" a.k.a. savior of awards ceremonies and questionable stunt comedy. It turns out his story is even more remarkable than we could have imagined.

According to an interview with ABC7, Gary—who led a gaggle of unwitting tourists from a sightseeing bus along the celebrity-stuffed front row at Dolby Theater on Sunday night's Academy Awards—was released from California prison after doing two decades for multiple felonies just three days prior to the Oscars telecast.

It was during his time in prison, in fact, that Gary met Vicki Vines, his fiancee.

Coe said in the interview with ABC, "Change is possible. 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."

It's not clear what the crimes were that led to Coe's two decades in jail. The public defender who represented Coe implied that his extended time service may have been related to
California's strict sentencing guidelines, the Tribune reports.

The Trib wrote:

"His attorney, public defender Karen Nash, posted on Facebook that he had received a life sentence in 1997 for stealing perfume. In California, offenders convicted of multiple crimes can face harsher sentencing."

Nash called him a "very special human being," and Coe's daughter, Jacqui Williams, said, "He's a really sweet, genuine, loving-type of dad," according to the paper.

But in answer to perhaps the most pressing question, yes, Gary from Chicago is from Chicago, not the 'burbs. He was raised in South Shore, according to ABC. "I'm a Chicago boy! What do you mean? That's the Windy City! That's my town!" Coe said.

Before the Oscars' closing flub heard 'round the world, Gary stole the show on Sunday, as he hilariously copped to Kimmel's claim that Gary was ignoring the white celebrities, rubbed Mahershala Ali's Oscar in wide-eyed amazement, and stood by as Denzel Washington officiated an impromptu "wedding" for he and Vicki.

"I've been watching Denzel since he was on St. Elsewhere. Oh my god. I could die and go to heaven right now," Vines told ABC.

They're getting hitched for real in July.