Why Zach Bryan ‘blindsided’ girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry with shock split

Zach Bryan’s impulsive breakup with Brianna Chickenfry stemmed from his ongoing mental health struggles and grief over his mother’s death, which sent him into self-sabotage, insiders claim.

The country star, 28, “caught off guard” Barstool Sports favorite Brianna, 25, when he announced on Instagram that he had quit after an “personally incredibly difficult year.”

Zach is struggling to cope with the ’emotional rollercoaster’ he has been on since his mother Annette passed away in 2016, according to insiders who claim the singer is having trouble maintaining relationships as he is still trying to ‘figure himself out’.

“Zach’s life has been an emotional rollercoaster since his mother died,” an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com. “Zach is dealing with mental health issues.

“His mother was his source of strength, and he was able to learn from her and her struggles, but now he no longer has that outlet. Brianna was someone who took Zach in stride and faced all of his struggles.”

The singer reportedly suffers from various psychological problems and is dealing with the loss of his mother Annette, who died in 2016.

The source said he “doesn’t handle relationships very well because he’s still trying to figure himself out,” adding that he “doesn’t want to be a burden.”

They continued, “And once things get great, he seems to sabotage himself by turning himself away from the good, and that seems to be what he’s doing with Brianna.”

Zach, who has been criticized for using celebrity dating app Raya so soon after his divorce, desperately wants to be in a relationship but can’t handle one.

“He can’t deal with so much fear in life,” the insider continued. “He’s having a hard enough time managing his life, his career and his mental health, so it’s hard to throw a relationship into the mix, no matter how good it is, even if that’s exactly what he wants.”

“Zach is definitely chasing people who will be there for him no matter what. As soon as he feels that isn’t there, he drops them cold turkey.

“Brianna just happens to be the last person to deal with it. When she says she was blinded, she’s telling the truth.’

Zach was previously married to Rose Madden, which ended a year after their wedding in July 2020. Both sides have since erased virtually every trace of each other on social media.

Not long after their divorce, he started dating Debbie Peifer, but the couple called it quits in May 2023, just two months before he confirmed he was dating Brianna.

Zach, pictured at the Grammys in February 2024, announced their split in a statement on Instagram, saying he has personally had an “incredibly difficult year”

“He’s finding it hard enough managing his life, his career and his mental health, so it’s hard to throw a relationship into the mix, no matter how good it is,” an insider told DailyMail.com

Brianna – whose real name is Brianna LaPaglia – said she was “blindsided” as she addressed their split in an emotional video message to fans, minutes after Zach announced the news in a lengthy Instagram statement.

“Addressing something: Brianna and I broke up and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart,” he wrote.

‘She has loved me unconditionally for a long time and I will always thank her for that.

“I’ve personally had an incredibly difficult year and have struggled through some pretty serious things. I thought it would be helpful for both of us to date in different ways. I’m not perfect and never will be.’

He continued, “Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if it’s in your heart, mine too.

“I’m sorry for everything I am and everyone I’ve let down. I do my best in everything. I have failed people who love me, especially myself.”

Zach previously opened up about his mother’s death, telling the New York Times that it “really amplified the darkness in life for me.”

“People say I’m oppressive,” he said. “And I’m like, 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, just a year after Annette died.

“I was in the Navy,” he recalled to Joe Rogan on his podcast last year. “I had a lot of problems, I didn’t believe in therapy because that’s “crazy” in the Navy… and I just started making music.”

Zach’s breakup announcement came a day after fans speculated that the duo had gone their separate ways after a Reddit user claimed to have seen him on Raya with photos of his alleged profile.

And once their split was confirmed, the post received a lot of backlash, with many expressing outrage that Zach had seemingly moved on from Brianna so quickly.

The Pink Skies hitmaker was also criticized by Dave Portnoy said he dedicated the Taylor Swift song The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived to Brianna in a sharp dig at Zach on X.

The Barstool Sports chief hosts the BFFs podcast with Brianna and TikTok influencer Josh Richards.

He also faced a second wave of criticism from fans who criticized him for promoting a new song just hours after their split, accusing him of “treating women in a toxic way to inspire songs.”

Zach was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2021 to pursue a music career after his song Heading South went viral in 2020. His debut album American Heartbreak was a great success in 2022.