Brianna LaPaglia accuses ex-boyfriend Zach Bryan of abuse

Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia has accused her ex-boyfriend Zach Bryan of emotional abuse while they were together.

LaPaglia, 25, made the allegations on BFFs Podcast On Thursday, November 7, she co-hosts her relationship with Bryan, 29, alongside Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards for the first time since the country star announced their split on October 22. She did not provide any information about the exact nature of the alleged abuse.

Reps for LaPaglia and Bryan did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“The last year of my life was the most difficult year of my life, dealing with the abuse from this guy,” LaPaglia said, referring to Bryan.

“I’m still scared right now because I’m scared of him,” she continued. “My brain is rewired and I’m afraid of making him angry, and last week I didn’t want to talk about it because I was afraid.”

LaPaglia also claimed that the women who were previously in relationships with Bryan had to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent them from speaking publicly about their own experiences with him.

“You made the women before me believe that they had no choice but to take money from you,” LaPaglia alleged. “[They] wrote down their experiences and what they went through [so] You can jump out and sing your little f—- songs on stage like you’re a good guy.

LaPaglia said she decided to speak out about her alleged experiences “for anyone else who has been emotionally abused and for people who are currently being emotionally abused.”

“For anyone who doesn’t have a support system, which I was fortunate enough to go through,” she continued. “For me it’s not a drama. It’s not about me not signing the non-disclosure agreement or not taking the money because I want to come in here and reveal who he is and all that. I’m not signing away from my experiences and what I’ve been through, um Protecting someone who hurt me and I’m way stronger than a weak man, f–you and f— your money.

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Bryan and LaPaglia met at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023 and officially began dating in July 2023. Bryan confirmed their split on Instagram on October 22 and asked everyone to respect his and LaPaglia’s privacy.

“Brianna and I broke up [each other] and I respect and love her with all my heart,” Bryan wrote. “She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and I will always thank her for that.” Personally, I have had an incredibly tough year and have had to go through some pretty bad things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us if we took different paths.

LaPaglia felt “blindsided” by the news, she wrote in an Instagram Stories post, adding that she planned to “steer clear of social media for a while and try to heal privately.” When I’m ready, I’ll be back and ready to talk.”

“I love you guys so much, thank you so much for all your kind words,” LaPaglia continued. “Remember that you are so loved and that everything will always be okay.”