• What Happened: Home Improvement star Zachery Ty Bryan, who played Brad Taylor alongside Tim Allen, was sentenced to 16 months in prison/
  • Why It Matters: The sentencing is just the latest in a years-long spiral that includes multiple DUI arrests across three states and two domestic violence convictions, one involving alleged strangulation.
  • Bottom Line: Bryan was denied probation and has 53 days of time already served.

Zachery Ty Bryan, the actor who spent eight years playing Brad Taylor on one of America's most beloved family sitcoms, is headed to prison.

Bryan, 44, was sentenced Monday to 16 months behind bars after pleading guilty to felony driving under the influence in connection with a February 2024 traffic stop in La Quinta, California. The conviction carried an added penalty tied to two previous DUI convictions. He was denied probation.

It is a stunning fall for a man who grew up on television as the wholesome eldest son of Tim Allen's character on Home Improvement, a show that ran from 1991 to 1999 and defined family entertainment for an entire generation.

The California sentence is only the most recent entry in a growing criminal record. In October 2024, Bryan was arrested in Custer County, Oklahoma on suspicion of a second felony DUI and driving without a valid license. In July 2023, he was arrested in Oregon following a domestic dispute and later pleaded guilty to felony assault constituting domestic violence. And in 2020, he was arrested after allegedly attempting to strangle his girlfriend at their Eugene, Oregon apartment. He pleaded guilty in that case as well.

Former co-star Richard Karn, who played Al Borland on the show, told Fox News that growing up as a child star may have contributed to Bryan's troubles, suggesting that the pressures and pitfalls of early fame can leave lasting damage on young people who never get the chance to develop normally outside of the spotlight.

Bryan has 53 days of time already served. Two additional charges from the California case, including hit-and-run and property damage, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

America watched Zachery Ty Bryan grow up. This is not the ending anyone wanted for him.