Brianna Chickenfry Reveals She’s Quitting New York for Florida—After Boss Dave Portnoy Threatened to Take Barstool Sports Out of City

Barstool Sports star Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia has revealed that she is "moving to Florida" after her offer on a beachfront property was accepted—joking that she is going to save "so much money" as a result of her relocation to the Sunshine State, where she will not have to pay income tax.

The 26-year-old podcasting sensation, who was born and raised in Massachusetts but currently resides in New York City, announced the "surprise" news on her TikTok account, just weeks after admitting that she was eyeing up a temporary move to Australia in a bid to escape the winter weather in New York.

However, it appears LaPaglia has now pivoted on those plans after finding what she described as a dream property in Florida, although she noted that she's trying not to get too excited about the home purchase until she officially closes in one month's time.

"Surprise, I'm moving to Florida!" she exclaimed at the start of her video, while brandishing a High Noon can as a makeshift microphone.

LaPaglia noted that she "kind of dropped" the news about her home purchase in a previous video, in which she listed her accomplishments for the week, but said she wanted to give her fans more details about her first-ever property buy.

"I kind of nonchalantly said it because it's not 100% finalized yet, and I don't want to get too excited—what if something goes wrong?" she said. "But I did sign everything, I sent everything over. My closing date is in a month."

To those who might question LaPaglia's decision to relocate, the podcast host said that her most dedicated followers will know that she has always intended to move down south—calling her relocation a "smart move financially."

Still, the podcast star, who moved to New York City after ending a tumultuous relationship with country singer Zach Bryan, said that she still plans to keep her apartment in Manhattan, although her Florida dwelling will serve as her primary residence, enabling her to take full advantage of the state's tax laws—meaning she will not have to pay income tax.

"Here's the thing, I'm not moving to Florida for good," she went on. "Realistically, this is an investment and it's just a smart move, financially.

"I'm going to be a Florida citizen, which means I'm going to paying Florida taxes, which means I am going to be saving so much money."

As a result, while she will retain a residence in New York, where she currently leases a duplex apartment, LaPaglia cannot live in the city for longer than six months in a year without having to pay taxes in the state.

"I'm still going to have my place in New York but I can't be here for more than six months, which is fine because it's f---ing freezing out," she went on.

"I freaking love Florida, I'm so excited to be down there, I have so many friends that live down there."

LaPaglia did not reveal exactly where in Florida she is hoping to purchase a home; however, she regularly pays visits to her friends in and around Miami, where her boss, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, also owns a home.

Despite her excitement at the prospect of moving to warmer—and cheaper—climes, LaPaglia said she is trying to reign in her anticipation until she has officially sealed the deal as far as her home purchase is concerned.

"I'm trying not to be too excited yet because it's not 100% finalized, but until someone comes in and offers way more than I offered, it should be secured," she said, although she conceded that she doesn't "really know how this works" and is "having all [her] financial people" deal with the homebuying process.

LaPaglia said she is struggling to wrap her head around the prospect of becoming a homeowner for the first time, admitting that she never would have thought such a thing was possible three years ago.

"It doesn't feel real, I can't believe that I might be a Florida homeowner in just a month," she shared. "That's so awesome, that's so exciting. If you had asked me that three years ago, like, 'Where are you going to be in three years?' I didn't think I would say [that I would] be buying a home in Florida."

As for how she plans to split her time between Florida and New York, LaPaglia said she plans to become a "snowbird" who will flee south during the cold winter months, then return to the city each summer.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye to New York, obviously; but when it's cold, I'm just going to be a snowbird," she said—although she went on to note that she believes the "quality of life is so much better" in Florida, admitting that she may one day make the move full time.

LaPaglia's announcement comes just one month after her boss voiced his unhappiness with the state of New York, while threatening to move his company out of the Big Apple ahead of Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral election.

Portnoy, 48, who has an estimated net worth of around $250 million, founded Barstool Sports in 2003 in his home state of Massachusetts; however, the company has been headquartered in New York City for several years now.

But the entrepreneur and podcast host admitted that he had started eyeing up other potential locations for his business—which was valued at around $600 million in 2023—in anticipation of Mamdani's win.

While he noted that he would be reluctant to move and disrupt the lives of his many employees, Portnoy said that he'd had his "finance guy" to begin exploring potential office spaces in New Jersey.

"If it was just me, I would move the company out of New York City because I hate this guy so much," Portnoy said during livestream an appearance on Barstool's "The Unnamed Show" podcast shortly before the election.

"But I won't because there's a lot of people in New York, and I don't want to change their lifestyle for it."

It was not the first time that Portnoy had hinted at plans to flee the Big Apple—having explained in a recent livestream that he had considered Jersey City or Hoboken as alternative locations for Barstool HQ, which is currently based in an office in Manhattan.

"Honestly I’ve given that a lot of thought—and he’s definitely going to win—going to like Hoboken or Jersey City or something…" Portnoy said when asked about where he would move Barstool if, or when, Mamdani wins.

Again, however, Portnoy said that any plans to escape Manhattan are complicated by the fact that many of his employees are located in and around New York.

"But then we have all those people who are like, that f---s up their life just because I hate the guy. Like all the people in the New York office gotta go to Jersey City or they gotta go to Hoboken? So it’s a Catch-22," he added, according to Whiskey Riff.

However, Portnoy hasn't completely given up on the idea of closing his New York City office and moving, revealing that he has asked his "finance guy" to start looking at properties elsewhere.

"I may close the New York office. Trust me, I’ve given it a lot of thought. Because I can’t stand the thought of Mamdani running f–king New York City. I can’t stand it. But then a part of me’s like, how much will actually change?

"But I really have given it thought. I told our finance guy to start looking around for property. No joke. Take a principled stand. 30-something-year-old communist running New York City who’s never had a job in his life, hates America, doesn’t seem like the best.”

Portnoy has been an outspoken critic of Mamdani, 34, for months now, telling Fox News back in July that he believed the mayor-elect "hates capitalism" and would cause harm to the New York economy.

"It's a very scary time," Portnoy said. "I can't believe that this guy may be the mayor of New York City.

"This is one of the worst, scariest candidates. He calls himself a democratic socialist, he’s not, he’s a socialist. He’s closer to a communist. He said it, he’s on the record saying he wants to put as many socialists in power so he can seize the means of production."

Although his company is located in New York—for now—Portnoy himself has long been based outside of the city, spending his time traveling between his multiple homes, which are located in Florida, Massachusetts, where he was born and raised, and the Hamptons.

Portnoy has never officially revealed where his primary residence is located; however, many believe he is registered in the Sunshine State, where he can also take advantage of the lack of income tax.

Just recently, the Barstool founder added an extraordinary new Florida dwelling to his already-impressive property portfolio, snapping up a $27.75 million mansion in the picturesque village of Islamadora.

Portnoy's newest abode sits on a 1.65-acre waterfront lot and spans 10,228 square feet.

The sale set a record for Islamorada, a village that is made up of a string of six islands between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The previous record of $22.65 million was set in 2023.

It was the second major real estate purchase Portnoy has made in the Sunshine State within the last five years, having also bought an enormous waterfront mansion in Miami back in 2021—when it had last been listed for $15 million.

Built in 1939, the 6,000-square-foot home has since been restored and renovated. The lushly landscaped acreage includes a pool, patio, beach cabana, and private dock.

Although lavish, that home has since been plagued with mold issues, according to a post shared on Portnoy's X account, where he asked his followers in August 2024 to recommend "the best mold company in the history of Miami" to come and look at his "moldy ass house."

Back in his home state of Massachusetts, Portnoy opted not to buy in his hometown of Swampscott, instead picking up two adjacent homes in Nantucket for $42 million in 2023.

According to multiple reports, the purchase set a record for the island and the state at the time. He reportedly spent an additional $2 million on furniture.

The two homes sit on 1.2 acres on the popular vacation isle: a 5,200-square-foot main residence and a two-bedroom guesthouse. There's also a pool and harbor views for miles.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the home is its underground tunnel, which connects the guesthouse with a separate studio, both of which are separate from the enormous main residence.

And when the media mogul wants some R&R closer to his company's New York office, he can head to his Montauk, NY, mansion, which he is understood to have purchased for $9.8 million in 2021.

The 5,700-square-foot vacation getaway in the trendy Hamptons enclave has five bedrooms, a pool, and endless ocean views.

Although reports surfaced that the cash-strapped owner was looking to sell the property for $14 million, he denied that he had put his Hamptons home on the market.