The former 'Home Improvement' actor and child star is getting candid about his tumultuous past few years.
In the span of less than three years, Zachery Ty Bryan's life has been rocked by repeated scandals and dramas, including getting divorced from his wife of 12 years, getting a DUI, being arrested for domestic violence, getting engaged and welcoming three new children. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has explored his recent tumultuous troubles, and Bryan himself has weighed in on the controversies.
Reflecting on his crumbled marriage to ex-wife Carly Matros, Bryan explained, "I was just in party freaking mode. Making movies, traveling, drinking. I wasn’t living the way I was raised; you know what I mean? I was not being a faithful husband, and I was not being the best me."
"I thought I would be able to go out and do whatever I wanted, have fun, come home and be a family man with my kids," he added. "That’s not how the real world works."
One of the major incidents that arose shortly after their split -- as contributed to his public image shattering in a significant way -- came in October 2020 when he was arrested in Oregon and charged with felony strangulation, fourth-degree assault, coercion, menacing, harassment, and interference with making a police report following an incident with Johnnie Faye Cartwright -- a woman who he'd been romantically involved with during his marriage to Matros.
According to the police report, which THR obtained, Bryan and Cartwright provided conflicting accounts of the incident, during which they both displayed signs of intoxication.
For her part, Cartwright, who alleged Bryan was abusive in the month leading up to the incident, claimed in the report that Bryan woke her up to find out what happened to his cell phone charger, "pulled her hair," punched her in the face, and "choked her" for approximately 45 seconds.
Meanwhile, Bryan told the outlet that the arrest "got so blown out of proportion." He claimed that Cartwright, whom he began seeing when he was married, was upset over his "double life" and things escalated because they'd both "been drinking too much."
"We didn’t even really get that physical. We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a townhome that had [thin walls], everybody could hear," Bryan claimed. "Johnnie was, at the time, just really upset about my situation."
"At the end of the day, [the police] throw a bunch of counts at you because they ultimately want you to plead to something," he argued. "I could’ve fought it…but that’s more stress and drama. I got two misdemeanors and called it a day.”
Bryan ended up pleading guilty to misdemeanor menacing and fourth-degree assault and was sentenced to three years of probation and attendance in a violence intervention. He was additionally ordered to have no contact with Cartwright and to not "buy, possess or consume alcoholic beverages" or be in any place that sells or serves alcohol as a principal purpose.
A month earlier, Bryan announced that he and Matros -- with whom he shares four children -- were getting divorced. However, many were quick to notice that Bryan had plagiarized Armie Hammer's divorce announcement.
Bryan said he copied the actor's post "because I literally did not know what to say, and he was literally going through the same thing as I was. I don't know Armie but I remember thinking that his statement was perfectly said, probably written by a publicist, so I thought, 'Let's go.'"
Bryan added Carly is "an incredible human being, an incredible mother."
In November 2021, Bryan revealed he and Cartwright, who was pregnant at the time, were engaged. She gave birth to a girl in 2022, and the pair welcomed twins in May 2023. Bryan is now a dad of seven. As for where their relationship stands today, Bryan says he and Cartwright are "good friends, we're partners." Cartwright declined to comment for the story.
Despite a slew of legal woes, including lawsuits and DUI charges, Bryan said he's trying to stay positive and look at things with a new perspective.
"I do know. when things get in the way of who you're meant to be, where you’re supposed to go and what God has planned for you, he sometimes challenges you to do some reflecting by looking in the mirror and taking responsibility," Bryan said. "Every day is a new day and there are stresses and triggers, but I'm learning coping skills. I wake up, go on a nice walk, come back and kick it with the kids. I try to enjoy the little moments rather than try to dream for the big moments. It's an interesting journey as long as we can stay sober. Then things are going to be good."
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