On October 1, 2020, Zachery Ty Bryan posted on his now-defunct Instagram that he and his wife Carly Matros had decided to go their separate ways. The couple of 14 years had three daughters together.
Three weeks after the split was announced (and later deleted), Bryan was arrested in Eugene, Oregon, on multiple charges of assault against his girlfriend (via People). In a police interview, Bryan’s 27-year-old girlfriend told police that she and the actor/producer had been dating for two years, despite Bryan only having been separated from his wife for three weeks. She also said that Bryan had become violent only in the last month and had not exhibited violence toward her in the years beforehand.
On the night of the attack, she alleged Bryan dragged her out of bed by her hair, beat her, strangled her, and thwarted her attempts to call 911. Bryan was apparently upset over a missing phone charger, she told police. After the initial 911 call and dispatchers’ attempts to call back, police were sent to the location, where they found a bloodied, bruised victim and an evasive Bryan.
Bryan, 39, was charged in Lane County with eight counts. They included two counts of menacing, two of assault in the fourth degree, coercion, felony strangulation, harassment, and interference with making a report. He was later released on bail. In February 2021, Deadline reported that the former child star had pleaded guilty to menacing and assault in the fourth degree, two felony counts. He received three years of probation and was ordered to participate in a batterer intervention program. As of now, Bryan has not released any public statements regarding the incident.
On a weird side note, Bryan’s 2020 Instagram post announcing his split from Carly Matros was taken word-for-word from actor Armie Hammer’s own divorce announcement. Hammer himself has recently been accused of a series of abusive and disturbing behaviors.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224. You can also find more information, resources, and support at www.thehotline.org.