The list of “fails” from this year’s Academy Awards continues to grow.
It turns out “Gary from Chicago,” who became an instant sensation when he was invited in to the Oscars ceremony along with other tourists, was released from jail just three days before the event, WLS-TV reported.
Gary Alan Coe and his fiancee Vickie Vines were part of a sightseeing bus full of tourists who were invited inside the Dolby Theater by host Jimmy Kimmel during Sunday’s ceremony. The couple stole the show as they took photos of celebrities and revealed they were engaged.
Trump supporters claim victory after Oscar ratings are released; check it out …
#GaryFromChicago is winning the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/KIi0TujORh
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 27, 2017
Coe, sporting a Hollywood sweatshirt and a black baseball cap, kissed the hands of female celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Meryl Streep. When his fiancee revealed her favorite actor was Denzel Washington, Kimmel asked the actor to be the best man at the couple’s wedding. Washington “pronounced” them husband and wife as Vines captured the moment on her camera.
I think it’s pretty safe to say Gary from Chicago had a pretty good day ?? #Oscars pic.twitter.com/CxiAR0ogaC
— Shujaat Shah (@ShujaatShah13) February 27, 2017
But Coe, a South Shore native, revealed to WLS that he was just released from a California prison after serving 20 years for multiple felonies.
“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,” he told WLS, explaining that it was in prison where he found his fiancee Vickie, and God.
According to public records, the 59 year-old was jailed in October 1994 for multiple felonies, including “attempted rape by force or fear” for which Coe is registered as a sex offender, the Daily Mail reported. He was released from Corcoran Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison.
So “Gary from Chicago” was released from prison just 2 days before appearing on the Oscars. He was jailed since ’97 https://t.co/HGWwJdsZvE pic.twitter.com/oJtBZJ5adk
— Kurt Gessler (@kurtgessler) February 28, 2017
It was not clear if the Oscars organizers were aware that the instant celebrity was registered as a sex offender.
The strange twist just added to a challenged Oscars ceremony with Kimmel’s failed attempts to engage President Donald Trump in a Twitter exchange during the event, and the lowest ratings since 2008.
And who will ever forget the worst moment in Oscars history as the 89th annual Academy Awards announced the wrong film as winner of the best movie award.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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