On this amazing 200th episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we finally do it! We look at the life, impact, death, and supernatural powers of Gary Coleman. Called “King of the Midgets” by Brad over some time ago, he has been a big part of our show and most conspiracy theories. This force of pop culture was born in 1968 in Zion, Illinois. Gary Coleman was the son of a homeless woman, and he was adopted as a baby by a nurse practitioner and a pharmaceutical representative.

It was clear early on that the child had health problems. Indeed, he had nephritis, which is a congenital kidney defect that kept him from ever growing past 4’8” and caused him to have dialysis and transplants throughout his life.

Coleman was a bright kid, learning to fully read and write at a young age and writing his own pitch letters to modeling agencies when he was only five years old. This led to him doing local commercials and eventually getting noticed by Hollywood giant Normal Lear. Lear cast him in several roles in his TV shows, and these eventually lead to Coleman’s role as Arnold in Diff'rent Strokes. In this role, he became a sitcom legend. The show helped identify television in the 1980s, and it lead to several film roles.

However, when the show was finally cancelled, Gary Coleman had a hard time finding acting work. His health condition left him very small, but his face was still aging, so it made it hard for people to keep casting him. This led to a period of depression and legal battles for the money he had earned on the show, and by adulthood, his money was all gone, and he couldn’t get consistent work. At this point he met his wife, Shannon Price.

Their marriage was turbulent, often involved the police, and revolved around legal battles, restraining orders, and battles for his estate. Gary Coleman died on May 28, 2010 under questionable circumstances. How did a “fall” lead to his death? Did Shannon Price kill Coleman? Why was she so strange in the 911 call? How did he get super powers and the ability to travel through time? Why do people say there is a “Curse of Diff'rent Strokes?” Wat’choo talkin’ bout Willis? Listen, laugh, learn.

Oh, and also, back by popular demand, we play a round of News or Bull$hit!

Police Call of his Wife: (Many people claim that at about 1:57 you can hear him say “Why did you push me?”)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utZ2hHAcY9c