Gary Coe and his fiancée were part of the group strolling on Hollywood Boulevard when they were invited to the 2017 Oscars by host Jimmy Kimmel. #GaryFromChicago immediately became a meme, gained 15 minutes of fame, and received offers from Chicago businesses. After digging into his past, the media exposed Coe as a two-day released felon who had been sentenced to life in prison for stealing perfume from a department store in 1997, his third strike, which under California's law carries a mandated sentence of 25 years to life. One of Coe’s prior convictions was for attempted rape, committed when he was 18, in 1975.