Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia is finally addressing the elephant in the room. The influencer has responded to the flood of comments about ex Zach Bryan’s rumored new girlfriend — and whether or not she’s basically Brianna’s twin.
Just under a year since the 26-year-old podcast host and the 29-year-old country star split, LaPaglia took a moment on her “Plan Bri Uncut” podcast on October 12 to talk about the internet’s latest obsession: the similarities between her and Bryan’s potential new flame.
“Next question that I got a million times: Please, what do you think about Zach’s girlfriend looking exactly like you?” Brianna said during the episode.
Over the summer, Bryan sparked dating rumors when he appeared in an Instagram carousel posted by Samantha Leonard, then later left a comment on another one of her posts. While the “Pink Skies” singer hasn’t confirmed the relationship, that hasn’t stopped fans from pointing out how much Leonard resembles LaPaglia.
“I think this is narcissism textbook 101 — that’s what narcissists do, they just go and find another version of you to date,” Brianna said, clearly amused but unbothered. “People are like, ‘Are you creeped out? Are you mad? Are you annoyed? Are you flattered?’ I am flattered, to be honest, but I dyed my hair so that people stop sending me every single picture that he posts of her.”
She went on to explain that she’s intentionally keeping her distance from anything related to her ex. “I don’t want to see this. I don’t indulge in anything that he does. The only time he comes across my desk is when he jumps over fences or, like, talks about ICE. Like, that’s the only time he comes across my desk — when he’s in the news. I have him blocked on everything so I only see articles when they come up on my For You page.”
“I’m like, ‘Guys, no, that’s not me,’ ” she added. “I literally dyed my hair for this reason. I cannot continuously keep being compared to someone.”
Brianna and Zach went public with their romance in July 2023 and dated for just over a year before announcing their split. At the time, Bryan told fans on Instagram Stories that the two would “go our different ways,” a move Brianna later said she was “blindsided” by.
After their breakup, Brianna made headlines again when she alleged that Zach’s team offered her $12 million to sign an NDA. “You made the women before me believe that they had no other choice than to take money from you,” she claimed on her “BFFs” podcast in November 2024. “[But] I was someone before you.”
“I’m gonna be someone, I’m gonna be established, I’m gonna be successful after him,” she continued. “Maybe I’m not gonna be selling out stadiums and f******* making hundreds of millions of dollars—I’m alright where I’m at, and I don’t want blood money.”
She added that she doesn’t believe it’s right to “pay people off that you hurt to protect you.” Brianna continued, “I did not accept any money. I will not accept any money. I think that’s beneath me. I think that’s f***** up.”
