Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent’ focuses on the unfortunate trajectory of the careers of several child actors, who tend to find difficulty in dealing with fame and fortune at a tender age. The episode delves deep into the lives, careers, and crimes of different child actors from the 1990s, one of whom is Zachery Ty Bryan. Although he had a successful acting career, his legacy and future have been tainted with multiple crimes he has committed.
Zachery Ty Bryan Discovered His Knack For Acting at a Young Age
On October 9, 1981, Jenny and Dwight Bryan’s world lit up with joy as they welcomed their son, Zachery Tyler “Ty” Bryan, into their lives in the city of Aurora, Colorado. Just a few years later, happiness struck the Bryan household once again with the birth of a baby girl whom they named Ciri. Surrounded by caring and loving parents, Zachery also enjoyed the company of his younger sister. He spent a significant part of his childhood in the Centennial State. At a very young age, he began exhibiting his acting talents. To be specific, when he was in elementary school, the young boy reportedly struck the attention of agencies in Denver and bagged several opportunities to feature in ads related to print and commercial media. He was an athletic kid growing up and later turned into an avid soccer player.
Zachery Ty Bryan Spent Two Decades in the Industry Before Retiring in 2009
As years passed, Zachery moved to New York and reportedly obtained training under the guidance of talent scout Peter Seidman. His desire to pursue his dreams brought him to California in the 1990s, and he soon began working towards refining his skills. It was in 1991 that he kickstarted his career in the world of entertainment as a main cast member of the sitcom ‘Home Improvement.’ Starring in all eight seasons from 1991 to 1999 as Bradley Michael “Brad” Taylor, Zachery entertained the audience with his performance and garnered a decent fanbase. Alongside work, he enrolled at La Salle High School in Pasadena to pursue higher studies and went on to graduate in the year 2000. Sometime that same decade, he got the chance to showcase his skills in ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ ‘Picket Fences,’ and ‘First Kid.’
With recognition came new acting opportunities for Zachery, and the teen turned adult added shows and movies like ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ ‘Cold Case,’ ‘E.R.,’ ‘Smallville,’ ‘Veronica Mars,’ ‘Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift,’ ‘The Game of Their Lives’ to his credit. In his late 20s, he took up the role of a producer and went on to launch his own production company called Lost Lane, which backed several titles, including ‘The Kindergarten Teacher,’ ‘Skin,’ and ‘Heavy.’ As per reports, he also bought the adaptation rights for television to ‘Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography,’ a memoir penned by ex-drug kingpin Rick Ross in collaboration with writer Cathy Scott.’ Though he retired from acting in 2009, Zachery treated his fans with a minor role in ‘The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!)’ in 2022.
Zachery Ty Bryan Fathers Seven Children From Two Relationships
When he was still in high school, Zachery Ty Bryan’s path crossed with Carly Matros, and they soon entered into a relationship. One thing led to another, and the two tied the knot in the presence of their family and friends on March 10, 2007. The pair built a beautiful life for themselves in Newport Beach, California. Over the course of more than a decade, Zachery and Carly became parents to four kids; they welcomed a set of twins — Gemma and Taylor — on June 23, 2014, followed by another daughter on June 7, 2016 — Jordana. On March 18, 2019, the pair gave birth to their fourth child — a son Pierce. However, cracks eventually began to develop in their relationship, and the two officially ended their 13-year-long marriage in September 2020.
A year later, on November 17, 2021, Zachery made news again when he disclosed his engagement with his model girlfriend, Johnnie Faye Cartwright. In April 2022, the duo was blessed with a girl, Kennedy Faye. In November of the same year, the former actor took to Instagram and shared a heartfelt picture alongside the caption that read: “2 Heartbeats + 2 Sacks = TWINS! Here we go,” excitedly announcing the fact that they could hardly wait for the arrival of their twins. On May 14, 2023, they declared the birth of Parker and Sequoia, Zachery’s second set of twins. In January 2025, People reported that Bryan allegedly shares a child with a woman (whose name has not been revealed) as she claims they “…have children in common.” If confirmed, this would be Zachery’s eighth child.
Zachery Ty Bryan Has Had Various Run-ins With the Law
Owing to his alcoholism, Zachery Ty Bryan has had multiple DUIs (Driving under the influence) against him over the years, especially between 2007 and 2020. He got involved in more serious charges related to his girlfriend, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, with whom he had a heated argument in their Lane County, Oregon, apartment. In October 2020, not only was he charged with fourth-degree assault, but he was also charged with felony strangulation, interfering with making a police report, and more. In February 2021, he pleaded guilty to a couple of charges and was sentenced to three years of bench probation. In addition, he was ordered to have no contact with Johnnie.
Despite the violent incident, the couple continued seeing each other. In July 2023, Zachery was once again accused of being violent with Johnnie, one of his kids, and Johnnie’s father. At first, he maintained his innocence but eventually pleaded guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree, following which he was sentenced to three years of supervised probation. In February and October 2024, he was arrested for DUI and other related charges. On both occasions, he was released after posting bails. More recently, in early January 2025, he was accused of punching a woman multiple times, choking her, and threatening to kill her. Subsequently, he was charged with second-degree domestic violence and taken into custody. However, just a day after his arrest, on January 3, Zachery was reportedly released from jail.
Read More: Johnnie Faye Cartwright: Where is Zachery’s Fiancée Now?
