Three years after Zachery Ty Bryan’s domestic violence arrest, the “Home Improvement” alum is breaking his silence.
The actor claimed in a Hollywood Reporter interview published Thursday that the incident with partner Johnnie Faye Cartwright “got blown out of proportion,” alleging they “didn’t even really get that physical.”
The 41-year-old added, “We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a townhome that had [thin walls], everybody could hear.
“At the end of the day, [the police] throw a bunch of counts at you because they ultimately want you to plead to something,” Bryan continued. “I could’ve fought it … but that’s more stress and drama.”
The “True Heart” star, who agreed to take a deal and plead guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault in February 2021, told the outlet he “got two misdemeanors and called it a day.”
The six other charges against Bryan, which included strangulation and coercion, were dropped at the time as part of the deal.
He called the incident 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.”
While Cartwright declined to comment, she and Bryan stayed together and got engaged in November 2021. The couple told their Instagram followers the next year that they had twins on the way, joining their eldest daughter.
When it comes to the current status of their relationship, the producer said, “We’re good friends. We’re partners.”
Bryan, who shares four other children with ex-wife Carly Matros, addressed other recent issues, from his alcohol struggles and DUIs to his alleged Bitcoin scam in the wide-ranging profile.
Following multiple claims by people who invested in cryptocurrency at Bryan’s urging and never saw their money — not to mention the Producers Market’s claim that Bryan “misrepresented” their company — he stood his ground.
“This was not me running some shady scam deal or something. That’s just not me,” he told the outlet, acknowledging the “situation went awry because the tokens that had been discussed never materialized after the company changed its business model.”
Bryan claimed, “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.”
As for his drinking, he doesn’t label himself an “alcoholic.”
Bryan, who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2004, 2007, 2017 and 2020, said he first touched a bottle at 14.
“I try to stay away from it,” he said. “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.”
