Following her very public breakup with country star Zach Bryan last year, Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna LaPaglia is starting 2025 with a bang.
The 25-year-old posed for the latest digital cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, flew to California for a photo shoot and gave an interview about her goals for the coming year.
“It's much more than looking quote-unquote sexy in a swimsuit: it's me reclaiming who I am as a woman, reclaiming my body and my decisions and my choices,” she said.
'This cover is me being me again and taking control of my life. This is my body.
'My body is not that experience (from her last relationship), and although I'm not 100% in it now, this is me. This has nothing to do with anyone else.
In a separate SI video, LaPaglia says, “I'm Bri LaPaglia and I'm on set right now for my Sports Illustrated digital cover.
arstool Sports podcaster Brianna LaPaglia has posed for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover
LaPaglia starts 2025 strong after her public breakup with Zach Bryan last year
'I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm happy, I'm scared, I'm feeling all the emotions. I can't wait, I'm so excited.
'To me it means so much more than feeling sexy and being in a cool place. I'm allowed to do what I want, I'm allowed to do it in any way, in any amount of clothing, in front of whoever I want.
'No one has control over you to tell you what you can and cannot do. For me, it's not just like “check that off the bucket list, that was really cool.” This is like getting myself back, and that's what this all means to me.'
She also shared her reactions on Instagram earlier Wednesday when the cover photoshoot was released.
Sharing a selfie with her hand covering her face in shock, she wrote: “Aren't I on the digital cover of Sports Illustrated?” Am I going to vomit????'
She added: 'Like WHATTTTT, I can't wait for you guys to see the full interview and film. It means a lot to me for many reasons. GET BACK.'
It comes as LaPaglia also took on a larger role in fronting Barstool's popular BFFS podcast, after Dave Portnoy departed from the show at the end of 2024.
The first episode was released last week and LaPaglia is now co-hosting it with Josh Richards.
LaPaglia shared an emotional reaction early Wednesday after filming began.
Last year, LaPaglia suffered a high-profile split from famed country singer Zach Bryan.
Earlier this week, LaPaglia was spotted at an influencer event on Richard Branson's Necker Island.
In a video posted to the brand's TikTok on Sunday, the BFFs podcast host, who may as well have been drunk, admitted that she was looking forward to having “a lot more drinks” and possibly turning her date into her “real boyfriend.” '
'Hey. I'm Bri. I brought my fake boyfriend,' she said in the video. “I really want to have a lot more drinks and maybe make him my real boyfriend.”
Portnoy, LaPaglia's Barstool boss, supported the influencer last year when news broke that she had split from Bryan in November.
He released a song against the singer called 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' and repeatedly attacked him in multiple podcast appearances.
The guy is a piece of shit and you should never have anything to do with him. “It's the worst,” Portnoy said in November on a Barstool college football show.