What We Know About Zach Bryan's Whirlwind Romance With Ex-Wife Rose Madden

Zach Bryan hasn't had the most traditional path to fame. Though he's still relatively young, the "Heading South" singer might as well have lived a whole other life before finding success. Not only did Bryan have a totally different career pre-music, but he was once married, too. Wedded bliss seems a far cry from his current life, though. 

Bryan has had a few girlfriends over the years, most notably Internet star Bri LaPaglia, so it might be a bit of a shock that he was once happily wed. Although, it probably won't surprise the country star's loyal fans, who started the journey with him. Those who have followed Bryan since his early YouTube days got a glimpse into his personal life and used all the information they could glean to follow his love life too. 

For instance, one of his albums, "American Heartbreak," has much to do with relationships, especially Bryan's breakout hit, "Something in the Orange." It left many to wonder about the woman (or women) Bryan is singing about, and whether it's potentially his ex-wife, Rose Madden. As it turns out, the truth may not be easy to come by because Madden herself is a bit of a mystery. 

Rose Madden, better known as Zach Bryan's ex-wife, was married to the singer for just a year. The two tied the knot in July 2020 in Colchuk Lake, Washington, only to divorce in 2021. Their entire relationship happened before Bryan was honorably discharged from the military, so not a lot is known about her. At the time of writing, Madden only has one post on her Instagram, of herself walking a trail with the caption "she's ba—ack." Presumably, as it was posted on July 12, 2021, Madden is referencing her separation from the country music artist. All other traces of Bryan or their marriage have been erased.

That seems to be the case for the rising country star, too. On August 18, 2020, Bryan replied to a fan on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Ya sorry brother had to get married." Since then, however, he has been pretty quiet on the topic and removed all evidence of Madden from his social media. There's been plenty of speculation about what happened between the couple, but no real confirmation.

Information about Madden is equally hard to come by. She was reportedly also in the Navy around the same time as Bryan, which might be how the couple initially met. Potentially no longer in the service, certain outlets also claim that she is now a student at Arizona State University. Though their love story is missing many details, it appears to have been a whirlwind romance.

These days, Zach Bryan is dating Brianna LaPaglia, aka Brianna Chickenfry. Unlike his intensely private former wife, the social media star hasn't been shy about confirming the dating rumors. First, in June 2023, LaPaglia was welcomed on stage unexpectedly when Bryan was performing in New York City. The next month she made things official on her "PlanBri Uncut" podcast, casually revealing, "It's fun, it's casual, and yeah, I just wanted to address it because the whole internet is freaking the f*** out." 

Between LaPaglia and Madden, Bryan was publicly linked with just one other person: Debra Peifer. According to The Sun, Peifer is an education program coordinator for a surgical tool company. The couple made things Instagram official on January 3, 2022, and they were all over each other's social media feeds until their break-up on May 31, 2023. 

At the time, Bryan wrote on X, "Debra and me went our separate ways about a week and a half ago. Things are mutual between us, and we're leaving with plenty [of] memories and good times." Since then, no further details have emerged about what went down between them. We wouldn't be surprised if the singer's dating history keeps growing but now, with an Academy of Country Music Award win to his name, it will likely be much harder for Bryan to keep his relationships out of the spotlight.