“At a certain point, he deviated from the guy I know to somebody who is reacting to situations that I had nothing to do with and can’t control,” Tim Allen said of his TV son Zachary Ty Bryan
Tim Allen is reflecting on his Home Improvement costar Zachery Ty Bryan’s recent struggles.
The 70-year-old actor — who played Bryan’s TV father Tim Taylor on the ABC sitcom — admitted that he doesn’t “know what’s going on with” the former child star after his tumultuous few years, which included multiple arrests and an alleged financial scheme.
“Zach is a great kid who has grown into a complex man,” Allen told The Hollywood Reporter. “All you can do is step aside and let somebody go through their process.”
“At a certain point, he deviated from the guy I know to somebody who is reacting to situations that I had nothing to do with and can’t control,” he added. “I don’t know what happens when people get corrupted. You just don’t know.”
PEOPLE confirmed in October 2020 that Bryan, 41, was arrested for allegedly strangling a woman, which he later pleaded guilty to. He also entered a multiple-offender alcohol program after enduring numerous DUI arrests.
Bryan fell into Bitcoin and massive debt as well. He was even accused of running a fraudulent agriculture-technology startup scheme.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Bryan “duped” them into a shady cryptocurrency scheme, with one saying the financial losses have been “a gut punch.” However, Bryan told the news outlet that he was not “running some shady scam deal or something,” insisting that he was “in the same boat” as his investors.
Looking back on his many struggles, Bryan said: “I do know when things get in the way of who you’re meant to be, where you’re supposed to go and what God has planned for you. He sometimes challenges you to do some reflecting by looking in the mirror and taking responsibility.”
Despite his former TV son’s recent troubles, Allen hopes Bryan will find a better path, sharing, “I know Zach’s heart. He’s got to figure out his own way.”
