Dave Portnoy has taken a shot at Zach Bryan after the country singer’s shock split from Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna Chickenfry.
Bryan, 28, first announced on his Instagram story they had parted ways after more than one year together with a lengthy statement on Tuesday.
However, just over 30 minutes later, Brianna, 25 – whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia – announced she was going to be taking a social media break after feeling ‘really blindsided.’
Amid the controversy, Portnoy took to X and said he was dedicating the Taylor Swift song ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ to Chickenfry in a pointed dig at Bryan.
Barstool Sports chief Portnoy hosts the ‘BFFs’ podcast alongside Chickenfry and TikTok influencer Josh Richards.
Dave Portnoy took a shot at Zach Bryan on social media after his split from Brianna Chickenfry
Bryan and Chickenfry (pictured in February) called it quits on Tuesday after a shock statement
Portnoy said he was dedicating the Taylor Swift song ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ to her
‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ is from Swift’s most recent album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and seemed to reference her heartbreak when her relationship with The 1975 front man Matty Healy ended.
Swift found herself in a whirlwind romance with Healy — though neither ever directly confirmed — that started in April 2023 after they were seen kissing in New York City.
But the fling ended as fast as it began after Healy’s ‘bad boy’ image and ‘racist’ remarks caused squeaky clean Swift to face backlash.
Bryan’s announcement, meanwhile, came one day after fans speculated him and Chickenfry had gone their separate ways.
A Reddit user claimed to have seen Zach on the celebrity dating app Raya with photos of his alleged profile, in addition to a mysterious message shared by Chickenfry.
It read: ‘And eventually you’ll find that life goes on, even if you don’t want it to,’ the message read. ‘The days will pass and the world will move while you ask it to stop.
‘You’ll believe life is cruel for continuing on while your feet are stuck.
‘You’ll find people and moments to blame for your concrete feet.
‘Then there will come a morning when you wake and realize things go on, life isn’t cruel your feet are.
‘The world keeps on spinning in hopes of showing you that you can as well.’
The former couple have 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 that said she was feeling ‘really blindsided’
The country singer, who began dating Brianna in July 2023, then posted to his account on Tuesday: ‘Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with eachother (sic) and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. 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. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go out different ways. I am not perfect and never will be.
‘Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too.
‘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.’
Around 30 minutes after Bryan posted his message, the Barstool Sports star posted her own.
While she did not say anything about the split, she appeared to be alluding to her break-up with Zach as she said she was feeling ‘really blindsided’ at the moment.
‘Hey guys I’m feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately, when I’m ready I’ll be back and ready to talk.
‘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 OK.’
Brianna confirmed they were dating in July 2023 and the then-couple made their red carpet debut at the Grammy Awards in February.