Originally posted on August 31, 2024 @ 5:47 pm

Gary: Recap of the Story of Gary Coleman

-Gary tells the story of the late Gary Coleman, best known for playing the role of Arnold Jackson on the hit eighties series Diff’rent Strokes,

-The movie opens with a montage of his time on the show. Several people, including his co-star Todd Bridges reflect on his life and legacy. We also hear about how several people, including his family, took advantage of him and his fame, leaving him broke, angry and finding ‘ways to escape reality.’

-There is also footage of his marriage, which was toxic and tumultuous, and his suspicious death. It was said that he died of a brain hemorrhage, but many people suspected foul play.

-Shannon Price, his ex-wife, puts on makeup and says this is the last time she can probably speak the truth about what happened to Gary. She claims she was in bed and heard a crash. She’d run downstairs to a bloody scene and called 911. We hear the actual 911 call, as she recalls that fatal night.

-Shannon talks about meeting Gary and working on the movie Church Ball with him. She had wanted to be an extra and he helped her get on set. The two exchanged numbers and started spending time together. He shared his life story with her and she was sympathetic to the hardships he had faced.

-Sue Coleman, Gary’s mother, talked about his life and how he got into child modeling. In a voiceover, Gary (posthumously) talks about how this gig helped set the stage for his career.

-Victor Perillo, Gary’s agent, talked about meeting Gary and his first impression of him. Gary began landing commercial gigs, which we hear about in another voiceover from Gary. Before long, Norman Lear heard about Gary, allowing Gary to get an audition.

-Willie Coleman, Gary’s father, talks about Norman Lear telling them that they had a star on his hands.

-Diff’rent Strokes casting director Eve Brandstein recalls hearing about Gary and how he was put under contract. He appeared on shows like Good Times, quickly becoming a huge star. This resulted in him becoming Arnold Jackson, the role that put him on the map. Gary’s voiceover talks about how much he loved acting and of course, getting paid for having fun and doing something he loved.

-Todd Bridges remembers meeting Gary and being impressed with how funny and smart he was. Joann Stafford Chaney, the hairstylist on the show, also remembers Gary as a fun guy who loved joking around.

-Dion Mial, one of Gary’s friends, shows off memorabilia from Gary’s career. They met when his mom had to go on set to audit a teacher and invited him to come along. He was immediately taken by Gary and says he was like nobody he had ever seen before.

-We hear voiceovers from the show on the soundstage where they filmed. Todd shares some memories as more behind the scenes clips are shown. He recalls making spaceships and other fun memories, including where everything was filmed.

-He also recalls the show being historical, while Eve recalls the show getting some backlash, leading to several episode clips dealing with the issues of a white man adopting black children….but how love conquered all.

-Todd talks about Gary being the show’s breakout star, while Eve remembers him being everywhere at the time and how many celebrities including Mr. T, Muhammad Ali and Nancy Reagan wanted to be on the show because of him. In short, he was one of the biggest stars in the world at the time.

-Gary is also remembered for his vivid imagination and love of creating stories.

-Sue talks about Gary being two years old and being diagnosed with a kidney disease. Willie says it was a devastating time for the family. When he was five and a half, he had a kidney transplant. He woke up with a spirit the doctors loved and it stayed with him.

-Dion shows more pictures of Gary and explains how the kidney disease drugs stunted his growth and caused him to have a full face. The height and face fullness was actually written into the show in several episodes.

-At the time, he was not expected to have a full life, but he beat the odds.

-Shannon continues to talk about her life with Gary and how they had a happy, playful relationship in the beginning. She also talks about her own sad childhood and how she lost her mom at a young age.

-We see a clip of an unaired reality show pilot of the two of them.

-Sheila Erickson Rolls, Gary’s Utah theatrical agent, talks about Shannon and Gary’s relationship, as Shannon reflects back on their wedding day. We see footage of the wedding day as Sue also remembers that day.

-We take a look at more archive footage of Gary’s life and how he always had a team around him. Victor and Dion remember those days, saying that at the time, he was at the top of the world.

-By this time, Gary was the breakout star of the show, causing problems with Willie, since he tried to be in the thick of things, causing fights and animosity on the set.

-In 1985, Gary’s kidneys failed, causing them to be removed and him to be on dialysis for the rest of his life. He would often get sick on set, causing filming to be suspended until he got better. This did not sit well with Willie, who wanted the show to go on.

-Victor remembers it differently, saying that Willie always made Gary’s health a priority. Willie sticks to this story as well.

-Eve and Sue talk about how Arnold was never really able to grow and mature on the show, even though Gary was growing up in real life. This led to him being very unhappy and the show coming to an end.

-After the show ended, Gary went into a depression. He didn’t want to work in the entertainment business anymore, but everyone, including his parents and Victor, wanted him to continue. He was pushed into more work he didn’t want to do, making him even unhappier.

-Dion remembers getting a call from Gary late at night, where he said that he wanted to say goodbye because it wasn’t worth it anymore. He raced over to see him, only to find him at this keyboard. The two of them cried together and Dion told him to take a break.

-Gary and Dion went to Hawaii together. We see archive footage of the trip as Dion talks about how they discussed the possibility of Gary being taken advantage of by those around him. He remembers how Gary fired those around him as more footage is shown of Gary talking about the incident.

-Victor remembers Gary firing everyone, while Sue remembers thinking he was making a mistake and being lied to by Dion.

-Victor also thinks Dion was feeding Gary lies, as did Willie, while more home movies play.

-By 1987, Dion was Gary’s business manager. He denies taking advantage of him and talks about how there was a deep dive into Gary’s finances.

-We see the 20/20 episode where we see where his money was going, along with Gary’s lawyer, Drew Ryce, explaining what happened to the money and how Gary didn’t even see most of it. He also explains how Gary’s parents took money from the blocked account for Gary, claiming it was gifted to them.

-Sue denies this was the case.

-Dion tells his version of the events and how Willie maintained he did nothing wrong and Gary should believe his parents. This led to Willie, Sue and business manager Anita de Thomas getting sued. His parents tried to claim he could not handle it and to this day, Sue maintains this, thinking that his medical condition could cause the courts to take advantage of him.

-Gary was livid by this lie and met with the judge privately. This led to her saying there was no need for a conservator. This all resulted in a court battle.

-We see more archive footage of the case and interviews with the family, with Willie and Sue maintaining their innocence. This led to the family being torn apart and not speaking to one another.

-Todd remembers Gary telling him not to give his parents his number and how he hung up on them when they called and asked for it.

-Shannon says she never had any interest in meeting his parents since they took advantage of him.

-Gary’s friend Brandi Buys talks about how Shannon would sell autographed photos of Gary, causing him to blow up on him. Others recall him struggling for money and how Gary and Shannon had a toxic relationship.

-Shannon also talks about those toxic moments between them while others recall her degrading him just as much as he claimed he did it for her.

-Another friend named Darren Nord remembers how Gary would call Shannon his soulmate, but he warned him that love was not enough if he was being treated badly.

-Another friend named Anna Gray recalls working at Blockbuster and meeting Gary. He asked her for a movie and would later be found on the hood of her car. The two exchanged numbers and a friendship blossomed, with the two of them moving in together and becoming a couple. She says that he was romantic and affectionate, but not interested in sex.

-Dion remembers Gary telling him he wanted to be in the entertainment business again, but there were no roles for him that would fit his image of a superhero. He wanted to break away from the wholesome image he had, which proved to be difficult.

-The only roles he could get were reprisals of Arnold Jackson or him using his famous ‘whatchu talking about’ catchphrase. He hated this and wanted to break free from it.

-Eve talks about the struggle of child stars and how Gary, Todd and Dana Plato were not immune to the struggle. Todd recalls about how people had bets on which one of them would die first, leading to the footage of the news of Dana’s death.

-We see more footage of Gary talking about his struggles and doing Cash Call commercials. He also became a security guard, which was a dream come true, since he’d always wanted to become a cop.

-Gary would soon find himself in trouble with the law when he was recognized and got into a fight with a fan. People would parody this fight, resulting in Gary becoming depressed.

-Dion remembers talking to Gary about this and even getting a suicide note at the height of his depression.

-Anna talks about Gary’s love of space and how he would often drive to an area where he could watch the sky when he couldn’t sleep. He would often tell her that he wished he would be in a place where he was respected and hoped to someday make that dream come true.

-Anna talks about him landing Church Ball and deciding to move to Utah in 2005. She packed up the apartment and moved out there, only to see Shannon with him. The women did not get along at all and Anna suspected Shannon was using Gary for clout.

-One day, the women got into a fight, leading to Anna leaving him. She hopes Shannon would give him the joy he deserved, but says that was not the case.

-Dion recalls learning about Shannon and being concerned about the relationship, while Shannon recalls them arguing over money, which led to their divorce. Sheila remembers telling him to take jobs, even though they may not be what he wanted so he could pay the bills.

-Things got so toxic that Gary considered getting a restraining order with lawyer Randy Kester. It was never served and Gary had hopes that things would work out. Brandi knew things were toxic and was proven correct when both Gary and Shannon were arrested in a domestic dispute.

-We see an interview where Gary walked out after being questioned about the relationship, cussing out the reporters.

-Shannon remembers the day Gary fell. She claimed she asked him to make her pizza rolls when he fell. Brandi thinks there is something fishy about this story.

-Shannon called 911 and we once again hear the call. She was freaking out over the blood and was worried about seizing and being traumatized, which did not sit well with Brandi or Anna. Shannon maintains she didn’t want to intervene with where all the blood was and claims he was not with it during the 911 call. She claims she did what she could to help, but Brandi and Anna think that she this could not be further from the truth. Dion says that Gary left in the ambulance alone, which pissed him off.

-Shannon maintains she was sick and full of anxiety, which is why she stayed home. The next day, she found out that his condition worsened. She had gone to see him and saw he was on a ventilator.

-Darren says he learned about Gary’s condition and had to encourage Shannon to go to the hospital.

-Sue and Willie found out about Gary’s condition on television. Sue says she requested Shannon call her but that call never came. Dion recalls calling Shannon and her being short with him, saying Gary was ‘done.’

-Sheila remembers Shannon telling her to meet her at the hospital. She and Darren claim she did everything she could to talk to the doctors, while Shannon recalls saying goodbye to Gary for the last time and saying she loved him and that she was sorry for everything. He was soon taken off life support and passed aways.

-Sue and Willie talk about Gary’s death, while Anna says his death broke her.

-Dion thinks there were too many questions and no answers about how he died. This leads to many theories about how Shannon could have killed him, both online and from several loved ones.

-Shannon maintains her innocence and there was no sign of foul play at the scene.

-Dion and Anna question why Shannon pulled the plug so soon, when it was requested via Gary to keep him on life support for two weeks if such an event were to occur. Shannon maintains she did what she had to do.

-A tabloid published a picture of Gary in the hospital with Shannon in his final moments. Dion says this was the ultimate betrayal. Shannon says this was a selfie she provided, and she was crying while taking it. Gary’s friends say this was in poor taste while Shannon thinks she did this to show he was human.

-Anna claims Gary didn’t want a funeral or headstone at the end and wanted to be left alone.

-Dion says Gary had a life fraught with disappointments, while Brandi and Anna echo those sentiments.

-Dion talks about how the entertainment industry is not designed to protect anyone, while Gary’s last interview talks about the burden of being a celebrity.

-Shelia says Gary told her that he felt like he never existed, which confused her. She thinks he will always be remembered. Dion thinks Gary’s life is a cautionary tale, but he will remember all the tragedy and triumphs he faced.

-We see clips from his time as Arnold Jackson while Dion talks about how Gary should be remembered.