Some people unexpectedly catapulted into the harsh spotlight of public attention may wish they had stayed in the shadows.
Take, for example, Gary Alan Coe, better known to the world as “Gary from Chicago.”
Mr. Coe went from being an unknown to a household name on Sunday night during the broadcast of the Academy Awards. He was in a group from a tour bus directed into the auditorium to rub elbows with Hollywood A-listers as cameras beamed the passengers’ shock and confusion live to the world.
He gamely kissed Nicole Kidman’s hand and shook hands with Ryan Gosling. Social media celebrated this Everyman dressed in tourist attire (baseball cap and hooded sweatshirt) who came face to face with celebrities dressed in their red-carpet finest.
Alas, the glow of Mr. Coe’s instant celebrity dimmed in less than 48 hours amid reports that he had been released from prison three days before appearing on the show.
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