Would you take 12 million dollars over your peace of mind?

Zach Bryan, a famous country music artist, has recently been exposed for attempting to silence Brianna Lapaglia (aka Brianna Chickenfry) in order to protect himself from losing his fanbase. They had a relationship right in the center of the public eye. Zach Bryan offered her a 12 million dollar NDA after the breakup. She decided to turn this down in order to raise awareness on what it’s like to be a woman in a public relationship. LaPaglia states that she is speaking up “for anyone else that’s been emotionally abused. It’s for people right now that are being emotionally abused. It’s for people that don’t have a support system that I was luckily enough to have going through this.” 

Emotional abuse in relationships is often overlooked since it is typically not seen as extreme as physical abuse. Emotional abuse involves harassment, intimidation, stalking, and control in order to undermine the other partner’s sense of self and confidence. In Brianna’s situation, public relationships tend to involve higher stakes due to public scrutiny. This typically leads to silence around abuse, however, Brianna chose to speak out. Zach Bryan offered a 12 million dollar NDA, which serves as a way to attempt to control her even after the relationship ended which was a threat to her financial stability if she chose to speak out. This not only shifts power towards the more influential, male partner, but also suppresses the voice of the woman enduring the emotional abuse. For women in the public eye, the pressure to stay silent is intensified since they risk backlash from the public and damaged reputations. LaPaglia’s rejection of the NDA was a powerful movement to demonstrate to other women that it is crucial to confront the abuse, rather than continue to accept it, even after the relationship. 

This issue resonates deeply with me as I recently made the difficult decision to speak out about a challenging situation. For years, I endured emotional abuse in silence, fearing that my story would go unheard. I found strength in a supportive network of women in the legal system who believed in me, but when I brought my case forward to a male judge, I was left feeling hopeless by the response I received. Despite my courage to fight for justice, my case was dismissed because there hadn’t been physical harm. The dismissal of my experience left me feeling defeated, yet it has only deepened my determination to push for change.

When I started hearing about this story, I began to realize how much more awareness is needed regarding emotional abuse. We need to advocate for an environment where survivors are supported, trusted, and encouraged to speak out without fear of isolation, rejection, and people not believing them. This goes far beyond relationships in the public eye and hopefully reaches people who suffer alone. LaPaglia’s decision was a way of taking back control over her own life and creating a space for others that are suffering in silence. She hopes that women who are survivors of emotional abuse know that they are not alone and speaking out is the first step in healing from the trauma.