What happened with Brian Bonsall? Details explored ahead of Hollywood Demons on ID
Brian Bonsall, who rose to fame as Andy Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties, experienced a series of legal and personal setbacks after leaving Hollywood in his teens. In the years that followed, Bonsall faced multiple arrests related to assault and substance abuse.
According to a CBS News report dated April 9, 2010, he pleaded guilty to felony menacing and third-degree assault following a 2009 incident, which also violated probation from a 2007 assault case involving his then-girlfriend.
As detailed in an Entertainment Weekly report dated March 30, 2025, Bonsall later discovered that a man he had met during a DUI stint in jail had assumed his identity and committed s*xual assaults over 12 years. The impersonator, Nathan Loebe, was sentenced to 274 years in prison, according to ABC News and the Arizona Star reports cited by People dated March 28, 2025.
Now sober for nine years, Brian Bonsall reflects on his past in the Investigation Discovery docuseries Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent, airing Monday, March 31, at 9 pm ET/PT on ID and streaming on Max.
In 2013, Brian Bonsall learned that a man had been impersonating him to target and exploit women, while Bonsall was focused on his music career
Brian Bonsall, known for playing Andrew Keaton on the 1980s NBC sitcom Family Ties, became unintentionally entangled in a disturbing criminal case. In 2013, he discovered that a man had been using his identity to deceive and abuse women.
Bonsall addresses this revelation in the Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent episode, tracing back to a chance meeting in jail nearly a decade earlier.
According to a Fox News report dated March 31, 2025, Bonsall met Nathan Loebe in 2004 during a brief jail stint following his second DUI. Years later, he discovered that Loebe had become obsessed with him. Loebe began impersonating him, replicating his tattoos and falsely claiming to be the former child star.
Loebe used this fabricated identity to manipulate women into romantic relationships, leading to multiple cases of s*xual assault. In the same Fox News interview, Bonsall recalled the moment the situation became clear to him:
“I remember meeting him….I remember his crazy eyes.”
The full extent of the impersonation only surfaced when a woman approached Bonsall and said:
“Oh, you're the real Brian Bonsall.”
As detailed in a People report dated March 28, 2025, the woman then explained that she had unknowingly dated a man who was using Bonsall’s name and likeness, only to be abused later.
The man impersonating Brian Bonsall was ultimately identified as Nathan Loebe. He was arrested in 2017 and later convicted in 2021 for r*ping and terrorizing at least seven women over 12 years, sentenced to 274 years in prison, as per reports by People.
Bonsall has expressed deep remorse about the unintended role his identity played in these events.
“There’s definitely a feeling of guilt,” he said.
He further added:
“Those girls, they wanted to go on a date with me because I was a child actor.”
The documentary explores how Bonsall struggled with the idea that his fame may have indirectly contributed to these crimes.
This case is just one aspect of Brian Bonsall’s complicated history. After leaving Hollywood in his teens, Bonsall faced substance abuse issues and legal troubles. He was arrested multiple times between 2007 and 2010 for offences including DUI, assault, and probation violations.
As per a CBS News report dated April 9, 2010, Bonsall admitted to charges of felony menacing and third-degree assault, acknowledging his involvement in the 2009 altercation with a friend. He also violated probation stemming from a 2007 domestic violence case, resulting in a brief jail sentence and community service.
Additional details from Entertainment Weekly report dated March 30, 2025, reveal that during the 2007 incident, Bonsall’s then-girlfriend alleged in a 911 call that he poured whiskey in her eyes while she was asleep.
Though Bonsall denied that specific allegation, he acknowledged the toxic nature of their relationship and the broader substance-fueled dysfunction, stating:
“I did one of the worst things you could do, I tried to block the door.”
Bonsall’s struggles with addiction began after relocating to Colorado with his mother in the 1990s. He described drinking as a form of escape after leaving behind the structured environment of film and television.
“It led me to living on the street, DUIs all the time and crazy places that you would never imagine being or seeing yourself,” he stated in the Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent episode, as reported by Fox News.
Despite these struggles, Brian Bonsall has since turned his life around. In 2016, Brian Bonsall decided to pursue sobriety after reaching a low point in his life. With the support of his wife, Courtney Tuck, and their son, Bonsall has remained sober for over nine years. He now performs with his band, Sunset Silhouette, and continues to rebuild his life away from the spotlight.
The episode of Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent featuring Brian Bonsall offers a detailed look into how early fame, addiction, and unintended consequences collided in his life. It also highlights how he continues to navigate those impacts today.
Stay tuned for more updates.
