Zach Bryan's impulsive split from Brianna Chickenfry was due to his ongoing mental health issues and grief over his mother's death, leading him into a spiral of self-sabotage, insiders say.
Country star, 28, is Barstool Sports favorite Brianna25 blindfolded as she announced on Instagram that she is stepping down after an “incredibly difficult year personally.”
Zach has been struggling to cope with the “emotional rollercoaster” he's been on since his mother Annette died in 2016 and, according to inside sources who say the singer has trouble maintaining relationships, he's still “trying to find himself.” itself”.
“Zach's life has been an emotional rollercoaster since his mother died,” an exclusive source told DailyMail.com. 'Zack deals with mental struggles.
'His mother was his support, he was able to learn from her and her struggles and now he doesn't have that outlet. Briana is the one who accepts Zach and overcomes all of his struggles.
Zach Bryan, pictured in February 2024, announced his split from girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry on Tuesday.
The singer is said to be struggling with several mental health issues and the loss of his mother Annette, who died in 2016.
The source said he can't handle relationships very well because he's still trying to find himself, adding that he “doesn't want to be a burden.”
They continued: 'And once things get better, he seems to sabotage himself by walking away from something good, and that's what he seems to be doing with Briana.
After her breakup with Zach, who reportedly uses the popular dating app Raya, she really wants to be in a relationship, but she can't handle one person more than anything else.
“He can't deal with so much stress in life,” the soul continued. “He finds that he has enough to navigate his life, his career, and his mental health, so it's hard to throw a relationship into the mix, even if it's exactly what he wants, no matter how good it is.
'Zach is definitely going after his followers at all costs. Once he realizes that it is not, he abandons them cold turkey.
'Brianna is the last person to deal with this. When she says she was taken by surprise, she is telling the truth.
Jack was previously married to Rose Madden, ending a year after their wedding in July 2020. Both parties have erased almost all traces of the other on social media.
Shortly after their breakup, he began dating Debbie Pfeiffer, but the couple broke up in May 2023, two months before he confirmed he was dating Briana.
Taken at the Grammys in February 2024, Zach announced their split in a statement on Instagram, saying he had had an “incredibly difficult year personally.”
“He's struggling to navigate his life, career and mental health, so it's hard to throw a relationship into the mix, no matter how good it is,” a source told DailyMail.com.
Brianna, whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia, once said she was “shocked” when talking about their split. The emotional video message came moments after Sack announced the news in a lengthy Instagram statement to fans.
“Let me address this: Brianna and I have grown apart and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart,” he wrote.
“She has loved me unconditionally for so long and I will always be grateful.
“I've had an incredibly difficult year personally and struggled with some serious things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our separate ways. I am not perfect and I never will be.
He continued: 'Please respect Briana's privacy and space in this and if it's in your heart, so is mine.
'For everything that I am and for whoever I have disappointed, I am sorry. I do the best I can in everything. I failed the people who loved me the most.
Zach previously spoke out about his mother's death, telling the New York Times that it “really solidified the darkness in my life.”
“People say I'm oppressive,” he said. 'And I, no, the person I want to tell all this to is dead.'
He also admitted to using songwriting as a form of therapy in 2017, a year after Annette's death.
“I was in the Navy,” he recalled to Joe Rogan on his podcast last year. 'I had a lot of events, I didn't believe in therapy because it was “crazy” in the Navy… I started making music.'
Zac's breakup announcement came a day after fans speculated that the two had gone their separate ways after a user claimed to have seen profile photos of him on Reddit Raya.
After their split was confirmed, the post received a flood of responses, with many expressing outrage that Zac had dumped Briana so quickly.
Dave Portnoy also attacked the Pink Skies hitmaker Taylor Swift dedicated her song The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived to Briana in a critique of Chuck on
Barstool Sports co-hosts the BFFs podcast with Brianna and TikTok influencer Josh Richards.
He faced a second wave of criticism from fans for promoting a new song just hours after their breakup, as they accused him of “poisoning women for song inspiration.”
After his song Heading South went viral in 2020, he was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2021 to pursue a music career. Their debut album, American Heartbreak, topped the charts in 2022.
