Zach Bryan Arrested in Oklahoma on Obstruction Charges

Country singer Zach Bryan, who recently earned his first No. 1 single (“I Remember Everything”) and No. 1 album (Zach Bryan), has been arrested in Oklahoma on obstruction charges, TMZ reports and online records confirm. Bryan was booked into the Craig County Jail tonight (September 7), charged with obstruction of investigation, and released on bond. Pitchfork has reached out to Bryan’s representatives for comment.

Bryan, who was raised in Oologah, a town in Rogers County, Oklahoma, released his self-titled fourth album last month via Warner, and it quickly debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. It’s the third country music album to hit No. 1 in 2023. The album’s second single, “I Remember Everything” (featuring Kacey Musgraves), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Bryan wrote:

In a nearly five-minute video shared online, Bryan added:

Hey, everybody, me and [my dog] Jack are halfway to New York. He is slumped out, fartin’ everywhere. I got seven Red Bulls in me, and I just wanted to be completely transparent with everyone who listens to my music about what happened yesterday, with me getting arrested and everything, because I don’t want the internet to do what the internet does and, like, I don’t know make stuff up.

So, I wanna start by saying, I have to deal with the legalities of it, I did go to jail—they didn’t play favorites—and I was an idiot today, and my decisions did not reflect who I was as a person, and I just wanna make that clear, and I should’ve been smarter about it, but I just wanna tell you guys the whole timeline, the whole story, so there’s no confusion.

Around three days ago, I was driving through this small town in Oklahoma, and this was the beginning of all of it, and I drive by this cop. I was going like four or five over. He pulls me over; he comes to my window. First thing he asks for is license, registration, and my address. And I told him, I said, “Hey, man, I don’t really feel comfortable giving you my address. I’m a musician, and I just, I’m not comfortable with it. So he says, “If you don’t give me your address, I’m gonna have to take you to jail.” And I’m like, “Man, I’m not gonna give you my address.”

So he tells me to step out of the vehicle; he puts handcuffs on me, and I’m like, “Man, what the hell is going on? Why are you doing this?” He’s like, “Why are you not giving me your address?” So I, we talked about it; I explained to him why. I ended up giving him my address. I ended up, like, abiding by what he was saying. We kept talking. He finally took my handcuffs off. He gave me a warning ’cause, I mean, I wasn’t going too fast or anything, and then he let me go because I just started respecting him and being cordial, 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 and who knows.

But, that happened, fast forward to today. I wake up and I tell my security guard, “Hey, man, I’m gonna drive to Boston today. To see [the Philadelphia Eagles aka] the Birds play.” So, we’re driving to Boston. We get, like, 40 minutes away from my house. We’re going through Vinita. He’s behind me, and I see him getting pulled over, so I’m like, “Oh, man.” So, I go around the block and I come and I pull back up next to him. And I’m just sitting there. I didn’t get out of the vehicle or anything. I’m just sitting there waiting on him. Ten to 15 minutes goes by, and I get out of the car, I’m like, man, why is this—what is taking so long? And I was gonna smoke a cigarette. The cop comes up to me, and he’s like, “Sir, get back in your vehicle.” And I’m like, “I’m not the one getting pulled over.” And he’s like, “Get back in your vehicle or I’m gonna have to take you to jail.” And, like a dumbass, I said, “Take me to fuckin’ jail? What do you mean?” 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 that I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been, and it was my mistake.

So he gets me in these cuffs, man, and they’re tight, and he puts me in his front seat and we’re all just going back and forth. I’m like, “Man, these cuffs hurt.” He was like, “They’re not supposed to be comfortable.” He was just being a cop, you know? And, so I’m just getting more angry and angry, which is, like, the worst thing you can possibly do. So 15 minutes goes by, they finally let me out of the vehicle, and I’m, like, just mouthing off like an idiot, like an actual child. I’m like, “Man, someone’s gotta get a hold of you guys! This is, like, why are you using your authority like this? This is so wrong!” When, in reality, they were just doing their jobs. I was upset. And, so, he looks at me, he says, “Hey, man, I’m gonna tell you this and don’t interrupt me.” And I was like, “Well, after you’re done, I’m gonna say my piece.” He’s like, “OK.” He started talking, I interrupted him, naturally, ’cause I was just angry. So he said, “I’m gonna take you to jail,” and he took me to jail, and I was in jail for a few hours.

When I got there it kind of, like, lightened up because I just kind of cooled off a little bit. I was talking to the people booking me. Everyone was super kind. I was in my jail cell for a while. And the cop and eventually shook hands. I ended up apologizing online because I realized that my actions didn’t reflect who I was as a person, and I was kind of—the night ended OK. I have to deal with the legalities of it when I go back home. The people of Vinita were super kind.

I just wanted to tell the story and get it out there before someone blew it out of proportion. I was just an idiot, and I’ll take the fall for it. I’m a grown man, and I shouldn’t have behaved like that, and it won’t happen again. I love you guys. Thanks for defending me online and stuff. I don’t really need it. I just shouldn’t have did what I did, and the world, the world moves on. Tomorrow, tomorrow’s gonna come anyway, and Jack’s pooped, man. OK. I love you guys. Thank you. Bye.

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