Influencer and Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna LaPaglia is “reclaiming” herself with a new, stripped down cover shoot for Sports Illustrated.
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LaPaglia’s name first came into the spotlight after becoming TikTok famous, gaining millions of followers on her page. The influencer became even more well known once she started dating country singer Zach Bryan in 2023, whom she has since split from.
After their split in October 2024, LaPaglia went public about the nature of their relationship, claiming that Bryan was emotionally abusive. The internet personality spoke further about the alleged abuse on her BFFs podcast after their break up.
Now the influencer has recently posed for the latest digital cover of Sports Illustrated, along with an interview.
“It’s a lot more than me looking quote-unquote hot in a swimsuit—it’s me reclaiming who I am as a woman, reclaiming my body and my decisions and my choices,” LaPaglia told the outlet. “This cover is me being me again and taking control of my life. This is my body. My body isn’t that experience, and even though I’m not 100 percent in it right now, this is me. This doesn’t have anything to do with anybody else.”
LaPaglia also shared an update with her Instagram followers prior to the cover’s release.
“Not me being on the digital cover of Sports Illustrated??? I’m gonna throw up????” she wrote. “Like WHATTTTT I can’t wait for you guys to see the full interview and shoot. It means so much to me for so many reasons. RECLAIMING MYSELF.”
Brianna LaPaglia Is Returning Back to Herself
The podcast host told Sports Illustrated that she is currently working on getting back to her old self post-break up. She told the outlet that “she felt like she had to bury her own personality, which she’s uncovering piece by piece.”
“When I walk into a room, I want to talk to everyone,” LaPaglia said. “When the relationship first started, that became a problem for him; I was talking too much or I was being too much, and maybe the spotlight was not on him enough. That’s how he made me feel: Oh, I need to dim myself down.“
LaPaglia has also taken on a big role at Barstool Sports. She is now co-hosting the BFFs podcast with Josh Richards. The previous host, and LaPaglia’s boss, Dave Portnoy, left the podcast at the end of 2024.