In recent years, Zach Bryan has become a household name, revolutionizing the country-pop music genre and reconstructing the gap between mainstream music and acoustic songwriting. Amassing millions of streams each month and making $184 million on his ongoing “Quittin’ Time Tour,” it is evident he has struck a chord with a large audience.

Bryan, however, is far from a saint. Recently, on the BFFs podcast with Josh Richards and Dave Portnoy, Bryan’s ex-girlfriend Brianna LaPaglia, aka Brianna Chickenfry, publicly revealed a manipulative side of Bryan. 

LaPaglia alleged that Bryan’s team attempted to give her a $12 million non-disclosure agreement to keep the emotional abuse she endured during the relationship private. Bryan has fought similar allegations with several of his other ex-girlfriends. 

LaPaglia claims that she was cheated on, berated with insults about her appearance and ultimately manipulated to believe it was always her fault due to Bryan’s superiority complex. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, this power dynamic and control is a sign of an abusive partner.  

Unlike many of Bryan’s previous relationships, LaPaglia was a successful influencer before dating Bryan. LaPaglia stresses the importance of women not trapping themselves in toxic relationships, and more importantly, not forgiving mistreatment in exchange for material goods. “I was someone; I was established and I was successful before him,” LaPaglia said on the BFFs podcast. “I am going to be someone. I am going to be established and I am going to be successful after him.” 

In an effort to expose Bryan’s attempt to silence LaPaglia and other women, Richards and Portnoy have openly spoken out against him. They created two diss tracks — songs meant to humiliate or put down a person or group — entitled, “Smallest Man” and “Country Diddy.” Both songs expand on the allegations, claiming that Bryan blames his own “mental health after abusing people.” Bryan’s and Richards’s record label, Warner Music Group, has since taken down the first diss track, “Smallest Man,” out of a fear of bad publicity. 

While all of this was unfolding, Bryan did respond on his Instagram story. Instead of a formal apology, or defending himself against LaPaglia’s claims, Bryan instead said, “World’s been a bit heavy lately.” He followed up the story by announcing, “New music out tonight,” in an evident effort to distract the public from his personal life with his music. Additionally, Bryan has added three new shows to his “Quittin Time Tour,” attributing “overwhelming demand” to justify the shows. 

When allegations arise, people tend to separate the musician from the music to distract themselves from the truth. Many other media-fueled speculations surround Bryan, but none seem to overpower his loyal fanbase at this time. “I don’t care about Zach as a person,” said senior Sydney O’Connor. “I still listen to his music. I love his new songs.”

Bryan’s fame and success has taken over the pop-country genre, however his actions cannot be ignored and should be taken seriously especially in an effort to help others in similar situations. LaPaglia highlights the importance of her recovery from “narcissistic abuse,” claiming to be in contact with doctors and researching ways to improve her mental health. “I didn’t know anything,” LaPaglia said on TikTok. “I want to share everything I can with you. I have a lot of resources that people aren’t so blessed to have.”