Zachery Ty Bryan Addresses Domestic Violence Arrest and His 'Issue with Drinking'

In September 2020, Bryan was arrested in Oregon and charged with felony strangulation and coercion, as well as several misdemeanors including harassment following an incident between him and girlfriend Johnnie Faye Cartwright. At the time, she reportedly told police he was physically abusive, claiming he punched and slapped her, before choking her.

As part of a plea deal, the felony charges and several of the misdemeanors were dropped; he pleaded guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault and was given three years probation, during which he had to complete a batterers intervention program. In the time since that incident, he and Cartwright got engaged and have welcomed three children together -- with Bryan telling The Hollywood Reporter as part of an in-depth piece that the two are now "good friends" and "partners."

Cartwright, the article noted, declined to comment for the piece.

He told the outlet that the arrest "got so blown out of proportion" in the press, claiming that Cartwright would get upset about his "double life" since they were seeing each other while he was still married to ex-wife Carly Matros. He added that the pair had been "drinking too much" the night of the altercation.

"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. Johnnie was, at the time, just really upset about my situation," he said. "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. I got two misdemeanors and called it a day."

He went on to call it a "learning experience" and wake-up call, saying he "definitely [has] an issue with drinking" -- but came short of calling himself an alcoholic. "I try to stay away from it," he said of alcohol, "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."

In the same piece, Bryan, 41, also explained why he bizarrely copied -- almost word for word -- Armie Hammer's divorce announcement when revealing he and his own ex-wife were separating in 2020.

"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,'" he said.

He added that he was "not being a faithful husband, and I was not being the best me" while married to Matros. "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. That's not how the real world works."

He also touched on allegations he tricked others into a cryptocurrency scheme after claiming he made millions putting money into Bitcoin. "This was not me running some shady scam deal or something — that's just not me," he said, telling the publication he was "in the same boat" as his investors.

For a deep dive into his own crypto past and the controversy, check out THR's full article.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse or violence, get help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.