“I’m taking time to heal”: Matt Prokop's ex-girlfriend speaks out following Disney star’s arrest on child pornography charge

Authorities said that former child actor Matt Prokop was arrested and booked on Dec. 24 in Victoria County, Texas. He faced one count of second-degree felony possession of child pornography and four misdemeanor counts, including an alleged violation of a bond or protective order, an allegation of evading arrest or detention, and two counts listed as resisting arrest, search, or transportation.

As per a report shared by People, Matt Prokop was being held at the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office Jail pending further proceedings.

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Prokop’s former partner, Modern Family star Sarah Hyland, spoke to the Daily Mail after the charge became public.

“After many years of abuse, the effects are still very real and continue to impact my life. Right now, I'm taking time to heal privately, with the support of close friends and family. Taking this time does not lessen the seriousness or harm of his actions,” she said.

She also asked for sensitivity toward others affected.

“As more information comes out, I ask that all victims be treated with care, dignity, and respect,” she shared.

Sarah Hyland accused Matt Prokop of abuse years before his legal issues

Matt Prokop’s arrest also followed earlier allegations made by his former girlfriend, Sarah Hyland, who accused the actor of verbal and physical abuse during their five-year relationship.

According to court filings accessed by People, Hyland alleged that Matt Prokop slammed her into a vehicle and choked her during an argument in May 2014.

The two actors dated from 2008 to 2014 after meeting at an audition for High School Musical 3: Senior Year, in which Matt Prokop appeared as Jimmie, and he later guest-starred on a 2012 episode of Modern Family alongside Hyland. His film credits during that period included Geek Charming (2011), Struck by Lightning (2012), and April Apocalypse (2013).

As reported by the Daily Mail, Hyland said the abuse continued until her Modern Family onscreen mother, Julie Bowen, intervened and helped her end the relationship. In her legal filing, Hyland described an incident in which Matt Prokop allegedly pinned her against a car and choked her.

“His grip was so tight that I could not breathe or speak,” Hyland said in the court documents.

“I was scared and in fear for my life.”

After Matt Prokop entered rehab in August 2014, Hyland said she was contacted by someone from the facility who warned her about his mental state upon release and advised her to seek legal protection. She was granted a temporary restraining order the following month, which became permanent in October 2014 and required Matt Prokop to stay at least 300 feet away from her and her dog.

Sarah Hyland reflected on lingering trauma from her abusive relationship

In October 2024, Sarah Hyland said the impact of a past abusive relationship had not fully faded, explaining that she was still “triggered” years later. Speaking with Variety, the actor reflected on her experience as a domestic violence survivor. She placed her personal story within a broader cultural silence around abuse, expressing how rarely it had been openly discussed.

“For thousands of years now, we didn’t talk about it. The community hasn’t shared enough, I believe, and I feel that if we talk about it more, more women and men and just human beings in general in abusive relationships, will feel more comfortable to be able to talk about it with their loved ones instead of letting their abuser isolate them from everyone, which is the first thing that they do, so that you don’t have that community," she explained

"So we have to keep talking about it. It’s really important to be able to help those in need,” she added.

She also described how trauma lingered internally, even after ending the relationship. The PTSD, she said, stayed

“in that abused place of your soul, where you think it’s your fault the whole time and you could have done better, you could have gotten out sooner, you could have told people.”

The actress spoke candidly about the urge to shut down emotionally and move on, acknowledging patterns she recognized in herself.

“It’s almost like you don’t wanna talk about it anymore. You want it to be done, and that’s that. I completely understand the dissociation pattern of it. I am very much guilty about it myself… until something happens where I’m triggered, and I didn’t realize that part of myself had been healed,” she said.

Hyland concluded by sharing her experience by reflecting on the permanence of that damage, suggesting healing did not always mean erasure.

“I don’t know if that part [of] any woman will ever be fully healed from that. It’s something that kind of scars her soul a little bit. It’s more so putting love towards that scar instead of hating it and ignoring it,” she explained.

We will report further as the story develops.

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