Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia is showing that breakups could become an opportunity for personal and professional reinvention.
Fresh off her high-profile split from musician Zach Bryan in October, LaPaglia graced the January digital cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. As she explained to the outlet, it was her way of “reclaiming who I am as a woman, reclaiming my body and my decisions and my choices.”
The cover arrived shortly after LaPaglia turned heads at the Golden Globes in a metallic gown with a plunging neckline that was quickly dubbed her “revenge dress.” The look was seen as a bold statement not only on her breakup with Bryan but also on the fallout with former best friend and PlanBri Uncut podcast cohost, Grace O’Malley.
According to public relations experts, both the Sports Illustrated cover and the Golden Globes dress suggest that LaPaglia is making strategic use of both moments.
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“She’s making the right moves,” publicist Matthew Cancel, CEO and founder of Cancel Communications, told Yahoo Entertainment, noting that LaPaglia has gone so far as to change her hair color slightly and is “dressing a little bit differently” to outwardly match her internal shift.
“She’s reclaiming a lot of what she feels wasn’t hers, whether it was a relationship in the public eye with a country music star or a podcast with the best friend,” he added. “When you’re a celebrity, everything is about branding. So all of that is just kind of amplified. You want to keep it fresh, keep it interesting, keep your fan base hungry and excited for more.”
LaPaglia echoed these sentiments herself in her Sports Illustrated interview, calling the cover “my favorite f*** you” to Bryan, who she claimed pressured her not to work with the brand during their relationship.
“This cover is me being me again and taking control of my life,” she told the outlet. “This is my body; my body isn’t that experience, and even though I’m not 100% in it right now, this is me.”
A tale of two breakups
LaPaglia’s life took a dramatic turn in late 2024 after two major breakups — one with Bryan and another with O’Malley.
After ending her yearlong relationship with Bryan in October, LaPaglia alleged on her BFFs podcast that he offered her $12 million and a New York City apartment to stay silent about their time together. She refused and spoke openly about the relationship instead, calling it controlling and emotionally abusive — claims Bryan has not yet addressed publicly.
Her fallout with O’Malley only added to the drama. LaPaglia accused her former PlanBri Uncut cohost of failing to defend her during the Bryan breakup and online backlash. The tension led to the podcast’s end, with LaPaglia calling it a mutual decision, though O’Malley claimed otherwise.
In December, LaPaglia announced plans to revive PlanBri, while O’Malley left Barstool Sports and joined Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network, marking the end of their friendship and collaboration.
Rebranding after breakups is tricky business
According to experts, LaPaglia’s recent moves are a prime example of turning personal challenges into professional opportunities.
“These moments allow her to send a clear message: she’s in control of her story, not defined by relationships or fallout,” Liza Anderson, Hollywood publicist and founder of Anderson Group Public Relations, told Yahoo Entertainment.
The concept of using fashion to make a bold public statement after a breakup isn’t new, but when executed authentically, Anderson said it can resonate deeply with audiences. “It humanizes her, making her relatable, while also empowering her fans to view setbacks as opportunities,” she said.
Public relations expert, Carolyn Sutton, agrees, telling Yahoo Entertainment that rebranding after a breakup is not just about “erasing the past, but about embracing your growth and redefining what you want for your future.”
This is especially true for young women, Sutton added, when “reinvention starts by aligning your personal image with the confident, empowered individual you’re becoming. It’s a chance to become more open, vibrant and, perhaps, debut your true self.”
Bryan and LaPaglia at the Grammy Awards, October 2024. (Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
But rebranding can be tricky, especially for public figures like LaPaglia and Bryan, whose relationship helped elevate their respective careers.
“Her celebrity profile rose when she started dating Zach Bryan because he was a traditional celebrity within the country music space,” said Cancel. “That solidified her in a lot of ways. Before that, she was only known as a TikToker or a podcaster,” adding that her relationship with Bryan may have helped “break her out” to a new fanbase.
A delicate balance
While fans seem to be applauding LaPaglia’s ability to pivot, history shows that rebranding through personal drama can be a double-edged sword. Stars like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus have successfully reclaimed their narratives after breakups, but Cancel warns that such moves must align with a larger narrative.
“It’s only going to backfire if you forget your fanbase,” he explained. “If you’re a pop star known for making a certain type of music and then you’re like, ‘I’m gonna chop all my hair off,’ ‘I’m not gonna make that music anymore,’ ‘I’m now a rock artist’ or whatever it is, then you’re completely alienating the fanbase that made you famous in the first place.”
That doesn’t seem to be the case for LaPaglia, added Anderson.
“For Brianna, who has always been outspoken, relatable and unfiltered, this rebranding feels natural rather than forced,” she explained. “It’s a smart way to show resilience and evolution — qualities her audience likely admires.”
Still, it’s important to strike the right balance. “A rebranding strategy can backfire if it feels overly manufactured or if it pushes the narrative into overexposure,” said Anderson. “When the focus shifts from reclaiming to overcompensating, there’s a risk of alienating audiences who value authenticity.”
At least for now, LaPaglia appears determined to chart her own course.
“It’s a tale as old as time,” said Cancel. “Everybody wants to start a new life, a new chapter, after a breakup. They reevaluate the people around them, how they were behaving in a relationship.”
He added, “Celebrities are human too.”
