Reflecting on the last week.
I think most of us have at least heard the gist of what happened between country star Zach Bryan and Barstool Sports personality Brianna Chickenfry, who have been going through a very public breakup over the last several weeks.
It’s dominated internet headlines, especially after Brianna opened up pretty in-depth about what happened on the BFF’s podcast she co-hosts with Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy and personality Josh Richards. They got pretty into the details of her relationship with Zach, and some of the notable stories include how Zach once got upset Bri was singing a Morgan Wallen song (which I found particularly funny, for lack of a better word), in addition to her addressing what happened between them when she attended the Golden Globes.
Also, Bri told the world that she had turned down a $12 MILLION NDA in order to be able to share all of this publicly, which was incredibly impressive no matter your perspective on either one of them, I think.
And everything I’ve seen in terms of people on the internet supporting Bri has been overwhelmingly positive, and a little while ago, the BFF’s podcast shared a TikTok video of the three of them discussing the reactions of everyone online ahead of the new episode dropping tonight.
Bri explained that her sharing this very personal story and experience was “so much bigger than Zach”:
“This is so much bigger than Zach… and that’s why I shared it.”
Josh added that’s what made it so powerful, because so many women, and men, were able to relate to what she went through:
“That’s what was so powerful, I think, about it Bri. I think girls across the globe are able to be like, ‘Holy sh*t, we can do this. We can stick up for ourselves.’ Like, you made a decision that was bigger than yourself when you said, ‘I’m gonna decline this money and do this.'”
Portnoy pointed out that thousands of videos have been made on TikTok using Bri’s voice during that podcast episode, further proving her reach and impact.
She reflected on all of it, saying it’s made her realize how “sick” it is that people endure relationships similar to hers, and all she wanted by sharing everything was for people to feel seen, heard and understood. Bri also thanked Josh and Dave for their support of her, saying the way they handled her breakup (with the diss track, obviously, but everything else too) has, an will continue to, make a big impact with men in particular:
“It’s sick how people are treated, and how they’re forced to feel like it was all their fault. Like, I didn’t understand that narcissistic abuse was as prevalent as it was and I’m really glad I talked about it.
Another really important takeaway that I’ve seen throughout this is men holding themselves accountable, and their friends accountable. And the girls are always gonna show up, always, because they understand, but it’s really cool to see guys show up too.
And you guys are a big part of that because so many guys look up to you both, and I know it was fun, the diss track and you guys hate Zach, but you guys made a really big impact I think on how men will view this for a long time, so thank you.”
I think it’s admirable that Bri been so open about her perspective on the relationship when it’s clearly been very difficult, understandably, and the ultimate lesson of having enough respect for yourself to walk away when you deserve better is incredibly important, and I’m glad to see it resonating in such a big way.
@bffspod @Brianna LaPaglia ♬ original sound – BFFs Pod
Watch the full BFF’s episode where Bri dives into the fallout and the future:
And the “Country Diddy” diss track in case you missed that… it’s a wild ride:
