Dave Portnoy took a shot at Zach Bryan after the country singer’s surprise split from Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna Chickenfry.
Bryan, 28, first announced on his Instagram Story that they had split after more than a year with a lengthy statement on Tuesday.
However, just over 30 minutes later, Brianna, 25, whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia, announced she was taking a break from social media after feeling “really shocked.”
Amid the controversy, Portnoy took to X and said he was dedicating Taylor Swift’s song ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ to Chickenfry in a direct dig.
Barstool Sports boss Portnoy hosts the ‘BFFs’ podcast alongside Chickenfry and TikTok influencer Josh Richards.
Dave Portnoy criticized Zach Bryan on social media after his split from Brianna Chickenfry
Bryan and Chickenfry (pictured in February) split on Tuesday after a shocking statement.
Portnoy said he dedicated Taylor Swift’s song ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ to him
‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ is from Swift’s most recent album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, and appeared to reference her heartbreak when her relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy ended.
Swift found herself in a whirlwind romance with Healy, although neither of them directly confirmed it, which began in April 2023 after they were seen kissing in New York City.
But the affair ended as quickly as it began after Healy’s “bad boy” image and “racist” comments caused Swift to face backlash.
Bryan’s announcement came a day after fans speculated that he and Chickenfry had gone their separate ways.
A Reddit user claimed to have seen Zach on the celebrity dating app Raya with photos from his supposed profile, as well as a mysterious message shared by Chickenfry.
It said: “And eventually you will discover that life goes on, even if you don’t want it to,” the message said. ‘The days will pass and the world will move as you ask it to stop.
‘You’ll think life is cruel for moving forward while your feet are stuck.
‘You will find people and moments to blame for your cement feet.
“Then there will come a morning when you will wake up and realize that things go on and that life is not cruel, your feet are.”
“The world keeps turning in the hope of showing you that you can do it too.”
The former couple has been dating since July 2023.
Bryan announced their split in a statement posted to his Instagram Story on Tuesday.
Brianna alluded to the split with her own message saying she felt “really shocked.”
The country singer, who began dating Brianna in July 2023, posted on his account on Tuesday: ‘Addressing something: Brianna and I have broken up (sic) and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a long time and for that I will always be grateful.
“Personally, I’ve had an incredibly difficult year and I’ve had to overcome some pretty serious things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our separate ways. I am not perfect and I never will be.
‘Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, so does mine.
‘With everything I am and anyone I let down, I’m sorry. I do the best I can in everything. I failed the people who love me and mainly myself.’
About 30 minutes after Bryan posted his message, the Barstool Sports star posted his.
While she didn’t say anything about the split, she seemed to be alluding to her breakup with Zach, as she said she felt “really shocked” at the time.
‘Hey guys, I’m feeling really surprised right now. I’ll get off social media for a while and try to heal privately, when I’m ready I’ll come back and be ready to talk.
‘I love you so much, thank you for all your kind words. Remember that you are very loved and that everything will always be okay.’