Brianna Chickenfry Warned 'Don't Date Famous People' on Podcast Hours Before Zach Bryan Announced Their Breakup

Mar. 15, 2025

Brianna LaPaglia aka Brianna Chickenfry.Photo:Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty

Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty

Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPagliaopened up about the realities of dating someone famous just hours before news broke of her breakup withZach Bryan.

LaPaglia, 25, spoke about her relationship with the 28-year-old country singer on theTalk Tuahpodcast with Haliey Welchand revealed that she never wanted to date someone famous before she met Bryan.

“I said on theBFFs [podcast] that I would never date anyone famous ever,” she recalled. “Literally never wanted to and then it kinda just happened.”

When asked what changed her mind when she got together with Bryan, LaPaglia bluntly responded, “Uh, I don’t know. I wish it … don’t date famous people.”

She then recalled how their relationship first came to be, noting that after going to one of his shows, she and her cohost Grace O’Malley made a podcast about it, and he slid into her DMs on Instagram. However, she continued to emphasize why people shouldn’t date someone in the public eye, telling Welch, “I think it’s better for the mental to not date someone famous.”

Welch then inquired how LaPaglia dealt with the spotlight on their relationship and “all the rumors about him,” alluding to speculation about their breakup.

“The Internet’s crazy, and they run with stuff, and I don’t ever defend myself online,” she explained. “So it kinda just spirals into like a snowball, because I think it’s stupid to feed into it. There’s new rumors every week so I’ve come to conclusion the Internet will believe like anything.”

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On Oct. 22, Bryanconfirmed on Instagram Storiesthat the couple officially broke up and asked for everyone to “please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too.”

“I have had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways,” he explained in his post. “I am not perfect and never will be.”

Shortly after his initial statement was posted, LaPaglia posted a statement on her ownInstagram, noting that she was “feeling really blindsided.”

Brianna Chickenfry.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

In an emotional YouTube video,LaPaglia further addressed her splitfrom Bryan, confirming they officially broke up on Oct. 21.

“I’m at the point where it’s like, how can you give someone everything and love them so unconditionally, like through stuff that you shouldn’t because you just love them and you want them… like you see the good in them?” LaPaglia continued as tears rolled down her face.

Towards the end of the video, LaPaglia asked her viewers to “respect” her privacy at this time. “When I’m ready to talk about everything that happened, I will, but right now I’m just completely blindsided.”

Reps for both Bryan and LaPaglia did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Bryan and LaPaglia first met at the Academy of Country Music Awards inMay 2023. She then made their relationship public back in July 2023 on an episode of thePlan Bri Uncutpodcast.

source: people.com