“Stop Being So Sad and Fickle and Childish”: Zach Bryan Rebukes Social Media Critics and Touches on Why He Quit Touring

Zach Bryan has taken to Instagram Stories for a lengthy rebuke aimed at those who have been criticising his behaviour in recent months. Zach Bryan's new posts seem to be a response to the denunciation he has received online throughout the aftermath of his contentious split from BFF's Podcast co-host, Brianna LaPaglia, in November 2024, with LaPaglia accusing her ex of emotional amuse.

In his new posts, Zach Bryan has taken aim at social media users that he argues have crossed a line by verbally abusing his friends. Bryan began by addressing his detractors directly, and hinted that they are partly to blame for his decision not to embark on a full-blown tour in 2025, “Also, all you fuckn weird couch warriors attacking and belittling my friends on the internet because you're assuming I have a girlfriend are weird as hell and should be studied for science. Everyone wonders why I quit touring and don't want to be attached to music anymore meanwhile you're calling my friends ugly and harassing them?”

The ‘Something in the Orange’ hitmaker expressed his frustration at speculation that has surrounded his dating life since his split from LaPaglia, “I'm not asking for sympathy but going for my friends is so low and so messed up? Apparently I've had four different girlfriends in like two weeks meanwhile my friends and me are just laughing and hanging out like we always have. I don't have a girlfriend and don't plan on having a girlfriend however I do have normal friends that I love very much and would go to the ends of the earth for. Go give your attention and time to the literal city burning down and stop being so sad and fickle and selfish through screens. Last thing I'll ever say on this. Insane I even have to. You do not know me. You never will know me. Stop acting like you do”.

Zach Bryan's reference to “the literal city burning down” is an apparent nod to the devastating wildfires that have been engulfing Los Angeles and other parts of California this week.

The Oklahoma native doubled down on the idea that he can take the hate aimed at him personally, but he won't stand for his friends being insulted, “I am allowed to have love, laughter and good people in my life. No matter how bad of a person you think I am, go ahead and come for me. I can take all the hatred because I'm not a child. But do not come for my friends who do nothing but love and care for me”.

Zach Bryan continued by suggesting that the public backlash he has faced since his break-up with Brianna LaPaglia - and indeed on other occasions, such as when he championed Kanye West over Taylor Swift in a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) - has led to him toying with the notion of walking away from the industry, “Everyone wants you to have fun and make great music but you guys are making it really hard to do that with my friends getting insulted and death threats everyday. Everyday I lose a little more faith in humanity and everyday I get closer to never being in the public's eye again which is incredibly sad because I truly do really love humans and being happy and joking around and laughing a lot”.

Zach Bryan emphasised how much effort has gone into his emergence as one of the most popular country-folk artists in the modern landscape, “I love my life. I have worked REALLY hard for it. Whether you think I deserve it or not. Whether you think I suck or not. Stop being such sad and fat fingered internet sleuths to my friends”.

He went on, “We're all humans and I'm so tired of people thinking social media is a way to have a moral high ground on people THEYVE never met? Guess people aren't humans anymore since they can hide behind screens? Weird assholes man ok I'm done”.

Yet Zach Bryan had another couple of points to make before signing off, “Ahh, one more thing: I don't need people telling me to hang in there, sympathizing with me, or giving me advice on how to handle something or things they've never coped with. I lost my mother, I've been in war zones and I've battled this whole fame thing for five years. Respectfully I don't need your unsolicited advice. I am a grown man. I promise I can get through some little bullies on the internet hahahah”.

The ‘I Remember Everything’ chart-topper concluded by reiterating that it was social media followers directing their admonishments towards his loved ones that prompted this message, “I am so terrifyingly unphased by the fake shit people say about me online but coming for people I love and care for is my line and my final straw. Okay have a good day everyone love you miss you. I've said what I need to say. My chest is still out and heads are still held high. Hopping off here for a bit seeeee ya”.

Zach Bryan has been one of the more divisive figures in country music in recent years, with Bryan sparking controversy on a number of occasions since he stormed onto the scene with his lauded debut album, DeAnn, in 2019. It appears the jibes that have come his way since his break-up with Brianna LaPaglia have been the catalyst for Zach Bryan's new posts, with LaPaglia's podcast co-hosts, Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards, even releasing diss tracks taking aim at Bryan.

Nonetheless, the vehemence of Zach Bryan's words suggests that his feeling of being jaded with being in the public eye has been brewing for a while. Bryan is due to perform a smattering of shows in 2025, including a double-header at London's BST Hyde Park and triple-headers Dublin's Phoenix Park and New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.

However, Zach Bryan will not be carrying out a full-scale 2025 tour in the mould of 2024's Quittin’ Time run, with Bryan announcing that he will instead be stepping back from the spotlight and focussing on studying for his Master's degree in Paris, France.

For more on Zach Bryan, see below: