The '90s brought us iconic TV shows — like "Seinfeld," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,"
and "The Sopranos." But while fans quickly became best friends with their favorite characters on
the small screen, some of these stars' real life antics became notorious front page news.
"Aw, man, how could I have done that? I'm never gonna get this paper in."
Former "Home Improvement" star Zachery Ty Bryan has kept quiet about his 2020
arrest and the accusation that he assaulted his then-girlfriend while living in Eugene,
Oregon. USA Today reported on the incident, noting that police showed up at the residence
after getting a call from neighbors about two people fighting. According to the report,
"[Bryan] impeded [the woman's] breathing and took her phone away when she tried to call 911."
Police found the actor sitting outside when they arrived, and the woman was
waiting inside a neighbor's apartment. In February 2021, Today reported that Bryan
pleaded guilty to assault in the "fourth degree — constituting domestic violence."
After the guilty plea, other charges were dismissed, including strangulation, coercion,
interference with making a police report, and harassment. Bryan was
put on three years probation, made to attend a domestic violence program,
and was not allowed to make contact with his ex in any way.
As fans know, the actor grew to fame by playing
Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom from 1991 to 1999. In more recent years, however,
he's found work on the other side of the camera, producing films like 2012's "Dark Tourist."
"We're talking about your future, which you seem to wanna just throw away."
"Dad, I'm not throwing it away."
"Yes, you are." Darius McCrary played a
pretty wholesome guy on ABC's "Family Matters." But according to his ex-wife Tammy Brawner,
he was a completely different person in real life. In 2017, according to E! News, Brawner — who once
played for the Harlem Globetrotters — was granted a restraining order after saying that McCrary
physically abused her — as well as their daughter, who was just 1 year old at the time. Brawner also
said the actor abused drugs and drank heavily — and that the combination would often spark
violent outbursts. She even accused him of once dislocating their daughter's arm, which he denied.
Along with that, TMZ reported that their daughter was diagnosed with an injury called
Nursemaid's Elbow, where the joint partially
dislocates because of a forceful pulling motion. McCrary spoke about his daughter,
as well as defended himself against the accusations, telling the outlet,
"None of these allegations are true. More frustrating than anything is
having to explain that you're not this monster."
In February 2019, McCrary and Brawner settled their custody dispute,
with the former Globetrotter being awarded primary physical custody of
their daughter and McCrary earning weekly visitation.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
"It ain't worth dyin' for. I mean, what's goin' on with you kids is insane."
Having starred as the title character on the Fox series, "Roc" from 1991 to 1994,
Charles S. Dutton once described his journey from the Maryland State Penitentiary to one
of the most prestigious schools in the United States, as going from "Jail to Yale." In 1967,
Dutton was charged with manslaughter and given a five-year prison sentence.
He then was caught with a weapon, which got him three more years.
And after having a fight with a guard, eight more years were tacked on to his sentence.
So why did the actor get nailed with the charge in the first place? It all had to do with a street
fight — and Dutton's claim of self defense. He explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1990,
"My manslaughter conviction came from a fight with a guy who stabbed me seven times.
I wrestled the knife from him and killed him."
After getting paroled, Dutton got his B.A. at Maryland's Towson State University before
heading off to Yale's drama department. He spoke about his past criminal life,
noting that although he used drugs in his younger years,
his ultimate high came from something else. As he told the Washington Post,
"I enjoyed knocking the [s---] out of people. I wasn't a bully.
I would have been dead if I had been. But I enjoyed violence."
"Full three-inch pin capacity."
"Home Improvement" star Tim Allen found himself in police custody all the way back in October 1978,
after being busted at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport with over a pound of cocaine
in his luggage. Soon after, he was slapped with a charge of "possession with intent to distribute
over 650 grams of a controlled substance" and faced a possible life sentence, according to
The Oakland Press. After pleading guilty and working with federal agents to convict others,
Allen was sentenced to three-to-seven years in federal prison and got out after serving
two years and four months. A former FBI agent familiar with the case explained,
"Mr. Allen was very reluctant to spend the rest of his life in prison, so he decided to play ball."
The actor and comedian also talked about that time in his life during an interview
on Marc Maron's podcast, saying that he was just a college kid — and that he and another
person took the fall for roughly 20 others. Allen also claimed that he didn't think his punishment
would be so severe, but as time went on he began to adjust to prison life. He recalled,
"Eventually after eight months, I got used to it. There [were] OK times. Saturday we
got better food. Eventually, I went from a holding cell arrangement to my own cell."
"Dad, before you say anything,
I've been thinkin' about this, and maybe my behavior was simply a cry for help?"
In 2012, "The Hughleys" star, "Dee Jay" Daniels, was staring down a life prison sentence after
being arrested for the fatal stabbing of a 26-year-old man. It happened after a fight broke
out at a bar in Stockton, California, and besides Daniels, two others were arrested with him.
According to Recordnet.com, all three men were charged with the murder, as well as gang activity.
They were also charged with the attempted murder of a woman who was also involved in the fight.
Then, in December 2012, after D.L. Hughley testified for Daniels as a character witness,
a jury acquitted the former child actor. Daniels spoke about his arrest in 2021,
detailing how he felt when learning of his charge. He told VladTV,
"Honestly, I thought they had the wrong person. I thought it was just a fight."
Hughley also spoke during that interview
and talked about standing up for his TV son in court, explaining,
"I knew no matter what happened, I was walking out of there. But I knew
if I didn't do it right, I could make the situation worse for him."
"This box contains over 217 bits and pieces of information; evidence."
Paul Reubens — famous for his original character Pee-wee Herman and for starring in "Pee-wee's
Playhouse" from 1986 to 1990 — was arrested for possession of explicit photos of minors,
in 2002. Police searched Reubens' home after his friend — actor Jeffrey Jones,
who played the principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" — was arrested for the same thing. Reubens,
who was not at his Hollywood home during the search, turned himself in to police. At the time,
he was facing a $2,500 fine, plus one year in prison, according to Entertainment Weekly.
An investigation began after a 17-year-old male spoke to police about an incident committed
against him. Then after searching Reubens' home, police found what an insider called his, quote,
"vintage erotica" collection, which included some unlawful photos. He eventually pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor obscenity charge and was sentenced to three years probation in March of 2004. A
misdemeanor charge involving minors was dismissed with the guilty plea, and Reubens was ordered to
stay away from minors while on probation unless under supervision. The New York native also paid
a $100 fine, enrolled in year-long counseling, and registered as a sex offender while on probation.
The Pee-wee Herman creator was also arrested in 1991 in Sarasota, Florida, after being accused of
indecent exposure in an adult movie theater, which got him a fine and community service.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse,
please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453)
or contact their live chat services. 2006 was undoubtedly tragic for the
family of a 38-year-old woman who was killed after being struck by actor and singer Brandy,
who rear-ended the victim's vehicle on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles that year.
According to The Berkshire Eagle, the singer — who starred on the sitcom "Moesha" — failed
to stop when her vehicle approached stopped traffic, while going around 65 miles per hour.
"I don't think that's something I could ever get over or ever truly understand."
Brandy wasn't charged criminally for the incident but was sued by the victim's family. In 2007,
TMZ reported that the victim's husband was devastated by allegedly seeing photos of Brandy
hanging out at nightclubs, not long after his wife's death. According to the outlet,
Brandy settled out of court with the victim's two children in 2009, paying them both $300,000.
Afterward, she settled with the victim's husband, but the amount was undisclosed. She
also settled with the victim's parents for an undisclosed amount. She later opened up
about the long-lasting impact the accident had on her, explaining to Oprah in 2014,
"You never wake up thinking today is the day something like this would happen.
Being involved in something that tragic, I couldn't believe it."
"Do you understand how exposed I feel?"
Jeffrey Tambor has been a working actor for decades, appearing in numerous films
and TV series, including "The Larry Sanders Show" from 1992 to 1998. Tambor later received
praise for his work on Amazon's "Transparent" series, where he played Maura Pfefferman,
who came out as transgender much later in life. Sadly for many fans of the show, Tambor was gone
after the fourth season — a direct result of being accused of harassing two trans women; his
former assistant Van Barnes, and Trace Lysette, who played the character Shea on "Transparent."
As The Hollywood Reporter noted, Barnes made her accusations about the veteran
actor in a private Facebook post that got leaked. In the wording, it was implied that
Tambor had offered her a higher salary if she slept with him. But because Barnes had
signed a non-disclosure agreement, she never revealed to the public what actually occurred.
After that scandal erupted, Lysette said that Tambor made an inappropriate remark when her
character wore a, quote, "flimsy top and matching short shorts" on the show. Lysette also claimed
that Tambor at one time thrust his body against her. The "Arrested Development" star eventually
denied everything but was still fired from the show. He later said in a statement,
"I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly
and without tact. But I have never been a predator — ever. I am deeply sorry if
any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive."
"Yeah, that's right, I'm tense because of you. 'Cuz, uh, you're
too pretty." In March of 2017,
Deadline reported that the LAPD was launching an investigation against "That '70s Show" actor
Danny Masterson after four women claimed he assaulted them in the early 2000s. He was
officially charged in June of 2020, and pleaded not guilty. He was then fired by Netflix from his
starring role on "The Ranch," a comedy-drama series that also starred Ashton Kutcher.
But Masterson has always maintained his innocence. The investigation led to a preliminary hearing
in May of 2021 to determine whether there was enough evidence for him to stand trial.
During that hearing, one woman said she was in a relationship with Masterson for
five years when he assaulted her in their Los Angeles area home.
Another woman said a similar act occurred one night after Masterson
invited her to go into his hot tub. And a third accuser claimed the actor drugged
and assaulted her in 2003 when she went to his house to pick up a set of keys.
The women also claimed that because Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology,
its members harassed them for their claims and discouraged them from going
to the police — which the church denied. Then after three women testified, a judge
said Masterson would have to stand trial and if convicted he could spend up to 45 years to life,
in prison, according to People. As of 2021, the case is still ongoing.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).