‘Family Matters’ star Darius McCrary released from jail after October arrest



Darius McCrary has been released from a Michigan jail weeks after a long-running child support case led to his October arrest.

The former sitcom actor, 49, best known for playing Eddie Winslow on the popular ’90s sitcom Family Matters, was released from custody on Monday, Dec. 8, according to Oakland County jail records reviewed by Entertainment Weekly. The actor has entered a no-contest plea to five felony charges, his representative told PEOPLE. He is now set to return to court for sentencing in February 2026.

Representatives for McCrary did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

McCrary’s lawyer, Paulette Loftin, also confirmed the news of his release to TMZ, adding that his “fight for justice and truth has been painted as an attempt to shirk his responsibilities to his child.”

Darius McCrary on ‘Family Matters’.

ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection


“The resolution reached today makes it clear that family does matter and that it always has,” Loftin said. “This resolution allows Mr. McCrary to correct the misleading narrative and put this matter behind him.”

This latest development comes weeks after McCrary was arrested by the United States Border Patrol on an out-of-state felony warrant, which was issued after he missed a court appearance for alleged unpaid child support. He was subsequently held in a San Diego jail for several weeks, while waiting for Michigan authorities to take him into custody. He was additionally denied bail, according to San Diego’s local ABC10 News, after prosecutors argued that he was a flight risk.

On the heels of McCrary’s arrest, the actor’s rep, Ann Barlow, said in a statement to EW, “He did not know at the time that he had a warrant, or he would’ve taken care of it. He was going to Tijuana, Mexico, partnering with a real estate developer that was building homes for the homeless in Tijuana. Mr. McCrary was there to speak encouragement and light to the homeless.”

She continued, “The missed court appearance that the warrant was stemming from was only because Oakland County sent the notice to appear in court to his P.O. Box, giving him only three days to appear in court.”

Darius McCrary attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Amy Sussman/Getty


Barlow further stated that McCrary wasn’t checking his P.O. Box as frequently because he was sick. She alleged that, when McCrary opened the notice, he had already missed the date, and “the judge was immediately notified with a doctor’s note that he had COVID.”

Prior to this incident, the actor was in the news for a legal battle connected to his 2019 divorce from wife Tammy Brawner. Following their split, Brawner cited concerns about the safety of their toddler daughter, Zoey, in McCrary’s care. She was awarded full custody while the court ordered McCrary to have monitored visitation and to attend classes on parenting, as well as drug and alcohol abuse and batterer intervention.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

While best known for his role in Family Matters, McCrary has dozens of credits in TV series, including The Young and the Restless, Monogamy, The Leftovers, and Anger Management. He has also appeared in films such as 2023’s Sebastian, 2007’s Transformers, and 1988’s Mississippi Burning.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *