'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Star Nicholas Brendon Opens Up About Arrest in Florida
Nicholas Brendon reveals a troubled past, depression and plans for the future.
— -- Nicholas Brendon was arrested Friday in Tallahassee, Florida, and charged with damage to property and criminal mischief.
The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star posted $1,000 bond and was released the next day, according to the Associated Press.
The actor, 43, was in town for the ALT*Con pop culture festival and is scheduled to be in court March 30. Brendon spoke to the Tallahassee Democrat about the incident, saying he was in a state of "blackout" after taking sleeping pills.
"I've been dealing with depression for a while now, since I was a kid," he told the newspaper. "I stopped taking my meds a while ago, which was a mistake."
He said the pills and the depression all added to the "blackout" state and the damage he did to his hotel room, turning over furniture and flipping the bed.
"It's not funny," he added. "I need to go back to my doctor and talk to him. ... People who have a chemical imbalance in their brain, when they are on their medicine, they'll stop taking it because they feel fine. And I stopped taking it and I'm kind of now having to come to terms with what happens when that happens."
Brendon added in the interview that took place on Saturday that he would fulfill his obligations and spend time with fans at the convention on Sunday.
"These events kind of give me help and I love meeting my fans," he said. "So, it's kind of like the refuge outside of my head. It's up to me to take care of seeing my doctor again and get back on the proper medicine and not cheating myself, because I hate this. I hate how I feel right now, I hate how I've come off."
The actor, who also starred on "Criminal Minds" from 2007 to 2014, also brought up a topic of abuse, something he's never spoken about publicly before.
"This isn't an excuse for anything," he said. "But when I was a kid, I was molested."
He didn't say who it was but that "from that moment, my life changed immensely. And I haven't talked about it, because I didn't want to use it as a crutch. But I see as I get older, it did have a huge, huge effect on me."
In a separate video interview with TMZ, Brendon explained, "I've been to rehab before and get sober for a long period of time, but this depression sets in and I don't talk to anybody about it," he added, saying that's why he hasn't revealed the past sexual abuse before this interview in Florida.
"It's just really an embarrassing thing to talk about," he said. "It's time to stop thinking that's it's embarrassing."
Brendon was arrested in a similar situation at another convention in Boise, Idaho, last October and charged with two misdemeanors, police said. Brendon later apologized on his official Facebook page and said, "During this difficult time, I appreciate understanding as I pursue rehabilitation."
Brendon's representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
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