Photo: Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter by way of Getty Images
It’s fairly seemingly that you just’ve discovered your self in a state of affairs the place you’re overhearing your Gen-Z co-workers say issues like, “Are you following Brianna Chickenfry and Grace O’Malley’s friendship breakup? It’s, like, actually intense.” If you don’t know who these individuals are, you are formally previous. That’s okay. Take a second to stretch your creaky physique after which I’ll clarify the podcast-TikTok-Barstool Sports drama that’s been gripping the web.
Brianna Chickenfry (née LaPaglia) and Grace O’Malley are childhood finest associates who (till just lately) co-hosted the podcast Plan Bri Uncut. The Barstool Sports podcast started as a solo endeavor for Brianna whereas she was nonetheless in faculty, however when she moved to New York, she introduced Grace alongside and ultimately made her a co-host. Since then, their friendship and their careers have change into entangled, as being finest associates was their job.
Their relationship started to undergo when Brianna was relationship nation star Zach Bryan, who she was with till October of this 12 months. Following their breakup, Brianna accused the singer of being emotionally abusive and claimed that she had turned down a suggestion of $12 million to signal an NDA. For a short second, she turned a hero on the web for bravely dissecting the connection, the best way she was handled, and the way she misplaced herself throughout the 12 months they spent collectively.
People started to invest that Brianna and Grace’s friendship was on the rocks earlier this 12 months, when Brianna was on tour with Bryan and (actually) phoning it in on their podcast. Shortly earlier than Brianna and Zach’s breakup, listeners acquired particularly upset when it appeared to them that Brianna was blaming Grace for being sexually assaulted as an adolescent. The episode after that, which got here out on October 10, was their final episode. (Brianna would later use the channel to substantiate that she was “blindsided” by Bryan’s announcement of their breakup.)
Fast-forward to December and Brianna was nonetheless driving a wave of goodwill. As a part of Spotify Wrapped, Spotify named the Plan Bri Uncut podcast as one in all its “Breakout Creators” of the 12 months. Brianna shared the submit to her personal Instagram Story, writing, “Working on bringing again some model of Planbri guys.” Grace took this to be an announcement that their model of the podcast was over and shared her personal assertion.
“For months I’ve been radio silent in regards to the standing of Plan Bri and it has killed me to depart you guys hanging. The plan was for Brianna and me to place out a joint assertion in regards to the finish of the podcast,” Grace wrote. She stated that seeing followers tag her of their Spotify Wrapped had made her emotional, however she stored quiet due to the plan to launch a joint assertion.
“You might have seen Brianna submit that she’s ‘engaged on bringing again some model’ of Plan Bri. To offer you guys the a lot wanted data you deserve, all I can say is that that was my first time listening to about this,” she defined. “I don’t suppose I’ll ever absolutely get into each side of how this got here to be, however it ought to be stated that, though this was not a mutual choice, I’m realizing that, within the grand scheme of issues, it’d really find yourself being the proper one.”
Following Grace’s assertion, Plan Bri listeners and individuals who comply with TikTookay drama gave the impression to be resoundingly on her aspect. On one Reddit submit in regards to the state of affairs, the highest remark reads, “Bri shits on Zach for posting their breakup earlier than she’s prepared after which does this to Grace lmao what a pos.” (That’s “piece of shit.”)
Well, she acquired Barstool within the breakup and continues to podcast with CEO Dave Portnoy on a present referred to as BFFs.
On an episode launched final week, Brianna shared her aspect of the story. To her, Grace behaved poorly whereas she was nonetheless relationship Bryan, which was the start of the top of their friendship. She recalled telling Grace, “I really feel like, since you hate Zach a lot, you’re forgetting to separate that I’m your finest pal.”
“You can hate him and be there for me, however she by no means was,” Brianna stated by way of tears. As folks started to criticize Brianna earlier within the 12 months, she stated she requested Grace to stay up for her on-line, which she stated Grace declined to do as a result of it “constructed her up.” Brianna additionally claimed that she ended the podcast in October as a result of it had change into “a discussion board to bully” her.
Brianna will most probably keep within the Barstool universe and proceed podcasting underneath that banner. Wait a minute: Two feminine finest associates with a Barstool podcast breaking apart in a really public and messy method? That sounds form of acquainted. Did you suppose we’d get all over this with out Alex Cooper and Call Her Daddy making an look?
For her half, Grace has remained quiet since she made her assertion on Instagram. However, on December 18, Cooper shared a screenshot of her name historical past with Grace, displaying that that they had had a 38-minute dialog. “You can cease tagging me, I do know what must be accomplished,” Cooper wrote.
The subsequent day, it was introduced that Grace can be becoming a member of Cooper’s Unwell Network, presumably together with her personal podcast. I think about she’ll be recording a tell-all episode of Call Her Daddy ASAP.
