Zachery Ty Bryan broke his silence three years after making headlines for his domestic violence arrest.
“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,” the Home Improvement alum, 41, alum told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement for a profile on the actor, which was published on Thursday, June 22. “He sometimes challenges you to do some reflecting by looking in the mirror and taking responsibility.”
Bryan claimed that the October 2020 incident with partner Johnnie Faye Cartwright was “blown out of proportion” at the time.
“We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a townhome that had [thin walls], everybody could hear,” he said, alleging that he and Cartwright, 29, didn’t “even really get that physical” before he was arrested. “At the end of the day, [the 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.”
The former child star was arrested in October 2020 for allegedly strangling Cartwright. Us Weekly confirmed in February 2021 that Bryan agreed to a plea deal in the domestic violence case in which he agreed to plead guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault.
Bryan received three years of probation, was required to attend a violence intervention program called Bridges2Safety and promised to have no further contact with the victim. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop six other charges against him, including strangulation and coercion.
The actor also was ordered by the court not to “buy, possess or consume alcoholic beverages” or be in any place that sells or serves alcohol as a principal purpose. In 2020, Bryan got booked for a DUI and entered a guilty plea. He was sentenced to five years of probation and 18 months of a multiple-offender alcohol program due to a past record of DUI arrests.
While addressing his legal woes, Bryan referred to his past as a “learning experience,” adding, “I thank God for that. I went through a situation that I’m sure plenty of people across the globe experience with their partners.”
Bryan and Cartwright ultimately stayed together in the aftermath of the arrest and got engaged in November 2021. They welcomed twins in May. The Colorado native also shares four kids with ex-wife Carly Matros.
According to Bryan, he is still in a relationship with Cartwright. The model, for her part, declined to issue a comment for the profile.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
