UPDATED: Country star Zach Bryan was arrested on charges of “obstruction of investigation” in Oklahoma Thursday,according to multiple news reports. He was released on bond later in the day.
Commenting on the incident after his release, Bryan owned up to being “out of line” with police: “Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around. Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know I’m just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.” He later elaborated on the incident — which basically amounted to mouthing off to police officers — in a five-minute video post.
His spirits seemed to rise in subsequent posts.
A few hours later, he posted a five-minute video explaining the incident — “halfway to New York” en route to a football game in Boston, with his dog Jack “slumped out, fartin’ everywhere, I got seven Red Bulls in me and I just wanted to be completely transparent about what happened yesterday.” He explained that he’d found himself in handcuffs twice in 24 hours for mouthing off to police in his home state of Oklahoma: “I was an idiot, I’ll deal with the legalities when I get home, and I shouldn’t have behaved like that.”
The first time he’d been pulled over for driving just a bit over the speed limit and declined to give his address when asked, a verbal confrontation ensued but he calmed down and the cop let him off with a warning. The second time, apparently the following day, his security guard was pulled over, Bryan pulled to the side of the road to wait and got out of his car to smoke a cigarette. The officer told him to get back in the car, Bryan refused because he wasn’t the one pulled over, and another angry verbal confrontation ensued, this one ending with the singer spending several hours in jail. However, cooler heads prevailed, he and the officer shook hands, and the message in Bryan’s Twitter bio was reemphasized whether he realizes it or not: “Give your heart but keep your head.”
The incident comes during an exceptionally eventful week for the singer. While his just-released eponymous sophomore album and duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything,” both topped the Billboard charts, he was also hit with social media criticism over high ticket prices for his 2024 “Quittin’ Time” tour. The tour finds him returning to Ticketmaster — although not exclusively —after touring last year without using the controversial service.
The tour is being promoted by AEG Presents; 42 of the Bryan shows next year will be on sale through that ticketing service, out of 54 dates on the itinerary. Tickets are also available on resale sites such asStubhub,VividseatsandSeatGeek. distributing codes for any of the shows — AEG Presents is handling those duties for all dates, including those ticketed by Ticketmaster.