Dave Portnoy knows how to make headlines. The Barstool Sports founder didn’t hold back from defending his “BFFs” podcast co-host Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia by dropping a diss track against her ex-boyfriend Zach Bryan. Dave is known for his unapologetic candidness, and his song “Smallest Man” quickly made the rounds on social media. Aside from his humor, Dave is also known for building a business empire, which helped him wrack up a substantial net worth.
Find out what Dave’s net worth is and how he made his money below.
The one about Lego head called Smallest man by Dave Portnoy pic.twitter.com/jBK04vPR5M
— JP Losman (@JPLosmanQB7) November 6, 2024
How Does Portnoy Earn an Income?
Dave established himself as a successful businessman and social media personality. The Massachusetts native attended the University of Michigan with a degree in education. In the early 2000s, Dave founded the mega-famous platform known as Barstool Sports.
Barstool began as a sports newspaper, which Dave would hand out to Boston residents on the subways and on the streets. Dave’s writing mostly appealed to men, but he eventually expanded the newspaper into a full-fledged digital publication. As he developed the content known as “bro culture” for his audience, Dave’s blunt and candid persona became known as “El Presidente.”
Over time, Barstool gained traction on the internet, expanding its audience after introducing various podcasts. In recent years, Penn Entertainment bought a 36 percent stake in Barstool for more than $160 million in 2020. In 2023, Penn acquired the rest of the platform for almost $390 million, but Dave bought the company back months later for just $1.
How Much Is Portnoy Worth?
Thanks to his career, Dave’s net worth stands at $150 million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Does Portnoy Have Beef with Bryan?
In short, yes — Dave has had beef with Zach for a while. In February 2024, Dave claimed that he and Josh Richards were “banned” from attending one of Zach’s concerts because he jokingly called Brianna a “revolving door” of romances.
“She’s like, ‘Zach has banned you from going to the concert,’” Dave claimed on “The Unnamed Show” podcast. “Apparently, Zach went back — how many months was it — it had to be, maybe, six months. We at one time on ‘BFFs’ had a discussion where Bri just got a new boyfriend.”
Once Brianna’s devastating — and public — breakup from Zach was revealed, Dave stood by her side by discussing her experience on their “BFFs” podcast and by dropping the diss track “Smallest Man.”