Zach Bryan fans might have noticed that the “Something In The Orange” singer has been flooding his social media as of late with photos alongside a woman named Brianna Chickenfry, whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia, naturally causing fans to ask “is Brianna Zach Bryan’s girlfriend?”
Given that his Brianna is not a musician herself, the most common query comes from country music fans who are wondering who she is, as well as how she managed to amass over 800,000 followers on Instagram and 2 million followers on TikTok. Because of this curiosity coming from Zach Bryan fans, Music Mayhem took a deep dive into Brianna Chickenfry’s identity, including her upbringing, her rise to social media stardom and how she met the country hitmaker. Learn more about Brianna (LaPaglia) Chickenfry below.
Meet Zach Bryan’s Girlfriend And Viral Star Brianna Chickenfry
Brianna Chickenfry, whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia, was born in June 1999. The age gap between her and Zach Bryan is just three years, with her boyfriend being born in April 1996, making Brianna 24 years old and Zach 27 years old in January 2024.
Prior to her social media success, Brianna moved from her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts to Berea, Ohio to serve as a member of theswimmingand diving team at Baldwin Wallace University, as well as major in public health, however, in September 2020 she dropped out of college after achieving a slight social media following.
Nonetheless, Brianna Chickenfry is rather public about her upbringing, letting her 2M followers in on her life via silly stories that she shares on TikTok, as well as including her childhood best friend, fellow social media superstar Grace O’Malley, in a majority of her content.
As for how her social media success came to be, Brianna started by posting relatable content surrounding her social life while studying (and swimming) at Baldwin Wallace University, considering herself to be the “CEO of hangovers” all while simultaneously captivating viewers with her sense of humor. Whether it was reliving a wild night out, documenting the less-than-ideal morning after, or anything in between, Brianna’s videos became a staple source of entertainment for college students nationwide, as well as a well-known media company.
To her surprise, her Brianna’s videos grasped the attention of Barstool Sports — a media company that focuses on college, sports, pop culture, and more — sharing the story on Token CEO, a podcast hosted by the CEO of Barstool Sports herself, Erika Nardini.
“I was actually found through Barstool on TikTok for making my stupid videos. My funny videos. My hangover videos. I got a DM and they were like, ‘Can I have your email?’ and I’m like, ‘Is this real life?’ and then we kept in touch. All of a sudden, I’m an intern, and then all of a sudden, I’m working there full-time. Literally in a blink of an eye,” she dished, explaining how she started to achieve true social media stardom.
Admitting that she was only interning for a week before being hired by Barstool Sports full-time, Brianna now serves as the host of two of the most popular podcasts that the media company has to offer: PlanBri Uncut and BFFs.
Host of the PlanBri Uncut and BFFs podcasts at Barstool Sports
The BFFs podcast posted their first episode in October 2020, where social media superstar Josh Richards and owner of Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy served as the hosts, while Brianna Chickenfry served as a member of the crew. Popping in from time to time, the Massachusetts native was added to the podcast as a permanent third host in September 2021, launching her into the limelight even further.
For those who are unfamiliar with what exactly the BFFs podcast entails, “the unlikely trio of Josh Richards, Dave Portnoy, and Brianna Chickenfry team up to talk all things pop culture, celebrities, influencers, and TikTok. You never know what to expect from this trio, from breaking entertainment news to generational differences, they’re sure to make you laugh while keeping you up to date.”
Brianna also hosts a podcast alongside her childhood best friend called PlanBri Uncut, which she describes as “a show about how comical it is to navigate life in your 20s. Anchored in a twice-weekly podcast, the two lifelong best friends Brianna Chickenfry and Grace O’Malley banter about all things that matter: relationships, friends, work, mental health, and of course having fun. Their raw honesty, vulnerable candor, self-deprecating humor, and relatable tone celebrates the good, the bad, and the dysfunctional, knowing we are all just doing the best we can.”
Speaking of the PlanBri Uncut podcast, Brianna Chickenfry initially revealed her relationship with Zach Bryan in an episode posted in July 2023, sharing with her listeners how this unlikely duo ignited their romantic spark.
How did Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry Connect?
Both Brianna and Zach attended the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023 and snapped a photo together — simply because the former was a fan of the latter — ultimately marking the first moment that the duo was seen together. Both parties were in respective relationships at the time, and Brianna and Zach have confirmed that little to no words were exchanged at the award show, however, the plot thickened at a show the following month.
In June 2023, Brianna Chickenfry and the co-host of the BFFs podcast, Josh Richards, took the stage to sing “Revival” alongside Zach Bryan at his concert in New York City. At the time, Zach had already broken up with his girlfriend, however, Brianna was still in a relationship, but that did not stop the Oklahoma native from messaging her via social media.
“I was still with my boyfriend at the concert, and then a few days later, me and Joey break up. [Zach] had already broken up with his girlfriend, and then he f*****g slid into my DMs. I made a podcast after we went onstage and was like, ‘Eat the rich besides Zach Bryan’ and he posted it, and then he DMed me and said, ‘That was so sweet, thank you guys for coming’ and then we just started chatting,” Brianna dished in an episode of the PlanBri Uncut podcast in July 2023, where she also confirmed their relationship once and for all.
A Road Trip Allowed Zach and Brianna To Get To Know Each Other On A Deeper Level
The social media sensation elaborated on the situation even further in an episode of the BFFs podcast in August 2023, revealing to both Josh Richards and Dave Portnoy that a road trip is where Brianna Chickenfry and Zach Bryan “got to know each other” on a much deeper level.
She shared with a smile, “He’s like the nicest, most genuine person I’ve ever met. He’s so normal. We did a f*****g 18-hour car ride together, and we didn’t turn the music on once, and we talked the whole time. That’s when I knew like ‘Oh this guy’s actually awesome.’”
In January of 2024, the two lovebirds appear to still be going strong, recently posting photos to social media that show Brianna and Zach spending some quality time with one another, as well as sharing a few smooches. To keep up with their couples content, Zach Bryan fans can connect with his girlfriend on Instagram and TikTok at @briannachickenfry.
