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In a recent turn of events, Dave Portnoy has shown his support for Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia amidst her ongoing feud with Alex Cooper. During his “Tea by the Sea” segment on Wednesday, the Barstool Sports founder backed LaPaglia’s claims, adding weight to the brewing conflict.
Earlier that day, LaPaglia had taken to Instagram to express her disdain for Cooper, accusing the “Call Her Daddy” podcast host of dismissing her and her former co-host Grace O’Malley. According to LaPaglia, Cooper allegedly informed Portnoy that she didn’t “give a f–k” about LaPaglia and O’Malley, sparking further tensions.
Portnoy, who is 49, humorously admonished LaPaglia for revealing his private conversations, yet he went on to recount the situation. He explained that Cooper had once approached O’Malley, seeking to interview her in order to present her perspective on the fallout with LaPaglia.
This public backing from Portnoy not only reinforces LaPaglia’s statements but also adds another layer to the ongoing drama within the Barstool Sports universe, as fans and followers eagerly watch how these relationships will evolve.
He described how Cooper once tried to interview O’Malley to share her “side of the story” on her fallout with LaPaglia.
At the time, Portnoy advised Cooper against the “f–king bulls–t” sitdown because social media users were already “burying Chickenfry” and he wouldn’t want them to continue “absolutely hammer[ing]” her.
Portnoy, instead, thought it would be “fair” for Cooper to have both O’Malley and LaPaglia on her show — and when the former wouldn’t agree to that, the interview didn’t happen.
Cooper subsequently signed O’Malley’s “Disgraceful” podcast to her Unwell network.
Portnoy, in another social media upload Wednesday, clarified that he is a fan of both Cooper and LaPaglia — and of Alix Earle, who is also beefing with Cooper.
“I like Alex Cooper. She’s a savage, but we made our peace I get along with her,” he said. “Chickenfry I obviously like, she works for me. Alix Earle, I like. I think she’s a nice girl. So I don’t have a side in this fight.”
However, he added, “I think Chickenfry doesn’t like Cooper because [of] maybe O’Malley at Unwell and the way that went down, and I actually think that’s fair of Chickenfry a little bit.”
Cooper’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Cooper called LaPaglia out on Tuesday over being referred to her as a “mean girl” via Instagram Stories.
LaPagalia was, at the time, defending Earle, 25, against Cooper — and doubled down in her characterization of Cooper on Monday.
“From what Alix Earle told me, Alex Cooper is a very, very mean person,” LaPaglia insisted.
While Cooper and Earle have been at the center of feud rumors for years, Cooper urged the “Dancing With the Stars” alum to “stop hiding behind other people” with “passive-aggressive re-posts” in a scathing TikTok rant Monday.
“You’re gonna need to get specific and just say what you’ve got to say about me,” she claimed. “There’s no NDA. No one is stopping you.”
Earle commented that she was “on it” — and shared footage from the moment she saw the bombshell video — but has yet to air her grievances.