In the wake of Zach Bryan‘s highly publicized breakup from Barstool Sports‘ Brianna Chickenfry, some prominent figures in the country music world are taking sides.
Carly Pearce and Bunnie Xo both shared their support for Chickenfry’s side of the breakup on social media this week, and both focused on different components of the emotional abuse Chickenfry alleged on a recent bombshell episode of her BFFs podcast.
- Bryan announced his split from Chickenfry via an Instagram Stories slide in late October.
- She then posted a tearful video saying she felt “blindsided” and “discarded,” adding that she’d had no idea he planned to public with the news so soon, and she was hoping for more time to process the split privately.
- In the tell-all early November podcast episode, Chickenfry described a pattern of “love-bombing” and emotional abuse, saying that he offered her a $12 million payout to sign an NDA agreeing not to publicly discuss the relationship and breakup.
Pearce pulled out a snippet of audio from the podcast where Chickenfry says Bryan “manipulated the f–k out of me.”
“I truly thought he was this great dude because in the first four months of our relationship, he was,” she continues. “That’s who he showed me…that’s who I fell in love with.”
Pearce sent her “kudos” to Chickenfry for her honesty in the podcast, saying her words “really hit home.”
“It takes a lot to be this open in front in the world,” Pearce notes. She should know: Pearce has been open about going through a similarly toxic breakup, after her 2020 divorce from her husband Michael Ray. She never alleged any emotional abuse against Ray, but Chickenfry’s narrative of “love-bombing” and manipulation feels true to some of the songs and thoughts Pearce has shared about her divorce.
“To all the girls silently struggling: I lived this story and love bombing is REAL. Know your worth, know it has nothing to do with you,” she wrote in her post. “You deserve more, just like I did.”
Meanwhile, Bunnie focused on another aspect of the abuse Chickenfry detailed in her podcast: An anecdote where she claims Bryan became explosively angry after hearing her sing a Morgan Wallen song. Bunnie shared a TikTok of herself singing and dancing along to Wallen’s “Broadway Girls,” writing, “Just over here screaming Morgan Wallen for Brianna since she wasn’t allowed.”
Bunnie Xo has also been vocal about her experience in an abusive relationship in the past.
Bryan hasn’t replied directly to the podcast episode, but he did share new music, which fans have been speculating might be about his breakup.
The country music genre typically isn’t associated with diss tracks. But throughout its history, there have been some truly brutal country songs aimed at people who’ve done the artist wrong.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak