In an Oscars gag reminiscent of Ellen DeGeneres‘ 2014 pizza takeout bit, Jimmy Kimmel unloaded a sightseeing bus full of unsuspecting tourists into the Dolby Theatre Sunday night, thrusting them without warning in front of everyone who’s anyone in Hollywood and millions of viewers at home. At the front of the pack was Chicagoan Gary Alan Cole—and Gary was ready for the spotlight.
Wearing a Hollywood sweatshirt and black baseball cap, Gary introduced himself to Kimmel and quickly pulled out his phone to start snapping pics of the front-row celebs. He was joined, we soon learned, by his fiancée Vickie, who could hardly contain her excitement at breathing the same air as her all-time favorite actor Denzel Washington; Washington gamely performed a brief, impromptu wedding ceremony for the pair.
Oscars 2017: See Celebrities Hit the Red Carpet
Taraji P. Henson on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesJohn Legend and Chrissy Teigen on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesJanelle Monáe on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesKarlie Kloss on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesNaomie Harris on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Frazer Harrison—Getty ImagesEmma Stone on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesRyan Gosling on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.George Pimentel—Getty ImagesDakota Johnson on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesViola Davis on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Jeff Kravitz—Getty ImagesCasey Affleck on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Frazer Harrison—Getty ImagesRuth Negga on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Lester Cohen—Getty ImagesPriyanka Chopra on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesJessica Beil on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesMax Martin, Justin Timberlake and Karl Johan Schuster on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesCharlize Theron on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Frazer Harrison—Getty ImagesNicole Kidman on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesScarlett Johansson on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesTrevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert and Ashton Sanders on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Jeff Kravitz—Getty ImagesMahershala Ali on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesBrie Larson on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesLuz Towns-Miranda and Lin-Manuel Miranda on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Tyler Golden—ABC/Getty ImagesDev Patel on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesPharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesHalle Berry on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.George Pimentel—Getty ImagesViggo Mortensen on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesAva DuVernay on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesFelicity Jones on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesTrudie Styler and Sting on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesHailee Steinfeld on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesLuciana Barroso and Matt Damon on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesKirsten Dunst on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesBarry Jenkins on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesSalma Hayek on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevork Djansezian—Getty ImagesAndrew Garfield on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesJackie Chan on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesOlivia Culpo on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesTerrence Howard on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesAuli'i Cravalho on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesKerri Higuchi and John Cho on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesTeresa Palmer on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesIsabelle Huppert on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesTarell Alvin, right, and guest on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesLeslie Mann on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesGinnifer Goodwin on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesMichael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty ImagesSunny Pawar on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesAllison Schroeder on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty ImagesPauletta Washington and Denzel Washington on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Frazer Harrison—Getty ImagesLucas Hedges on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Lester Cohen—Getty ImagesRiz Ahmed on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.George Pimentel—Getty ImagesOctavia Spencer on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Jeff Kravitz—Getty ImagesSusan Geston and Jeff Bridges on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesMichelle Williams on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesLaura Dern on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesOlivia Hamilton and Damien Chazelle on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Steve Granitz—Getty ImagesAlicia Vikander on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars, on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesSofia Boutella arrives on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. / AFP / VALERIE MACON (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty Images
As Gary, Vickie and the rest of the crew rubbed Mahershala Ali’s Oscar and kissed the hands of nominees Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer, Kimmel noted to Gary, “I feel like you’re ignoring the white celebrities.” To which Gary matter-of-factly responded, “Yes, I am.”
The bit had a few critics—particularly after Kimmel made fun of one of the tourist’s names for being unfamiliar and difficult for him to pronounce. But Gary, who was hardly at fault for the segment’s existence, was quickly embraced. In the grand tradition of memes, which have granted the likes of Ken Bone instant celebrity, the Internet began fawning over Gary from Chicago almost immediately.
The official Chicago Bulls Twitter account invited Gary to a game:
Gary from Chicago! We've got you covered if you want to come to a game! #Oscars