A Full Timeline Of Dave Portnoy's Feud With Zach Bryan
Plus, how Miss Peaches got involved.
Nobody does revenge quite like Dave Portnoy, and he’s coming for Zach Bryan. After the country singer announced his breakup with Brianna LaPaglia on Oct. 22, things got messy quickly.
LaPaglia, who co-hosts Barstool’s BFFs podcast with Portnoy and Josh Richards, opened up about the split on Nov. 7. When she discussed the alleged “emotional abuse” Bryan put her through, Portnoy made his disdain for Bryan clear. After recording the episode, he tweeted, “I know people have lots of strong opinions on Bri but after tonight's episode there can't be anybody who doesn't respect the sh*t out of her.”
Even before that, Portnoy was never a fan of Bryan. Whether he was calling the singer a “fraud” on The Unnamed Show or releasing a diss track dedicated to him, Portnoy has been consistently criticizing LaPaglia’s ex. During the episode, he revealed that he even purchased a bottle of champagne with Bryan’s name on the box — a ritual he reserves for his enemies.
TL;DR: This feud is only beginning. Here’s a full timeline of the Barstool founder’s beef with Bryan so far.
July 17: Zach Kicks Miss Peaches Out Of His Dressing Room
Portnoy attended Bryan’s show in Foxborough, Massachusetts in July, and he brought his dog, Miss Peaches, to the concert. According to LaPaglia, Bryan OKed Miss Peaches coming to the show, but Portnoy later caught the singer moving the dog to a different dressing room.
“It pissed me off greatly in the moment,” Portnoy recalled during a Nov. 7 episode of the BFFs Podcast. “He's kind of like, ‘Oh, I hope you don't mind. I'm just moving Peaches.’ What am I going to say? I'm like, ‘OK.’ I have no idea to this day why he wanted to get Peaches out of that locker room.”
Portnoy continued, “The other locker room was actually sort of dangerous for her because there was so much equipment and crap laying around that I needed to watch her.”
Oct. 2: Dave Mentions Zach Shading Taylor Swift
On Sept. 17, Bryan stirred up beef with the Swifties when he tweeted, “eagles > chiefs; Kanye > Taylor; who’s with me.” Portnoy, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, brought up the tweet during an episode of BFFs. He called it “idiotic,” but said he “bit [his] tongue” out of loyalty to LaPaglia.
“How many passes does he get from me if he attacks Taylor Swift publicly?” Portnoy asked LaPaglia at the time.
Oct. 22: Bri & Zach Break Up
Bryan announced that he and LaPaglia had split on Instagram on Oct. 22. “Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with each other and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart,” he wrote on IG Stories. “I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways. I am not perfect and never will be.”
LaPaglia then shared that she was “blindsided” by his post. That day, Portnoy tweeted, “Dedicating this to @BChickenfry” with a link to the lyric video for Taylor Swift’s song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
Oct. 24: Dave Says He Never Liked Zach
Portnoy went on The Unnamed Show on Oct. 24 and discussed the breakup, confirming he was a “hater.” He explained, “I think he’s a fraud. Every time I met him, I was not comfortable with him… There’s certain guys where you’re like, ‘OK, I kind of like this guy. He’s a good vibe guy.’ This guy never gave that vibe to me.”
Nov. 5: Dave & Josh Release “Smallest Man” Diss Track
Portnoy and Richards released a diss track about Bryan following the breakup. It details some internet rumors about Bryan, like one that claimed he got on Raya the day he and LaPaglia broke up. The lyrics include, “Caught your pants on fire / Tinder, Bumble, Raya / Knew you was a liar” and “It’s about to get gory / Go and post it on your Instagram Story.”
Nov. 6: “Smallest Man” Gets Taken Down For Copyright Issues
Shortly after its release, “Smallest Man” was taken down. “This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it on copyright grounds,” the statement read on YouTube.
Portnoy responded to the diss track being removed on X. “Zach Bryan and @warnermusic must have the worst crisis management execs in the world,” he wrote. “Running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to erase #smallestman from the internet. Did nobody tell them I run an internet company? They just guaranteed this thing hits #1.”
BFFs also shared the update on their socials. “The Smallest Man is NOT happy (but you can still watch it pinned to our profile and on all our other socials),” they tweeted at the time.
In a video posted on Nov. 6, Portnoy explained that he thought the song’s outro was causing the issue, since it was pulled from Bryan’s song “28” and included the line, “How lucky is Bri to be free of ZB.” But actually, it was the fact that Richards “signed a music deal with Warner Music Group” years earlier. “And they own his a**,” Portnoy said. “Guess what? You know who else Warner Music Group reps? Zach f*cking little-man-thin-skin-psycho Bryan.”
Nov. 7: BFFs Releases An Episode About The Breakup
LaPaglia got vulnerable about the breakup during a Nov. 7 episode of BFFs. During the conversation, she alleged that Bryan “emotionally abused” her and that she turned down $12 million NDA to not discuss the relationship.
Portnoy weighed in, too, and shared a text he sent to Bryan’s lawyer: “Hey, this is Dave Portnoy. I don’t know who the f*ck you think you are dealing with. I’ve been nice so far. Pay Bri ASAP or I’m coming for Zach’s throat.”
“Bri won’t have a say in it anymore. Josh won’t have a say. I can pay Bri myself. I’ve tried to stay out of it but stop F*CKING AROUND. Pay her or shut the f*ck up. I’m losing patience,” he continued. Apparently, Bryan’s lawyers claimed Portnoy was “extorting” Bryan.
He explained, “It’s so insane, like you guys are trying to silence Bri. You’re offering her an NDA with all this money, and she’s like, at one point, ‘I’m ready to sign. Get me the paperwork.’ You won’t do it. You’re just dillydallying, changing the rules, changing the playing field. Now Josh and I are involved. It’s either f*cking pay it or it’s f*cking game on.”
During the episode, Portnoy made it clear that he now had an issue with Bryan, sharing a gold champagne bottle featuring the singer’s name. He has a tradition of putting his enemies’ names on these bottles and popping them once they fall from grace.
The episode also revealed alleged texts between Bryan and LaPaglia, in which the “Pink Skies” singer used a slur to insult Portnoy and Barstool Sports.
Nov. 9: Dave Calls Zach A “Miserable Piece Of Sh*t”
On Nov. 9, Portnoy called out Bryan while appearing on Barstool’s College Football Show. “My ... dawg of the week is that f*cking miserable piece of sh*t scumbag Zach Bryan,” he said in a clip before encouraging people in the audience to delete his music. “The guy is a piece of sh*t. He’s the worst,” Portnoy continued.
Nov. 10: Dave Releases “Country Diddy” & “Smallest Man (Dave’s Version)”
After facing copyright issues with the first version of “Smallest Man,” Portnoy released a second version without Richards. But he didn’t stop there. Portnoy also made a completely new diss track, “Country Diddy.”
LaPaglia posted about the song on TikTok. “Guys Dave is releasing a brand new diss track at 7pm because the small man keeps getting his original taken down and I just heard it,” she wrote alongside the post. “LETHAL 😭 get friends that will stand up for you because you’re not ready.”
In the new song, Portnoy sang, “Buttercup really thought that he could shut me up / Someone tell your cheap lawyers I don’t give a f*ck.”
Nov. 10: Dave Accuses Zach Of Stealing Taylor Swift’s Music
On TikTok, Portnoy duetted a video pointing out similarities between Bryan’s music and Taylor Swift’s. Specifically, the video pointed out how some of Bryan’s songs sound similar to Swift’s “Should’ve Said No,” “Betty,” and “Dear John.”
“Hates her music so much he needs to steal it. #tayvoodoo,” Portnoy captioned one video. In another, he wrote, “Not 3 songs!!!! Should've Said No, Betty, and Dear John! Somebody stop this mad man!”
