The Uncomfortable Truth About Gary Coleman and Life After ‘Diff’rent Strokes’
What To Know
- Gary Coleman rose to fame as a child star on Diff’rent Strokes, but struggled to find acting work and financial stability after the show ended, partly due to his medical condition and mismanagement of his earnings.
- Despite earning millions at his peak, Coleman lost most of his fortune to exploitative business managers and family, leading him to take humble jobs such as a nighttime security guard in adulthood.
- Coleman’s life was marked by personal and legal struggles, and his untimely death at 42 was followed by controversy over his estate, highlighting the challenges he faced and the lack of support he received.
Back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, there was no child star bigger than Gary Coleman. Sadly, by the time that decade came to an end, it was clear that the diminutive actor who played Arnold Jackson on the classic TV sitcom Diff’rent Strokes was seeing his time in the spotlight reach its conclusion.
Diff’rent Strokes had been a massive hit and ran for a total of eight seasons: seven on NBC, and then a final season on ABC. But when the show was canceled in 1986, the offers did not keep coming to Gary.
Sustaining a career in show business can be a difficult task for anyone. And Gary, who was dealing with other issues — not all that many people wanted to take a chance on him. Because of a medical condition, Gary’s short stature and boyish looks lasted long into adulthood and what was once a blessing when he was younger eventually turned into a curse.
Columbia/Tri-Star / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Fame can be intoxicating and Gary, without a doubt, went through his fair share of withdrawals. Making matters even worse, despite the fact that, at his peak, he had been making somewhere around $64K a week, Gary discovered that his money had been tragically mismanaged.
According to Isaac Lozano writing for The Independent, only “a fraction of the 18 million dollars Coleman had made was going to him, and was instead being maneuvered by conniving business managers and parents.”
For a little while, much of Gary’s time was spent dealing with legal matters, trying to keep his head above water from a financial standpoint. Eventually, Gary realized that he was no longer the bankable star that he once was. When he came to terms with that stark fact, he was able to swallow his pride and find work.
Not all of it was glamorous. In fact, for a little while during the ’90s, Gary found employment as a nighttime security guard, which must have been a really humbling experience for him. I admit that I followed Gary’s career, especially after Diff’rent Strokes, with a certain amount of fascination, and I’ve got to say that I never stopped rooting for the fellow.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
Now, don’t get me wrong; Gary wasn’t perfect. Anyone who does a Google search on him will see that he didn’t always make the best choices. However, as Todd Bridges pointed out to CNN in 2024, “Gary’s struggles were different. I was a full-sized guy, so I was able to go out with girls and stuff and have fun. He wasn’t able to do any of that.”
Sadly, Gary’s struggles ended abruptly when he died at the age of 42, in 2010. After taking a fall at his home due to a suspected seizure, Gary was rushed to the hospital because he and his wife suspected there was internal bleeding. While at first he was conscious and seemed to be recovering, by the next day, Gary was on life support.
After his death, all sorts of questions arose about the distribution of his estate. It was such a mess that a scheduled funeral was postponed and then later completely canceled. It was an unfortunate end to a life that, at least early on, had been filled with so much joy and promise. The uncomfortable truth about Gary Coleman was that as a human being, he deserved better.