Zachery Ty Bryan says the incident that led to his domestic violence arrest got “blown out of proportion”.
Zachery Ty Bryan says the incident that led to his domestic violence arrest got ‘blown out of proportion‘
The former ‘Home Improvement’ child star, now 41, agreed to take a deal and plead guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault in February 2021 after a row with partner Johnnie Faye Cartwright in 2020, and has now said they didn’t “get that physical”.
He told The Hollywood Reporter about the bust-up: “We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a town home that had (thin walls) – everybody could hear.
“At the end of the day, (police) throw a bunch of counts at you because they ultimately want you to plead to something. I could’ve fought it… but that’s more stress and drama.”
Zachery, who played Brad Taylor on ABC’s ‘Home Improvement’ from 1991 to 1999 alongside Tim Allen, 70, added he “got two misdemeanours and called it a day”.
Six other charges against the actor included strangulation and coercion, but were dropped at the time as part of the deal.
He added about the incident being a “learning experience”: “I thank God for that. I went through a situation that I’m sure plenty of people across the globe experience with their partners.”
Zachery and Johnnie stayed together and got engaged in November 2021, and last year announced they had twins on the way to join their eldest daughter.
When asked about the current state of their relationship, the actor added: “We’re good friends. We’re partners.”
Zachery has four other children with ex-wife Carly Matros and also spoke out about his other recent issues, from his alcohol struggles and DUIs to an alleged Bitcoin scam.
After claims by people who invested in cryptocurrency after being urged to do so by the actor, but never saw their money, Zachery said: “This was not me running some shady scam deal or something. That’s just not me.”
“What people don’t understand is that you take risks. Nothing is for sure.
“It’s the same with movie investments and everything else, you lose or you win.”
He also insisted he does not consider himself an “alcoholic” despite being arrested for driving under the influence in 2004, 2007, 2017 and 2020.
The actor, who first drank aged 14, said: “I try to stay away from it. I’ve just kind of disengaged.
“I’ve got my routine, I’m not going out and getting lit and that takes away a lot of problems.”