Zachery Ty Bryan’s Fiancee Johnnie Faye Cartwright Breaks Silence on His Assault Charge
Zachery Ty Bryan’s fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, is speaking out after the Home Improvement alum was arrested earlier this week.
“I’ll always want what’s best for the father of my children,” Cartwright, 30, said in an exclusive statement to Us Weekly after Bryan, 41, was arrested in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday, July 28, following an alleged physical domestic dispute with a woman. He was charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor — assault, robbery and harassment.
Cartwright’s statement continued: “Trauma can bring struggles in many shapes and forms. It’s a horrible situation that’s going to be spun in so many ways. I’ve learned firsthand the truth will never align with what’s been put out there. I ask everyone to please be respectful of our privacy for the sake of the children and our families so the healing process can begin.”
Bryan and Cartwright announced their engagement in November 2021. The pair share three children: daughter Kennedy, whom they welcomed in April 2022, and twins Parker and Sequoia, whom they welcomed in May. (The actor also shares four children with ex-wife Carly Matros: twin daughters Taylor and Gemma, born in 2014, daughter Jordana, born in 2016, and son Pierce, born in 2019.)
Bryan is still in police custody after his recent arrest. He was previously charged with felony strangulation, misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault and interfering with making a police report in October 2020 after an incident with Faye.
Us confirmed in February 2021 that Bryan agreed to a plea deal in the case, agreeing to plead guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault while the other charges were dismissed. Bryan received three years of probation, was required to attend a violence intervention program and promised to have no further contact with the victim. Despite the verdict, Bryan and Cartwright continued to have a relationship.
Bryan claimed that the 2020 incident was "blown out of proportion" during a June interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a townhome that had [thin walls], everybody could hear,” he said, claiming that the dispute didn’t “even really get that physical.”
Bryan continued: “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.”
One month before the incident, Bryan announced his split from Matros in a since-deleted Instagram post. Fans were quick to notice that the post copied Armie Hammer and then-wife Elizabeth Chambers' July 2020 joint split announcement.
Bryan later explained his decision to plagiarize the post, telling THR in June, “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.'"
