Zach Bryan Skips CMAs, Hangs Out With His Dog Amid Messy Brianna Chickenfry Breakup

Morgan Wallen wasn’t the only star who missed country music’s biggest night.

Zach Bryan, 28, was also conspicuous by his absence at the Country Music Awards in Nashville on Wednesday, November 20, despite racking up a nomination for his duet with Kacey Musgraves. (The musicians were nominated for Musical Event of the Year for “I Remember Everything,” though the prize ultimately went to Ella Langley and Riley Green for “You Look Like You Love Me.”)

It appears Bryan instead opted for some low-key downtime with his chocolate labrador, Jack Daniels. While the CMAs got underway Wednesday night, the “Pink Skies” singer shared a sweet photo via his Instagram Stories of Jack looking off into the distance while spending time on what appears to be a pebble beach overlooking a body of water.

Bryan has largely kept a low profile since confirming his split from podcaster and internet personality Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia last month. LaPaglia, 25, recently accused the crooner of being emotionally abusive during the yearlong relationship.

One point of contention in their messy split is another of Bryan’s pets, cat Stump, which he shared with LaPaglia.

In a Sunday, November 10, TikTok video, LaPaglia claimed that Bryan took Stump “out of spite” after breaking up with her. (Bryan’s representatives didn’t respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment at the time.)

“I miss Stump so much. I wanna f—ing kidnap him. But when [Bryan] left and didn’t tell me anything, he took Stump out of spite. He didn’t even like cats,” the “BFFs” podcast cohost said. “[Bryan’s dog] Jack hates cats. [LaPaglia’s dog] Boston loves cats. I love cats. Can someone steal the cat back for me?”

“The animals, throughout this, have been one of the hardest parts,” LaPaglia said of her breakup. “Like, I just think about Boston and Jack and Stump. I think about Stump every night.”

Days after LaPaglia made the claims, Bryan and Stump posed for an Instagram Story photo the singer shared.

Bryan, 28, shared a photo of “ol stump cat” perched on his shoulder on Thursday, November 14. The country singer called Stump the “best shoulder parrot around.”

LaPaglia spoke about missing Stump again on Thursday, captioning an Instagram Story selfie, “How do we get stump back.”

The exes’ kitten custody drama hasn’t been the only messy aspect of their split. After Bryan announced via Instagram last month that he and LaPaglia had “broken up with each other,” the Barstool Sports personality shared a different version of events.

“Hey guys I’m feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately, when I’m ready I’ll be back and ready to talk,” LaPaglia wrote via her Instagram Story at the time.