After Gary Coe was thrust into the limelight on Oscars night, it emerged he'd served time for attempted rape.
The couple who stole the show on Oscar night is speaking out in their first TV interview.
Gary Coe and his fiancée Vicki Vines were thrust into the spotlight after their tourist bus took an unexpected detour to Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony.
Read: 'Gary From Chicago' is a Registered Sex Offender, Was Released From Prison Just Days Ago
But hours later, it emerged that Coe had served time for attempted rape, robbery and theft. He was released from state prison just days before his Oscars appearance.
"I have been gone for 20 years," he told Inside Edition's Jim Moret.
When Moret asked him what he'd like people to know, he said: "That I'm not a monster."
"I'm a changed man," he continued. "That I've made mistakes. That I am really remorseful and ashamed of when I was a teenager but now I am 59 years old and a changed man."
On Sunday, Coe and Vines were invited to take a free Hollywood tour on a double-decker bus with other tourists. They were flabbergasted when, as part of the tour, they were led into the Dolby Theater to meet the movie industry's biggest stars.
When Moret showed them footage of their reactions as they walked into the theater, the pair laughed.
Coe, who kissed the hands of Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer, said he hopes the celebrities could tell he is a good person.
"For all of those women affected by my past, Gary is a changed man," he said. "People saw the real me there."
"I respect women," he added. "I'm not some monster."
The couple also posed for photos with the stars, including a selfie with Mahershala Ali's Best Supporting Actor award. Vines also received a kiss from Ryan Gosling.
But the most memorable moment came when Denzel Washington officiated their "wedding."
"I would not go there looking like I'm looking if I'd have known I was going to see Denzel Washington [or] get kissed by... oh my goodness!" Vines said.
They even received a wedding gift from Jennifer Anniston: a pair of $625 designer sunglasses.
Days later, the couple says the whole experience was so unexpected.
"It was a magical night," Vines said. "It was so surreal... Nothing anyone can say can steal the joy from that moment."
Watch: Did Meryl Streep Ask to be Paid to Wear a Gown at the Oscars?
