Why Zach Bryan “surprised” his girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry with the shock breakup

Zach Bryan's impulsive breakup with Brianna Chickenfry was due to his ongoing mental health issues and grief over his mother's death, which caused him to resort to self-sabotage, insiders claim.

The 28-year-old country star stunned Barstool Sports' favorite Brianna, 25, when he announced on Instagram that he had called it quits after an “incredibly tough year personally.”

According to insiders, Zach is having a hard time coming to terms with the “emotional roller coaster” he's been on since his mother Annette's death in 2016. They claim the singer is struggling to maintain relationships as he is still trying to “figure himself out”.

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

“His mother was his rock and he was able to learn from her and her struggles, and now he doesn't have that outlet.” “Brianna was someone who took on Zach and worked through all of his problems.”

Zach Bryan, pictured in February 2024, announced his split from girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry on Tuesday

The singer is reportedly struggling with various mental health issues and is dealing with the loss of his mother Annette, who died in 2016

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

They continued, “And once things are going well, he seems to sabotage himself by distancing himself from a good cause, and that's exactly what he seems to be doing with Brianna.”

Zach, who was criticized for allegedly using celebrity dating app Raya so soon after his breakup, is desperate to be in a relationship but just can't handle being in a relationship with anything else.

“He can’t handle that much fear in life,” the insider continued. “He has a hard enough time navigating his life, his career and his mental health, so it's difficult to fit a relationship into the mix, no matter how good it is, even if it's exactly what he wants. “

“Zach is definitely on the hunt for people who will be there for him at all costs.” As soon as he feels like that isn’t the case, he leaves them cold.

“Brianna happens to be the last person to deal with this. “When she says she was blindsided, she's telling the truth.”

Zach was previously married to Rose Madden, the marriage ended a year after their wedding in July 2020. Since then, both parties have deleted almost all traces of each other on social media.

Not long after their split, he started dating Debbie Peifer, but the couple split 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 had had an “incredibly tough year” personally.

“He's having a hard enough time navigating his life, career and mental health, so it's difficult to fit a relationship into the mix, no matter how good it is,” an insider told DailyMail.com

Brianna – real name Brianna LaPaglia – said she was “taken by surprise” when she addressed their split in an emotional video message to fans, just minutes after Zach announced the news in a lengthy Instagram statement.

“I want to address something: Brianna and I have separated and I respect and love her with all my heart,” he wrote.

“She loved me unconditionally for a very long time and I will always thank her for that.”

“I've personally 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 went down different paths. “I am not perfect and never will be.”

He continued, “Please respect Brianna's privacy and space in this matter and if you have her in your heart, mine too.”

“To all that I am and to everyone I have let down, I am sorry.” I try my best in everything. I have let down people who love me and especially myself.'

Zach previously spoke about his mother's death, telling the New York Times that it “really solidified the darkness in life for me.”

“People say I’m suppressing,” he said. “And I think, no, the person I want to tell all this to is dead.”

Back in 2017, just a year after Annette's death, he admitted to using songwriting as a form of therapy.

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

Zach's split 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 supposed profile.

And when their split was confirmed, the post sparked numerous reactions, with many expressing outrage that Zach had seemingly moved on from Brianna so quickly.

The Pink Skies hitmaker was also heavily criticized by Dave Portnoy said he was dedicating the Taylor Swift song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” to Brianna, a pointed dig at Zach on X.

The Barstool Sports boss co-hosts the BFFs podcast alongside 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 breakup and accused him of “treating women in a toxic way in order to gain inspiration from them.” “.

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 chart-topping success in 2022.