BFFs is a weekly podcast that is hosted by Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia that covers current events as content, such as pop culture, celebrities, influencers, and Tik Tok. They stream on several different social media platforms, such as youtube, apple podcasts, spotify, and amazon music with a new episode each week. Their most recent episode covers the breakup between the hit country artist Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry. The couple broke up about a year after dating in a public breakup announcement on instagram by Zach. In this post, I will discuss the events that occurred and how the podcast demonstrates Zach Bryan’s crime against women who he has had intimate relationships with.
Zach Bryan is a U.S. Navy Veteran and Oklahoma native that is best known for his country hits “Pink Skies”, “Revival”, and “Something in the Orange”. He has received a total of four Grammy notifications for his musical releases and won a Grammy for his work with Kacey Musgraves. Brianna rose to fame because of her popular Tik Tok account where she has 1.6 million fans who she updates on with her daily life, love, and career. She hosts two podcasts, “PlanBri Uncut Barstool Sports” and the “BFFs” podcast.
During the BFFs podcast, Bri discusses her experience of the relationship and how it has affected her. To begin, Bri discloses that she refused to sign a 12 million-dollar NDA offered from Zach Bryan’s management team because she wanted to be able to publicly discuss her experiences and support women who have similar experiences. An NDA is a non-disclosure agreement that is a legally binding contract that protects sensitive information from being shared, in this case it is the details of their relationship. You might think that this is a serious amount of money to be offered just for a simple break-up between an influencer and a famous music artist. However, during the podcast it becomes clear why she was offered such a grand sum of money for her silence.
Brianna exposes the emotional abuse that she experienced during the relationship and how that has caused the past year to be “the hardest year of [her] life”. On her birthday she brought Zach to her aunt’s home along with her closest friends to celebrate. However, Zach became aggressive toward those that she loves and began yelling and smashing glass in the home that he was welcomed in. Not only did this break Brianna’s heart, but it emotionally damaged those around her. This was not the only instance where she experienced emotional abuse. In events such as the golden globes and her tour, Zach caused emotional distress to the point where she was constantly worried about changing herself in order to keep him happy. She explains that “Everything good, anything good I did for me, he made sure to ruin it for me. He ruined my birthday, he ruined my tour, he ruined the Golden Globes. Anything Brianna did for Brianna, he had to ruin it.”. When she prioritized herself, she was punished, starting the abusive cycle that she unknowingly became a part of. She continues to remove her phone case to reveal a smashed phone that he repeatedly smashed against the wall when he was violent. She states how “Everyone in my personal life knew what I was going through” and not the general public because she purposefully did not want to expose their relationship. Zach constantly created emotional abuse to Brianna in instances like this that she chose to hide from the public in order to maintain his happiness. Brianna also has several pieces of video evidence that prove the amount of abuse that she experienced, explaining where the reason for the NDA comes from. The NDA was Zach’s attempt to cover the emotional abuse that he has caused Brianna in order to continue his music career without causing bad publicity to his name.
This specific podcast demonstrates how easy it is to unknowingly become a victim of an abusive relationship, whether it is emotional or physical. And Brianna was not alone. She also claims that the previous women he had a relationship with were made to sign NDAs. In response, she claims “You made the women before me believe that they had no other choice but to take money from you”. Although the actions by Zach Bryan were not illegal, it is definitely considered shameful and wrong. In extreme cases, many people who experience emotional abuse can qualify for a restraining order. A few states specifically allow someone to get a restraining order based on “coercive control”, which is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. Although women might feel alone when experiencing emotional abuse, they now have Brianna as a resource and those who relate as a support system.
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I was drawn to this post because one of my friends’ loves Sach Bryan’s music but I have heard a little bit about his abusive behavior towards this individual. It brings up the whole discussion, can you separate the art/music from the artist. I think you can in some instances but in this one, I always think about this story when I hear his songs. I guess the price tag for his reputation was $12 million dollars.
Hi Sophia, I was shocked when I heard that Zach Bryan and Brianna broke up, especially since I saw him in concert just a few months before and they seemed so happy together. During his last song, “Revival”, he brought her on stage and they sang the chorus together. That’s why I was upset to find out that Brianna was being emotionally abused while dating Zach Bryan because I was a fan of his music. It is hard to support someone when you disagree with how they behave or their principles. Reading this article almost a year later makes me question myself. Even though I know how Zach Bryan’s previous relationships felt, I continue to listen to his music. Should I be prioritizing good songs over women who have been hurt? Specifically one who did the right thing by standing up for them and being open about her experience. After some reflection, I think I just have to separate the music from the artist. I will enjoy the music but I will not respect the person. I will give credit to Brianna who was brave enough to share her story online so other women know that they’re not alone
Hi Sophia,
I found your post to be engaging as it highlights not only the drama behind singer Zach Bryan and Brianna LaPaglia’s breakup, but also the deeper issues of emotional abuse and the power imbalance in celebrity relationships. It’s eye-opening to see how Brianna refused the NDA and chose to share her story, showing how important it is for women to speak out about toxic and abusive behavior, even when money and fame are involved. The details about her experiences, like her birthday being ruined, her phone being smashed, and her fear of being herself, make the abuse clear and relatable. Overall, I enjoy how your post emphasizes how easily someone can fall into an abusive cycle and why it’s so important to raise awareness.
Hello Sophia, your piece takes on a difficult but important subject, exposing how fame and power can be used to manipulate and silence women. The title, “Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry: Their Love ‘Fried’ Out,” grabs attention with its play on words, but the seriousness of the content makes clear that this is about much more than a breakup; it’s about emotional abuse, coercion, and the silencing of women’s experiences. I think the strength of this piece lies in how it connects Brianna’s personal story to a larger pattern, showing how NDAs and public image can be used to cover up harmful behavior. Including Brianna’s refusal to sign the NDA was especially impactful, since it reframes her choice as not only personal but also empowering for other women in similar situations. The article could also talk about the bigger issue of abuse in the entertainment industry, how famous people sometimes get protected while victims suffer. Finally, it’s a strong piece that tells the story well and points out the problems in the system.
Hi Sophia, I found this article incredibly fascinating because I am personally a huge fan of both Zack Bryan’s music as well as the BFF’s podcast, so obviously I loved Briana Chickenfry. However, although I heard they broke up I did not know about the details. First of all, regarding the 12 million dollars she missed out on with her refusal to sign an NDA is mind boggling. All I know is that if I were her I would have kept quiet for that much money. However, it also makes me realize that whatever Zack Bryan did to her must have been absolutely horrific to the point where she would rather destroy his career and reputation as opposed to receiving 12 million dollars from not saying anything publicly. Your articles just goes to show the power money has as you explain how plenty of Zack Bryan’s past women were also given hush money to not publicly announce the emotional abuse they also faced. Overall, your article was very well written and has true significance on men in our society today and how much abuse goes unnoticed and unrecognized especially publically.
Hi Sophia, I found your article fascinating. I remember when they broke up and it was all over social media. My friend is a big Zach Bryan fan and she has seen him in concert twice. When I heard that Bri refused to sign the $12 million NDA, I was stunned. I believe it was a smart move on her part because her entire brand is about being open and candid. She would lose out on all the money she made by talking about the breakup. The breakup has drawn so much attention to her and her podcast. I also saw TikToks of former Zach Bryan supporters showing off their tattoos that say, “How lucky are we”–a line from the song he wrote about her. Bri has the same tattoo and addressed it online, encouraging people not to remove them but to view them as matching tattoos with her rather than a tribute to Zach’s song. The emotional abuse Bri endured is heartbreaking. This article revealed details that I was unaware of. By refusing to sign the NDA and speaking out, she made a powerful statement and exposed the situation on her terms.