Zach Bryan's 'official hater' Dave Portnoy calls him 'fraud' for blindsiding Brianna LaPaglia amid split

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has declared himself a Zach Bryan hater.

Portnoy lashed out at the country music star following his breakup with Portnoy's friend and employee, Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia.

Dave Portnoy says Zach Bryan didn't give him good vibes 

Known for being outspoken, Dave Portnoy didn’t hesitate to share his thoughts on Zach Bryan after the relationship ended.

During 'The Unnamed Show', Portnoy was asked if he was "officially a Zach Bryan hater now." His response was simple: “Mm-hmm. Yes. I was never a like."

"I think he's a fraud. Every time I met him, I was not comfortable with him," he added.

"He doesn't put you at ease. There's certain guys where you're like, 'okay, I kinda like this guy, he gives a good vibe guy.' He never gave that vibe to me," Portnoy said during the show.

 Zach Bryan's life is an 'emotional rollercoaster' 

Before making this statement, Dave Portnoy had taken to X (formerly Twitter) to make his feelings apparent.

He trolled Bryan by dedicating the Taylor Swift song 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' to Brianna Chickenfry, using the post as a direct jab at Bryan.

Portnoy co-hosts the BFFs podcast alongside TikTok influencer Josh Richards and Barstool’s John LaPaglia.

The breakup comes as Bryan has been dealing with ongoing emotional struggles following the death of his mother, Annette, in 2016.

"Zach’s life has been an emotional rollercoaster ever since his mother died. Zach is dealing with mental health struggles," reported Daily Mail, citing a source. 

"His mom was his rock, and he was able to learn from her and her struggles, and now he doesn't have that outlet. Brianna was someone who took on Zach on and dealt with all his struggles," added the insider.

Zach Bryan's announced split with Brianna Chickenfry on Instagram

Zach Bryan announced the breakup with Brianna Chickenfry LaPaglia on Instagram, sharing his reasons for the split.

“Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with each other and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart," Bryan said in the post.

"She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I’ll always thank her. I’ve had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things,” he continued.

“Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this, and if you have it in your heart, mine too,” Bryan wrote.

“I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go out different ways. I am not perfect and never will be,” he continued. 

Wrapping up his post, Bryan wrote, “With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself.”

Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia was blindsided  by Zach Bryan's breakup announcement 

Brianna Chickenfry LaPaglia, podcast host at Barstool Sports, responded to the breakup in her Instagram post to her followers sharing her feelings of shock followed by an emotional video message.

“Hey guys I’m feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately,” she wrote, indicating that she plans to take time away from the public eye to process the situation.

LaPaglia also thanked her fans for their support, writing, “I love you guys so much thank you for all of your kind words."

"Remember you are so loved and everything’s always gonna be Okay,” she ended her message with stress on her need for privacy navigating this difficult time.