# Gary Coleman Today **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073 "2001-06-08T16:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/1 "2001-06-08T16:27:12Z")
After watching Nick at Nite recently, I was just wondering: Supposedly, child-actor Gary Coleman (of the 1980’s) had some kidney or adrenal disorder keeping him as an adult in a child’s body - as he grows. I believe his life expectency was predicted to be cut short due to this. I never heard anything more. Anyone know his story? (Although, his then-teenage co-stars have been a mess ever since starring on “Diff’rent Strokes”.) What happened to “Arnold”? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/2 "2001-06-08T17:06:47Z")
I dunno exactly what the little guy is up to these days, but he rather recently did a guest voice on _The Simpsons_. Here it is. Original air date was December 19, 1999. [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF07](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF07) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/3 "2001-06-08T17:11:41Z")
OK… This is according to the [IMDB](http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Coleman,+Gary). Gary Coleman suffers from kidney disease, and has undergone two kidney transplants. The kidney disease stunted his growth, and explains his lack of stature. He’s also had some legal problems. He successfully sued his parents for 3.8 million dollars for allegedly mismanaging his trust fund earned when he was on “Diffrent Strokes”. He does act occasionally. He’s now appearing in some commercial for Orkin pest control. He’s also writing an online column for [ugo.com](http://ugo.com). I don’t know the specifics of his kidney problems, but I assume he’s OK otherwise. Robin ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/4 "2001-06-08T18:19:11Z")
He has also appeard on the Tonight Show within the last few months. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/5 "2001-06-08T20:00:17Z")
I saw him on Judge Mills Lane a few months ago too. Some lady was suing him for assualt. If memory serves, he lost. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/6 "2001-06-08T22:33:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > **(Although, his then-teenage co-stars have been a mess ever since starring on “Diff’rent Strokes”.)** The one’s that aren’t dead, that is… ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/7 "2001-06-09T01:15:33Z")
Opie and Anthony, a radio team here in NY but soon to be syndicated everywhere, had him on the phone a few months ago. They spoke to him for a few minutes and put him on hold. Then, just for laughs, decided to play a game to see how long they could keep him on hold. About 2 hours later they ended the show and he was still holding! ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/8 "2001-06-09T01:45:02Z")
I saw him on SNL a couple of seasons ago. He was definitely older and bigger, but still looked way young. I read that he’s working as a security guard at one of the studios to supplement his much-reduced acting income. ---
**Author:** ![Phouchg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/41988e/32.png) [@Phouchg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phouchg)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/9 "2001-06-09T04:14:29Z")
I saw him IN PERSON at a computer fair in Pomona, CA. He was a paid spokesman shilling some sort of virtual type storage device for PC data. Poor guy, he’s going through a spiel about this product, and NOBODY is stopping by the booth…this in a very crowded exhibition hall with loads of very busy hardware and software vendors. Kind of felt sorry for the guy. Really. Phouchg ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/10 "2001-06-09T14:06:37Z")
He’s on the Steve and DC Show every now and again. He seems to have a positive attitude. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/11 "2001-06-09T14:54:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bafaa \* > \*\*Opie and Anthony, a radio team here in NY but soon to be syndicated everywhere, had him on the phone a few months ago. They spoke to him for a few minutes and put him on hold. Then, just for laughs, decided to play a game to see how long they could keep him on hold. About 2 hours later they ended the show and he was still holding! \*\* Damn thats rude. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/12 "2001-06-09T15:17:49Z")
Jinx writes: \> Supposedly, child-actor Gary Coleman (of the 1980’s) had \> some kidney or adrenal disorder keeping him as an adult \> in a child’s body - as he grows. This is a bad way of putting it. He does not have a child’s body. He’s short. Lots of us are short. Some are short because of certain disorders, like Coleman, and some are short are because of normal inheritance of height, like me. My parents are short, and I’m short. We do not have a “child’s body.” We are adult minds in adult bodies, just short bodies. Quit referring to us as in any sense being children. Incidentally, Gary Coleman has appeared on the Tonight show several times recently. He appears to be one of those minor celebrities that Jay Leno uses in sketches with some regularity. Here’s the IMDb entry on Coleman: [http://us.imdb.com/Name?Coleman,+Gary](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Coleman,+Gary) He’s doing what most one-time TV stars who haven’t been able to land new roles have been doing - working a non-acting-related job, doing cameo appearances on TV shows, working as a product spokesman at trade shows, doing commercials. Just trying to get by, like most of us. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/13 "2001-06-11T16:41:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lawoot \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > > **(Although, his then-teenage co-stars have been a mess ever since starring on “Diff’rent Strokes”.)** > > The one’s that aren’t dead, that is… \*\* Wait! Who died? I just thought both “Willis” and “Kimberly” have both had their share of run-ins with the law concerning drug abuse and/or drug trafficing? ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/14 "2001-06-11T16:54:16Z")
He’s currently appearing in an Orkin commercial. They do a lame spoof of some cop show with Coleman in it, and then a cockroach crawls across the screen whereupon the Orkin Man zaps it with pesticides. You would think that actors would get the idea that when they get cast in roles that poke fun at their bad acting, they should hang it up and quit the business. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/15 "2001-06-11T17:01:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by lawoot \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > > > **(Although, his then-teenage co-stars have been a mess ever since starring on “Diff’rent Strokes”.)** > > > > The one’s that aren’t dead, that is… \*\* > > Wait! Who died? I just thought both “Willis” and “Kimberly” have both had their share of run-ins with the law concerning drug abuse and/or drug trafficing? \*\* Dana Plato, aka Kimberly Drummond, died in 1999 from an accidental drug overdose. She was visiting her fiancee’s parents when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/16 "2001-06-11T17:02:03Z")
> [@](#): > > **Wait! Who died?** Dana Plato (“Kimberly”) died of a [prescription-drug overdose](http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,4735,00.html) in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-coleman-today/68073/17 "2001-06-11T18:29:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phouchg \* > \*\*I saw him IN PERSON at a computer fair in Pomona, CA. He was a paid spokesman shilling some sort of virtual type storage device for PC data. Poor guy, he’s going through a spiel about this product, and NOBODY is stopping by the booth…this in a very crowded exhibition hall with loads of very busy hardware and software vendors. > > Kind of felt sorry for the guy. Really. > > Phouchg > \*\* I was there too, on the Sunday fair. He was actually getting a pretty good crowd going when I was there, though. One good thing to be said is that he has a good way of engaging the individual’s attention to make his pitch. -Ashley