Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, Zach Bryan’s ex-girlfriend, accused the country singer of emotional abuse and said he offered her $12 million in hush money.
LaPaglia came forward with the bombshell allegation on Barstool Sports’ “BFFs” podcast Thursday. Her relationship with Bryan soured publicly after LaPaglia discovered he had been using Raya, a dating app.
She told co-hosts Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards that Bryan had emotionally abused her during the relationship, saying she felt isolated and manipulated during their time together. LaPaglia claimed the country star’s team offered her $12 million for her silence following the breakup.
The Barstool personality turned down the alleged offer but admitted she is still “terrified” of Bryan.
“The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life,” LaPaglia said. “Like, dealing with the abuse from this dude. Like, I’m still scared right now, ’cause I’m, like, scared of him still. My brain’s re-wired. I’m scared to make him mad.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Zach Bryan and Brianna LaPaglia attend the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
LaPaglia alleged that Bryan attempted to buy her silence with the large financial deal over the course of three years and said that she would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) as part of the arrangement. Bryan’s team would have carefully monitored her social media and public appearances to ensure she wasn’t breaching the NDA’s terms, LaPaglia alleged.
She went on to say she was very happy that she didn’t take the alleged deal.
“You made the women before me believe that they had no other choice than to take money from you, sign their experiences away — sign what they went through away,” she said.
“You get to go skip off and sing your little fucking songs on stage like you’re a good dude,” she continued.
She reflected on the negative impact the alleged deal would have had on her if had she accepted, saying she rejected the alleged offer for moral and ethical reasons and not because she wanted to publicly drag the country star. (RELATED: Zach Bryan Deletes Account, Apologizes After ‘Drunkenly’ Tweeting About Taylor Swift)
“I don’t want in two years to buy a fucking house and think, ‘Oh, this is the money from the dude that literally fucking destroyed me and broke me for a year.’ Fuck that. Fuck you. I don’t want your money,” LaPaglia said.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Brianna LaPaglia and Zach Bryan attend the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
She also said she didn’t want to sign away her “experiences” and what she “went through to protect someone that hurt” her.
“I’m a lot stronger than a weak man,” she said. “Fuck you, fuck your money. Fuck you.”
