Healing in the Spotlight: Brianna LaPaglia for the Cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
- jennysmithmattfeldt
- Jan 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 19
BY JENNY SMITH MATTFELDT Published January 27, 2025
This month, Brianna LaPaglia became the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit January 2025 cover model, a massive milestone in the modeling and magazine world. Although this was her first time posing for them this wasn’t her first opportunity to partner with the iconic brand. Last May, she was offered a hosting role with SI Swimsuit but backed out because her then-boyfriend deemed it too "trashy" to be associated with.
LaPaglia first rose to social media fame in 2019 through TikTok, Instagram, and her work for Barstool Sports, where her comedic content quickly gained her a audience. However, in recent months, she’s been making headlines for a very different reason,h er public split from country artist Zach Bryan. Since then, her content has shifted from purely comedy to a raw commentary on the realities of leaving an abusive relationship and learning to choose yourself again.
After their split on October 22, 2024, LaPaglia came forward with statements that Zach Bryan had been abusive during their relationship. Regardless of your personal feelings toward LaPaglia, Bryan, or his music, I can’t be the only one who’s had enough of the internet dragging this woman for speaking out. If this had happened to our best friend, we’d be holding her hand and helping her through it, so why is it any different for Brianna?
Abuse doesn’t have to escalate to physical violence to be real. Psychological manipulation, control tactics, isolating someone from their loved ones, screaming, getting in their face, shoving, breaking their belongings, that is abuse. And minimizing those experiences only perpetuates the cycle that makes survivors afraid to speak out.
Coming forward with her story has created space for thousands of women to speak up and take action in similar situations. LaPaglia shared with SI Swimsuit, “healing out loud, hearing stories from other women that went through this helped me in ways, and I say it every time I talk about it. I’m helping people a lot, but they’re helping me just as much."
She expressed how deeply validating it’s been to hear from women who have walked the same path. That transparency becomes even more powerful when you learn that Bryan allegedly offered her $12 million and a New York City apartment to sign an NDA and keep these experiences to herself.
The energy behind LaPaglia’s story doesn’t come across as an attempt to drag her ex. In fact, in the episode where she discusses it all, she repeatedly seems hesitant to share too much, maybe torn by the complexity of still loving someone who treated her this way. To me, the energy feels less about exposing him and more about creating space for women everywhere to reflect on their own relationships. Whether your experience is abusive or not, her story sends a powerful message: if you’re not waking up each day feeling genuinely happy, supported, safe, and grateful to be next to your partner, you don’t need anyone’s permission to leave that relationship.
While to some this may just look like another bikini shoot, it’s proving to carry much more weight. It’s become a powerful representation of what it looks like to regain your power and navigate healing after a traumatic relationship. The response to her coming forward hasn’t exactly been all "girl power," which is something none of us can be surprised by. In the midst of all the heavy content, it’s easy to forget that Brianna is only 25 years old. So let this be a reminder to have some grace for those you know, and those in the media, because the reality is, you never truly know what’s going on behind the picture-perfect Instagram posts.
If her story resonates with you I hope Brianna's choices can serve as permission to start choosing yourself again too. If you or someone you know is experiencing an abusive relationship you can find assistance at The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and financial help through Money Geek.
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