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Gary Coleman’s ex-wife Shannon Price is standing by her decision to take the Diff’rent Strokes star off life support—despite years of scrutiny and a failed lie detector test fueling fresh outrage.
In 2010, the TV icon was placed in a medically-induced coma after suffering a traumatic brain hemorrhage from a fall inside the Utah home he shared with Price.
Just two days later, she authorized doctors to end life-sustaining treatment—even though Coleman’s living will reportedly requested he be kept alive for at least 15 days before terminating care.
Now, in A&E’s Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, Price, 39, gets brutally candid about the controversial call.
‘I had no choice,’ she says in the special, per People. ‘He had gone into cardiac arrest, and that is ultimately what took his life.’
When asked why she was so confident Coleman wouldn’t recover, she simply said: ‘I just knew.’
Gary Coleman’s ex-wife Shannon Price (pictured) is standing by her decision to take the Diff’rent Strokes star off life support—despite years of scrutiny and a failed lie detector test fueling fresh outrage
in A&E’s Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, Price, 39, gets brutally candid about the controversial calll (Price and Coleman in 2008)
She continued, ‘I asked the questions, I saw the condition he was in.
‘I mean, he was basically already gone. And I said, “Okay, are his eyes dilated?” And they said, “Yes.” And I said, “Okay, can I see?” And they showed me, and that’s when I knew.’
Price also recalled trying to resuscitate the actor—whom she married in August 2007 but secretly divorced just a year later.
‘They called me Thursday morning and said, “Does Gary have a DNR [do not resuscitate order]?” And I said, “Yeah, resuscitate him.” I tried. I tried to do everything in my will.’
She continued, ‘Thursday I go visit him, speak with the doctors, and they are like, “Shannon, we do not think that he is going to make it until Friday,” meaning his condition is not going to get any better.
‘I made the right decision.’
The life support revelation comes on the heels of Shannon taking a lie detector test in the new docuseries—her attempt to silence long-standing rumors that she played a role in Coleman’s death.
Though his passing was officially ruled an accident, those closest to the Diff’rent Strokes star weren’t convinced.
‘I had no choice,’ she says in the special, per People . ‘He had gone into cardiac arrest, and that is ultimately what took his life’ (seen in 2008)
When asked why she was so confident Coleman wouldn’t recover, she simply said: ‘I just knew’ (seen in 2003)
Some openly accused Price of foul play, allegations she’s repeatedly denied over the years.
In Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, she finally sits down with former FBI agent George Olivo to clear her name—but is blindsided when the results label her answers ‘deceptive.’
‘I literally, my whole life, have had the odds working against me. And so I’m hoping, I’m really hoping, for a good outcome. Not everyone is perfect at taking a polygraph test, but I have a glimmer of hope that this will work out in my favor, and people will be like, okay, you know what? She’s just a normal girl that had an unfortunate situation happen,’ Price said in the series premiere obtained by People.
Olivo admitted he had to ‘reel’ Price in to ensure she took the test seriously after she described the process as ‘stressful.’
He reviewed her results twice — first with computer analysis and then with a second retired FBI examiner — both confirming the same conclusion.
Price denied ever ‘striking’ Coleman during their marriage, but the test results were inconclusive.
‘I’m not going to say that you passed that test, because you didn’t,’ Olivo told her.
Price responded, ‘I would never hurt him in that manner or that sense, because his life was so fragile. Daily life was a struggle for him, and I would never want to hurt him.’
The life support revelation comes on the heels of Shannon taking a lie detector test in the new docuseries—her attempt to silence long-standing rumors that she played a role in Coleman’s death
When asked if she ‘intentionally withheld proper aid from Coleman in the aftermath of his fall,’ Price again denied it, and the results were inconclusive.
Olivo said the question ‘raises a little bit of an eyebrow,’ but acknowledged Price’s nervousness and the unresolved nature of the incident in her mind after 14 years.
Price admitted, ‘As far as rendering aid, I could have helped him a little bit more. I will say, the operator could have helped as well a little bit by asking me more specific questions.’
Olivo snapped back, ‘Forget the 911 operator, you were there. Little bit of tough love now. You’re not the victim here, he’s the victim.’
The most explosive moment came when Olivo asked if Price had ‘physically caused Coleman’s fall.’ She denied it — but the polygraph indicated deception.
‘You failed the exam regarding Gary’s fall. There’s two things I know for sure, Shannon. One, you were not completely honest with me yesterday during this polygraph section. And two, the other thing I know that’s 100% certain, is that there is more to this story that hasn’t been told. The body never lies. The body always tells the truth. And your body on that lie detector test spoke loud and clear, there’s something that caused you to fail this test,’ Olivo said.
Price said she was ‘not surprised’ by the final result, blaming it on Olivo ‘relying on a machine,’ and insisted she is ‘at peace.’
‘There is a reason I am not in prison. There is a legit reason for that. It’s because they did a thorough investigation,’ she said.
Price denied ever ‘striking’ Coleman during their marriage, but the test results were inconclusive
Olivo replied, ‘There’s also a thing called lack of evidence.’
Price and Coleman secretly divorced on August 12, 2008, using the pseudonyms ‘John Doe’ and ‘Jane Doe’ on the documents.
The papers cited ‘irreconcilable differences,’ no alimony was awarded, and all property went to Coleman — though the couple continued living together.
Coleman rose to fame as the beloved child star of Diff’rent Strokes, known for his small stature, charming looks, and iconic catchphrase, ‘What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?’
However, his health was plagued by a congenital kidney defect and two kidney transplants, stunting his growth at 4ft 8in.
In the years before his death, Coleman faced multiple hospitalizations due to seizures.
He also struggled with legal battles, losing most of his fortune after a bitter fight with his adoptive parents who controlled his wealth until he turned 18.
Domestic troubles plagued the couple as well.
Price and Coleman secretly divorced on August 12, 2008, using the pseudonyms ‘John Doe’ and ‘Jane Doe’ on the documents
In 2007, Coleman was arrested following a ‘heated discussion’ with Price and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
A year later, Price was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after another dispute. Coleman himself was jailed in 2010 on domestic violence assault charges.
Three months before his death, Coleman filed for a restraining order against Price, accusing her of trespassing on his Santaquin home while he was hospitalized after heart surgery.
Court documents revealed he admitted to ‘incidences of domestic violence’ both before and after their marriage.
Following Coleman’s death, close friends blamed Price for foul play, especially ex-girlfriend Anna Gray.
‘I think Price’s actions speak volumes, and I don’t have to say much more than that,’ Anna said in the docuseries, referring to Price’s refusal to touch Coleman as he lay bleeding.
Price also faced criticism for not accompanying Coleman to the hospital the night of his accident. Two days later, she made the decision to remove him from life support — a move friends claim violated Coleman’s written wishes.
Adding fuel to the fire, Price allegedly took a deathbed photo of Coleman and sold it, an act one friend called ‘depraved.’
Gary Coleman starred in Diff’rent Strokes alongside Todd Bridges (pictured righ), Dana Plato, and Conrad Bain (pictured top), who played their wealthy adoptive father, creating one of TV’s most iconic sitcom families
‘We were absolutely stumped, because there were way too many questions with no answers,’ said Coleman’s friend Dion Mial in a 2025 interview with Inside Edition.
The 911 call Price made after the fall raised eyebrows when the operator asked if she could touch Coleman, and she replied, ‘No, I don’t want to touch him.’
When Inside Edition confronted Price about why she didn’t try to help Coleman after the fall, she defended herself: ‘You know, I did help him. I actually had to run around looking for a towel because we didn’t have any in the downstairs bathroom.’
She added, ‘What people have to understand and realize is this is the first real traumatic situation I ever had to witness.’
Police reports from the night listed no suspicious circumstances, and Coleman’s death certificate officially ruled the death an accident.
Price slammed the polygraph process in a statement to TMZ: ‘We were extremely disappointed with the overall experience of both the polygraph testing and dealing with A&E. Many promises were made and not kept. The testing situation was unfair and very uncomfortable, and the testing was performed non-verbally — which I should have refused. From the beginning, it was apparent they cared more about ratings than finding the truth.’
The two-hour premiere of Lie Detector: Truth or Deception airs July 10 at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.
