For eight years, one of the most popular shows on ABC was Home Improvement, starring Tim Allen. The show revolved around Allen’s character, Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor. He hosted his own television show called Tool Time, while also being the dad to three rambunctious boys. The show also starred Patricia Richardson as Tim’s wife, Jill Taylor. Zachary Ty Bryan, Taran Noah Smith, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas were Tim’s sons — Brad Taylor, Mark Taylor, and Randy Taylor, respectively.
A lot has happened in the almost 25 years since the last episode of Home Improvement aired. Sadly, not all of it has been good for the many well-known actors.
On July 28, actor Zachery Ty Bryan was arrested by the Eugene Police Department. According to Oregon police, he was charged with fourth-degree felony assault, third-degree robbery, and harassment. The woman whom Bryan assaulted was not named in the report. However, Bryan’s longtime partner, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, asked the press for privacy. The couple shares three children.
Now, we have learned that Mr. Bryan has officially pled guilty to the domestic battery charges levied against him. In order to avoid significant jail time, Bryan accepted a plea deal and admitted his guilt.
Per a statement from his lawyer given to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Mr. Bryan decided to accept this resolution and admit that he recklessly caused physical injury to his domestic partner to avoid further trauma to his family so they could move on and heal.”
As part of the plea deal, the other charges against Mr. Bryan were dismissed. Instead of serving 19 or 20 months in prison, the actor will serve seven days in jail, and receive 36 months of supervised probation. There will also be a number of conditions that must be met during his probationary period. Those conditions are — he must not have contact with his victim unless he receives prior approval, he must attend alcohol and drug treatment classes, and he is not allowed to use drugs or alcohol in the future.
Should Bryan violate any of the terms of his probation, he will be required to serve the full 19 or 20 months.
Sadly, the July 28 incident was not the first time that Bryan was arrested for domestic violence. In October 2020, Bryan was arrested for domestic assault when he allegedly strangled Cartwright. For those charges, he pled guilty to two misdemeanors. He was sentenced to three years probation and was ordered to have no contact with Cartwright.
Even though he pled guilty to fourth-degree assault and menacing, Bryan spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, and said that things didn’t get “that physical.” He said that he and Cartwright were screaming at each other and their neighbors heard. They were reportedly fighting about the fact that Bryan was still married to his first wife, with whom he shares four children.
He said that the police charged him with multiple counts just so they could get him to plead guilty to something.
Over the years, Bryan has also been arrested four times for driving under the influence. He also received a judgment against him when he failed to pay back a $60,000 loan for a feature film.
