When it comes to stereotypes about child stars, the actors of the Taylor brothers and sisters from “Home Improvement” cover the entire spectrum: Jonathan Taylor Thomas leads a mostly private existence, and Taran Noah Smith goes full circle from a chaotic young man to a meek non-Hollywood professional. Zachary Ty Bryan was the only one who continued to strongly pursue an acting career, which turned into a production job after he consolidated his fortune as one of the first bitcoin investors. But it was only in recent years that Brian’s life seemed to be getting better after several cases of drunk driving and a high-profile arrest in 2020, when he allegedly fought with his then girlfriend and strangled her when both were intoxicated. After more details about his personal life and substance abuse became known, Tim Allen spoke about the difficult problems of his former television son.
With several fraud charges brought against him in connection with an investment in an agricultural technology startup, and at least one ongoing lawsuit related to other fraud charges, THR took a detailed look at Brian’s last years, and Tim Allen shared with the publication his largely unique view of the situation. According to him:
I do not know what is happening to him. Zach is a great kid who has grown into a complex person. All you can do is step aside and let someone go through their process. At some point, he turned from a guy I know into someone who reacts to situations that I have nothing to do with and can’t control. I do not know what happens when people get corrupted. You just don’t know.
It’s unclear if Allen was talking about any specific elements from Zachary Ty Bryan’s life, or if he was just talking in general, but his words could be attributed to any part of it. The lengthy report also contains reactions and quotes from Brian’s family, friends and professional colleagues, and although different levels of context are involved, many of their views reflect the same thoughts.
Namely, that Brian is a charismatic and largely kind person who likes to talk about his wealth and Hollywood connections, and someone whose decision-making skills in recent years are completely incompatible with the person they have known for many years; or, in the case of some anxious investors, the person they believe may bring them some money. According to Tim Allen, the man he has known for decades is still there, but he needs to be persuaded again. That ‘s how he put it:
I know Zack’s heart. He has to find his way.
There is a constant theme of Brian’s love of alcohol, which is the fuel for a lot of the problems he got into, and Tim Allen can certainly talk about the idea of using certain substances leading to arrests. It is known that he was arrested in 1978 on charges of trafficking and possession of cocaine, spending more than two years in prison after naming other traffickers; he was also arrested in 1998 for driving under the influence.
Zachary Ty Bryan himself admitted that alcohol was the cause of the problems in an interview with THR, and also downplayed the significance of the events that led to the above-mentioned arrest, saying that he and Cartwright “didn’t even get that physical” during their drunken argument. And although he apparently doesn’t like to use the term “alcoholic,” he said so by saying:
“I definitely have a problem with alcohol. . . . Dude, I started drinking when I was 14. Then I went to nightclubs, and they just let me in because I was a guy from the home improvement department. [Now] I try to stay away from it. I just kind of blacked out. I have my own routine, I don’t go out and light up, and this saves a lot of problems.
We hope that the worst of this is behind Brian and Cartwright (who was arrested in April 2021 for assaulting a couple of guards while intoxicated), especially since they are raising their three young children together. If ever there was a time for the revival of “Home Improvement,” it could be now.
