Brandon Bug Hall Explains His Vow Of Poverty After Arrest

Brandon “Bug” Hall says a 2020 arrest and the shame that followed prompted his family’s “vow of poverty.” The former child actor described that decision in a new Page Six interview.

Hall, now 41, said he began reconsidering his life after a relapse and months of struggling to get out of bed. He has since left Hollywood and moved with his family near Mountain Home, Arkansas.

In the Page Six interview, Hall linked his decision to reading about saints and their pursuit of God. He said he wanted an approach he could apply to married life.

Brandon Bug Hall Describes The 2020 Arrest

Hall was arrested in Texas in June 2020 for allegedly huffing air duster cans. A caller had reported a possible overdose after seeing him near a hotel dumpster.

Police later found him in a hotel room surrounded by cans, according to the report. He was arrested for misdemeanor possession for use to inhale or ingest a volatile chemical.

The charge was later dismissed. Hall said the incident happened while his wife and children were out of town.

He told Page Six that he had just completed an executive producer task on a Netflix project he sold. He described a relapse after finishing those responsibilities.

“So, I relapsed, and it was a horror to my wife,” Hall said. “I was a horror to my parents. It was a horror to everybody. What a disgrace.”

Living With Smaller Bills

Hall said widespread publication of his mugshot was “soul-crushing.” After six months of inactivity, he said, he adopted the vow as something worth pursuing.

He explained the vow as an effort by his family to “use money as little as possible.” Hall said their monthly bills reach around $300.

“Anything that can be solved without money, we solve it without money,” he told Page Six. He listed a phone bill and a very small electricity bill among their expenses.

Hall and his wife, Jill DeGroff, later moved near Mountain Home with their five children. He described leaving Hollywood after the arrest as having “self-canceled” himself.

For separate coverage of actors’ decisions about the industry, Americas Gone Viral has reported on Naomi Ackie’s Hollywood experience and Leven Rambin’s account of industry struggles.

Fundraiser Exceeds Its Initial Goal

Hall recently launched a GoFundMe ahead of the arrival of his sixth baby. The initial goal was $2,000, and the report says donations reached nearly $30,000.

He told Page Six he would not return money donated beyond the initial target. His account of household expenses and the vow comes amid attention to that fundraiser.

The site’s separate reporting on Ellen DeGeneres remembering producer Matthew Wright includes another entertainment-related family fundraiser.

Hall said seeing his mugshot still brings a sting, but he now describes it with gratitude. He told Page Six that the religious commitment has helped keep him on track.