Zach Bryan Apologizes After Arrest, Says He Got ‘Too Lippy’ With Cop: ‘I Was Just an Idiot’

Jon Blistein
·3 min read
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Festival d'été de Québec - Credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage/Getty Images
Festival d'été de Québec - Credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage/Getty Images

Zach Bryan explained how a pair of frustrating run-ins with police in Oklahoma led to his brief arrest on “obstruction of investigation” charges Thursday. “I was just an idiot,” he said in a video shared on social media. “I’ll take the fall for it. I’m a grown man, I shouldn’t have behaved like that, and it won’t happen again.”

Bryan recorded the video in his car en route to New England, where he’s traveling to see his beloved Philadelphia Eagles play the New England Patriots this weekend. With his dog Jack beside him, “fartin’ everywhere,” and a reported seven Red Bulls coursing through his system, Bryan struck a penitent tone as he described getting overly frustrated during two separate interactions with police officers in Oklahoma.

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The first incident, Bryan said, occurred Wednesday, the day before his actual arrest. He said he was driving “four or five over” the speed limit when he was pulled over. As is standard, the officer asked for Bryan’s license and registration, but the musician said he bristled when he was asked to provide his address as well. Bryan’s refusal to give his address prompted the officer to handcuff him, but Bryan eventually did provide his address, and he was let go with a warning.

“But I think it just frustrated me a lot, because I didn’t know if I had a right to refuse giving him my address or not, but I did,” Bryan said.

The following day, Bryan embarked on his trip to New England, with his security guard tailing him in a separate car. While driving through the town of Vinita, Oklahoma, Bryan’s guard was pulled over. Bryan said he looped the block, pulled up next to his guard, and waited in his car for about 10 to 15 minutes. At that point, Bryan said he got out, unsure why things were taking so long. Then, the cop came up to him and told him if he didn’t get back in his car, he’d have to take him to jail.

“And like a dumbass, I said, ‘Take me to fucking jail, what do you mean?’” Bryan recalled. “And he was like, ‘Take you to jail.’ And I was like, damn. So I get too lippy with him, he brings me over to his car, and I just didn’t help my situation at all. I felt like a child. It was ridiculous, it was immature, and I just pray everyone knows I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful, and I shouldn’t have been. It was my mistake.”

Bryan said he kept “mouthing off, like an idiot,” as the officer cuffed him and put him in the patrol car. Eventually, Bryan was booked and spent a few hours in jail, though he said by that time he’d cooled off a bit.

“The cop and me eventually shook hands,” Bryan added. “And I ended up apologizing online because I realized my action didn’t reflect who I was as a person. The night ended OK. I have to deal with the legalities of it when I go back home … I just wanted to tell the story and get it out there before someone blew it out of proportion.”

Hours after Bryan’s second apology Friday, dashcam video from the incident emerged:

Bryan’s arrest comes in the wake of a massive few weeks for the country singer, who scored his first Number One on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his new self-titled album. He also notched his first Number One single on the Hot 100 with his Kacey Musgraves duet, “I Remember Everything.”

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