Barstool podcaster Brianna LaPaglia is known for hangovers

Brianna LaPaglia’s greatest piece of ­recommendation? “Sleep if you’re lifeless.”

That applies to partying, working or, actually, something in life — particularly for LaPaglia, the Barstool Sports activities podcast host who makes a dwelling by not spending time on issues that don’t make her blissful.

“I used to waste my life, you already know, simply moping round,” the 22-year-old advised The Publish. “As soon as I simply truly began dwelling life, it was so much higher, and I used to be so much happier.”

And meaning being the No. 1 get together lady within the nation.

The self-proclaimed “CEO of hangovers” — additionally billed as “The Dr. Phil of school recommendation” — chronicles partying, relationship and basic Gen Z life on her podcast, which started final yr.

“What I’m attempting to say is, you may have enjoyable, and you may work onerous as nicely,” she mentioned. “I work 24 hours, seven days per week. I’m by no means not on.”

LaPaglia was a sophomore finding out public well being at Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio when she began making TikTok movies that featured her, as she mentioned in a latest Barstool interview, hung­over and making a idiot  of herself. That may imply throwing up, nonetheless being drunk, or stretched out in her bathtub saying “I give my physique 4 extra years [of this].”

The Massachusetts native has 1.3 million followers on the app, the place she is called Brianna Chickenfry — it refers to an outdated Vine video is which she in contrast her legs to Burger King hen fries. When she wanted a person title for TikTok, she lazily mentioned, “Let’s simply do Brianna Chickenfry. Not pondering that that might be my title now.”

On the time, she was “depressing” in class. Then in 2020, Barstool got here calling due to her TikTok movies. Once they provided her an internship, LaPaglia’s buddies and classmates had been extra excited than she was.

“I wasn’t nervous going into it as a result of I ­actually didn’t know what the hell [Barstool] was,” she mentioned of the favored media firm.

LaPaglia lasted per week as an intern earlier than she was employed full-time. Quickly after, she had her personal podcast, “PlanBri Uncut.”

“There’s something completely imperfect about her. She is sensible, articulate and delightful — she can also be a school dropout and at all times hungover. That juxtaposition makes her relatable and aspirational on the identical time,” Barstool CEO Erika Nardini advised The Publish. “There aren’t any airs about her.”

Between lessons going digital due to the pandemic and touchdown her new gig, LaPaglia determined to stop college. “I used to be like, ‘Am I going to be depressing and do that, or do I truly wish to do one thing that makes me blissful and I’m truly good at?’ ” she mentioned. “I dropped out and moved to New York Metropolis.”

Her ascent started simply a few months after the meltdown of Barstool’s controversial “Name Her Daddy” podcast, which resulted in co-host Sofia Franklyn leaving and firm founder Dave Portnoy blasting Franklyn and co-host Alex Cooper as “unprofessional, egocentric and grasping.” (Cooper continued the podcast for Barstool by herself earlier than fleeing to Spotify this previous summer season.)

In response to Nardini, LaPaglia is totally different from Cooper as a result of she doesn’t depend on “shock worth.”

Portnoy advised The Publish of LaPaglia: “That takes guts [to drop out of school]. It advised me she is critical about creating content material.” She has guested on his personal podcast, “BFFs,” a number of instances. “If you do content material with me, it’s straightforward to get steamrolled. She positively doesn’t.”

LaPaglia has since additionally change into a co-host of the “As a result of We Received Excessive” podcast, which covers every part from intercourse to medication, blackouts to deep questions like “Does NASA suck?” — all within the raunchiest manner.

Even with a busy profession, she hasn’t stopped partying.

Many nights, LaPaglia, who has been courting boyfriend Nik Pellegrino for greater than two years, may be discovered at bars round her East Village neighborhood, downing cider. However for the previous few weeks, she’s been busy on a Barstool-sponsored “Faculty Dropout” tour, hitting up a number of the largest get together faculties on the East Coast — together with Clemson, Penn State and the College of Miami — to drink with followers.

Her hangover treatment: She has to “get moist” (in the summertime, taking a dip in a swimming pool; within the winter, a chilly bathe), take ibuprofen and chug a Dunkin’ Donuts blue raspberry Coolatta spiked with Revitalyte.

However hangovers are price it to fulfill her largest followers.

At a cease in West Virginia, a lady hopped a fence, sprayed a safety guard with Foolish String and launched herself at LaPaglia to offer her a present.

“She proceeded to take a bracelet out of her purse and inform me, ‘This bracelet is my lifeless mother’s. I’ve been depressed since she died, however when I discovered your movies I finished being such a depressing individual since you say we may get hit by a bus at any second,’ ” LaPaglia recalled. “She then grabbed my face, kissed me on the lips, and jumped again over the fence.”

LaPaglia hasn’t taken the bracelet off since.

On the identical college, a lady cried when she met LaPaglia, saying that the Gen Z star’s podcast and movies had saved her life.

“I clearly began bawling my eyes out,” LaPaglia mentioned of the younger girl. “That was a ‘holy s–t’ second the place I noticed, even when it’s one individual, the . . . stuff that I’m speaking about in my podcast isn’t going ­unheard.”

When she was 14 and rising up in Massachusetts, LaPaglia tried to take her personal life. “Thank God it didn’t work,” she mentioned. She admitted that she nonetheless struggles with melancholy, which may be troublesome when she wants to indicate a vibrant persona.

“Nobody needs to place their depressive ­episode on TikTok,” LaPaglia mentioned. “That’s simply triggering for different folks. It’s actually onerous once I meet followers they usually count on a lot from me. On social media, folks put such excessive expectations on you.”

However when it comes time to work, she feels a “swap” click on on.

“I flip into this bubbly, blissful individual,” she mentioned. “I don’t even know the place the hell it comes from.”

Nardini believes that LaPaglia can chart her personal success: “I feel she’s an enormous expertise. She is in a spot the place she will do no matter she needs.”

LaPaglia needs to maintain partying, but in addition relate to her viewers in different methods.
“I’m truly impacting folks, somewhat than simply being a enjoyable individual to get together with,” she mentioned. “I’m truly attempting to do some good for these women.

“F–ok what everybody else thinks.”

Further reporting by Kirsten Fleming

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