A TikTok star who was arrested on drug-related charges in May is breaking his silence about the incident
- Sway, also known as Sway LA, is a TikTok collab house and creator collective patterned after the likes of One Direction and 90s boy bands.
- Bryce Hall, 20, is Sway's unspoken ringleader and "a well-known party animal."
- In May, Hall was arrested on drug-related charges along with fellow "Sway boy" Jaden Hossler.
- In an essay for People, titled "There's a Time and Place for Everything…Including Being a Party Animal," Hall issued his long-awaited statement on the incident and how it forced him to change in the month since.
Bryce Hall rarely issues public apologies — this has been true since his early days on YouTube, and continues to be true of his outsized presence on TikTok, where he's become something of a king amongst eboys. So, it wasn't surprising to see his social media feeds snap back to normal after returning home from a cross-country trip in May, during which Hall and fellow "Sway boy" Jaden Hossler were arrested and held overnight on drug-related charges in Lee County, Texas. Both made bail and were released the following morning. But it was unclear, in the immediate aftermath, how the incident would change Hall: a self-professed party animal who seems to thrive on internet controversy.
Shortly thereafter, Hossler and Josh Richards, another of Sway's most recognizable faces, announced an indefinite hiatus from the group and moved out of the Bel Air mansion they'd been sharing since January. But Hall has been largely silent on the matter until he published an essay in People on Tuesday.
The essay opens with a Bible verse from Ecclesiastes: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun." According to Hall, it's a quote that has been at the forefront of his mind in the weeks since his police encounter.
"Sitting in that jail cell for a day, I had so much time to think," Hall wrote. "I thought about how much I had let my mom down. As a single mom, she worked really hard to raise me and has always been my number one supporter through everything — including my screw-ups."
Hall thought about his father, too — "someone who was never around and that [he] knew to be abusive and irresponsible."
"He spent time behind bars for unpaid child support and abuse," Hall continued. "And as I sat in that cell, it made me feel just like my father. It was a mortifying and shameful experience. I had promised myself for the past twenty years that I would never be like him… and there I was."
Hall noted that he's been living on his own, working consistently, and taking care of himself since he was 16 years old. He knew he had "the tools to be responsible," but couldn't ignore the feeling that he'd "lost [his] way."
But the arrest and the epiphany it afforded him, Hall said, pushed him to start making much-needed lifestyle changes. Since then, he said he's been making an effort to cut back on his vices and hold onto this "renewed sense" of self and purpose.
"I realized that living up to my Party Animal brand isn't dependent on being intoxicated," he added. "It's about who I am deep down. There's a time and place to go nuts…and I can get crazy without alcohol — whether it's cliff-diving with my Sway bros or pranking the Hype House guys by stealing their sign."
Hall said the most pronounced way he's been working to better himself post-arrest is starting a path towards sobriety.
"It's been transformative," Hall said of the process. "While I will still drink occasionally, gone are the times of drinking heavily every day. After getting sober, my body and mind feel amazing. I'm more focused than ever before and am constantly working hard on my brand and have never been more excited to post amazing content for my fans on social media."
Like Richards, Hall has also been looking for new ways to give back and contribute positively to the world. Earlier this month, he donated more than $30,000 of proceeds from his new merchandise line to the NAACP and protested police brutality with TikTok superstar Addison Rae Easterling at his side.
"There is a time and a place for everything — for partying, for working hard, and for making a difference," Hall ended the essay. "I want people to know Bryce Hall for all three; not just the first. But most of all, I want my mom to know that she raised a great son. While I've messed up in the past, I'm learning and growing … and I will make you proud. I promise."
- Read more: