Shannon Price is an American actress known for her appearances on Divorce Court (1999) and The Gary I Knew (2020). As an actress in Hollywood, Price has had very little success but has nonetheless enjoyed a fair amount of media attention following her marriage and eventual divorce from the child star Gary Coleman of Diff’rent Strokes. Coleman and Price met in early 2007 on the set of the movie Church Ball where Price had been working as an extra, and they were married several months later.
At the time of their marriage, Coleman, who had been the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 70s and 80s, wasn’t as bankable as he used to be. He still enjoyed some modest attention from fans, and as widely speculated, Shannon’s marriage to him was her way to boost her visibility in Hollywood. However, by August 2008, Coleman had filed for divorce, and the not-so-rosy marriage came to a short-lived end.
Shannon Price’s Marriage of Convenience
In 2007, Price, who was 22 at the time, reportedly proposed to 39-year-old Coleman. Coleman then surprised her on her birthday by whisking her to a hilltop on the Valley of the Fire State Park to exchange their vows. Regarding the event, Coleman said, “Nobody was around but the minister, preacher, the videographers, the photographer, the helicopter pilot, and us.” It wasn’t very long after this secret fairytale wedding that the pair began experiencing some marital issues. They subsequently appeared on the American courtroom show Divorce Court on May 1 and May 2 in a well-publicized attempt to air their differences and save the marriage. In an interview with Inside Edition, Coleman is quoted as saying, “In the middle of the night, I’m wondering, ‘Gee, what made me get married to this woman?’ And I just say, love.”
A Divorced Shannon Price Still Lived As Roommates With Ex-Husband
The couple’s divorce was finalized in August 2008, and Coleman was granted a restraining order preventing Price from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce. According to a court petition later filed by Price, she and Coleman had, despite this restraining order, continued living together as roommates in what she referred to as common-law marriage. It was also later revealed that Price had been engaged in affairs with other men during this period.
Shannon Price Tries to Paint The Picture Of A Loving Marriage
Gary Coleman suffered a head injury after reportedly falling from his stairs at home in Provo, Utah, and was pronounced dead two days later on May 28, 2010. There were speculations about Price’s role in the accident and her decision to disconnect Coleman from life support. She also tried to get her hands on what remained of her late ex-husband’s estate, stating in court documents that they had shared a very loving relationship, were “technically” still married under Utah’s common-law provision, and jointly operated bank accounts. Most of these claims were disputed, given that in 2009, Price and Coleman had been involved in a domestic dispute which resulted in Price getting arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
In May 2012, Judge James Taylor stated that while Price had indeed lived with Coleman after their divorce, the relationship at the time of his death failed to meet Utah’s standard for a common-law marriage. The court eventually determined that Price was not entitled to any part of Coleman’s estate, and there was also concern that she may have been untruthful about her claims for no other reason than personal gain. On the suspicions regarding the part Price may have played during the incident that led to Coleman’s accidental fall, an investigation by the police was closed on October 5, 2010, after the medical examiner ruled Coleman’s death an accident with no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Shannon Price’s Hollywood Acting Dreams Shattered!
Initially starting her career as an actress, Shannon Price was never quite able to break into mainstream Hollywood. Unfortunately, Price’s most popular appearance on TV was the TV show Divorce Court, where she appeared alongside her late husband. Their appearance on the show was mostly interpreted as one of her many attempts at gaining popularity. Then came the deathbed photos of Gary Coleman, which Price offered to TMZ for $10,000 in another attempt at profiting off her ex-husband. The horrid photo showed Price posing purposefully in front of Coleman, who was hooked up to tubes and machines on his hospital bed.
Following her negatively publicized marital troubles, her eventual divorce from Coleman, and his death, Price had gotten very famous for all the wrong reasons. Even with the help of her agent Shielia Erickson, the aspiring actress has found it difficult to get roles in film and television. In 2020, Price again was in the public glare with her appearance in the documentary film The Gary I Knew. Again, she used this platform to portray her loving marriage to the Diff’rent Strokes actor, Gary Coleman. These days, Shannon Price has decided to remain under the radar – a wise decision, given that she is responsible for damaging her career.
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