Brianna LaPaglia Talks ‘Still Trying to Learn’ How to Put Herself First After Zach Bryan Split

The SI Swimsuit January digital cover star is ready to prioritize self-care.

Brianna LaPaglia was photographed by Katherine Goguen at The Austin Estate. Swimsuit by Isa Boulder. / Katherine Goguen/Sports Illustrated

Since joining TikTok during college in 2019 and starting an internship at Barstool Sports the following year, Brianna LaPaglia has become an internet sensation, amassing millions of followers across social media. Known for her lip-sync videos and hilariously relatable commentary, the content creator, nicknamed “Brianna Chickenfry,” is the cohost of podcasts BFFs and PlanBri Uncut. This month, she became SI Swimsuit's January digital cover star, posing at The Austin Estate in La Quinta, Calif. for Katherine Goguen’s lens.

While her followers had become accustomed to visiting her socials for comedic relief, LaPaglia has also become an advocate for self-worth over the past couple of months after coming out to accuse her ex-boyfriend, Zach Bryan, of emotional abuse. Sharing her story during an episode of BFFs in November wasn’t an easy decision for her to make, but she’s since been able to connect with her fans who have been in similar toxic relationships. Though she received unfair criticism from people who didn’t believe her, she also received messages from “thousands of women and men” who were inspired by her story to “leave an abusive relationship.”

During her photo shoot with SI Swimsuit, LaPaglia shared more details on her relationship with the country music singer and how she’s been able to start moving on from the traumatic experience, noting that putting herself first is something she has to train herself to do.

“Coming out of such an abusive relationship, I think people are forgetting that I’m still trying to learn how to take care of myself after that,” she explained. “The main message to people who are going through something similar is if you start putting yourself on the backburner consistently, it’s never going to end well. And there are times where you have to put yourself first, even in hard situations. People think love means you stay even when you shouldn’t. I thought that. It comes to a point where if that’s killing you, you gotta go and you’ll be better off for it. And so will they.”

LaPaglia’s continued message of prioritizing yourself in difficult situations has inspired people across the globe, one of the many reasons she was chosen to grace the latest digital cover for SI Swimsuit.

Next up, the Boston native is excited about the next chapter of her BFFs podcast with cohost Josh Richards, as well as stretching her writing muscles with a book. “I've always wanted to be a writer. I think writing it all will really define my story and like, really get people to understand and also help others,” she told SI Swimsuit. “I love writing fiction. That's what I've always done, but I think my nonfiction right now will be a lot more helpful, impactful and also therapeutic for me to write about.“

We have no doubt that LaPaglia’s new era will be one worth watching. Read her SI Swimsuit cover story here.