In the wake of the election, we have seen the impact that podcasts have had on certain groups in the U.S. In last week’s column, I talked about political podcasts and how Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper used their platforms to boost certain candidates and reach out to their respective fan bases. Rogan’s episode with Donald Trump got 26 million views, and many poll analysts are connecting Trump’s victory to the episode’s success.
Podcasts have proved to be a strong force in terms of public persuasion, and listenership has increased tremendously over the past decade, especially since many popular celebrities have started their own channels as another form of media, people are now able to get even more from their favorite pop culture figures in terms of their opinions on politics, other celebrity gossip, and day-to-day thoughts. It raises the question of to what extent these podcasts can influence people’s personal belief and opinions about themselves or other public figures.
BFFs is a popular pop culture podcast run by Dave Portnoy, Brianna LaPaglia, and Josh Richards. Portnoy is the owner of popular sports and pop culture company Barstool Sports, but he’s also known for his pizza reviews and sports commentary. LaPaglia and Richards are TikTok personalities who have both gained a large following since the app gained popularity. BFF’s podcast covers a combination of pop culture, celebrity gossip and sports.
LaPaglia has gained even more popularity since she started dating Zach Bryan, an up-and-coming country musician who has captivated the attention of GenX and millennials across the US. Over the past few years, Bryan has produced more than five hit albums and has had about 200 sold-out shows. His music echos themes from his family relationships, as well as his experience in the Navy. Recently, however, he has received a lot of criticism from his fans after he and LaPaglia split up this fall. After announcing via Instagram that the two had split, Bryan went on to post regular Instagram content about new upcoming music.
As more information came out it appeared that Bryan had been on popular celebrity dating apps while still in the relationship. LaPaglia has since released an episode on BFFs with Portnoy and Richards, where she exposed some of their relationship issues. She revealed that she suffered emotional abuse and neglect from him while they were on tour together, as well as the fact that he tried to get her to sign a 12-million-dollar non-disclosure agreement. This information has been circulating around Instagram and TikTok and many people have commented on the issue. Video clips have been taken from the YouTube channel and shared on various other platforms, many of them criticizing Bryan for his behavior. Many of his fans have expressed disappointment and called out the hypocrisy between his actions and song lyrics. But is this enough to sway Bryan’s fans away from him and his music? Listen for yourself on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or Spotify. Happy listening.
