Current:Home > FinanceBrianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia Accuses Ex Zach Bryan of Abuse -Excel Money Vision
Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia Accuses Ex Zach Bryan of Abuse
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 10:33:41
Brianna LaPaglia is speaking out on her last relationship.
The Barstool Sports host—also known as Brianna Chickenfry—detailed the alleged abuse she suffered from ex Zach Bryan during their year-long relationship.
LaPaglia alleged on the Nov. 7 episode of her BFFs podcast that she faced "narcissistic, emotional abuse" for a year before they broke up last month, with the "Pink Skies" singer announcing the split on social media.
"The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life," she told cohosts Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards. "Dealing with the abuse from this dude—I'm still scared right now."
The 25-year-old added, "My brain's rewired, I'm scared to make him mad."
"He made me believe everything was my fault," she said. "He isolated me from my whole entire life. He wouldn't let me be who I wanted to be. He made me hate everything that I loved about myself."
She felt that Bryan had "loved bombed her" and that she'd ignored multiple red flags. While the first four months were smooth, she accused him of gradually breaking her down, "and then made me feel like he was all I had left, and he just kept repeatedly beating me down and beating me down."
"He manipulated the f--k out of me," LaPaglia said. "I don't expect people to understand emotional abuse if you haven't been through it, and I hope you never have to go through, but if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. It was just this constant cycle of, 'Built you up, beat you down, apologize,' over and over and over."
E! News has reached out to Bryan for comment, but has not heard back.
According to LaPaglia, Bryan, 28, and his team offered her $12 million to sign an NDA to not discuss their relationship. And while she went back and forth on accepting, she said she ultimately refused the money.
"I don't want, in two years, to buy a f--king house," she said, "and think, 'Oh, this is the money from the dude that literally f--king destroyed me and broke me for a year.' F--k that."
LaPaglia continued, "This isn't me not signing the NDA or not taking the money because I want to get on here and expose who he is and his secrets and all that shit."
The podcaster—who was first linked to Bryan in the summer of 2023—said she chose not to accept the money, "because I'm not signing away my experiences and what I went through to protect someone that hurt me, and I'm a lot stronger than a weak man and I'm not. F--k you. F--k your money."
Portnoy and Richards were supportive of their cohost, as the two have been candid with their dislike for Bryan, going as far as to release their diss track "Smallest Man," on Nov. 6, which they confirmed on the podcast was about the country star.
"I said trust me, caught your pants on fire," Richards sang. "Tinder, Bumble, Raya, knew you was a liar / You're a douchebag, you just made a new rival / Pretty soon you going to need a revival."
He went on to sing that Bryan "f--ked up" and told him to "go post it on your Instagram Story," an apparent reference to the "Heading South" singer posting the breakup news on social media before allegedly telling LaPaglia he would be doing so.
Portnoy also joined in, making reference to Bryan's looks with, "Itty bitty Zach, s--tty s-tty tats / Ugly in the face, there's no cure for that."
Bryan first shared the news of their breakup to Instagram Oct. 22, writing in his Stories, "I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways. I am not perfect and never will be."
"Please respect Brianna's privacy and space in this," he added, "and if you have it in your heart, mine too. With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself."
Shortly after his post, LaPaglia shared how she was coping.
"I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up," she said in her YouTube video at the time. "How can you give every ounce of yourself to someone and then be discarded in a few days? I wanted to heal privately and I didn't even know that he was gonna post that."
She thanked fans for their messages of support, noting that it was "gonna be okay."
"I'm gonna be fine," she said. "I'm just obviously really, really hurt right now. And I wanted to just, like, be hurt for a week and lay in bed, and I just didn't want it to be public."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (12)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Ranking
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Trump's 'stop
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo