TikTok users are voicing criticism against the BFFs Pod co-hosts.
Earlier this month, Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Brianna LaPaglia— professionally known as Brianna Chickenfry— shared their opinions on a viral TikTok about working a 9-5 job, and it has not gone down well.
The TikTok in question was created by a recent college graduate named Brielle. The video, showing a tearful Brielle reflecting on her feelings about full-time work, went viral at the end of October.
In the TikTok, she criticises the corporate grind, questioning how people with a ‘9-5 schedule’ can find time for themselves.
“This is my first 9-5 job after college… and I’m commuting in the city, and it takes me f—king forever to get there,” Brielle says. “I don’t have time to do anything… I don’t have time or energy to cook dinner, I don’t have energy to work out…”
Brielle has made numerous follow-up videos on the topic, calling for a “reform of the 9-5 schedule” because “the only people that are benefiting [from it are] the people that run corporations.”
With Brielle’s original video amassing over 3.3 million views, her commentary has clearly struck a chord with many TikTok users. However, that hasn’t stopped some internet users from claiming she is “lazy” and that she should “get used to it” — a sentiment that many people believe Dave, Josh and Brianna expressed on the BFFs Pod.
The trio first delved into Brielle’s TikTok during the November 2 episode of the BFFs Pod. While discussing the online reaction to her video, the co-hosts acknowledged that the 9-5 “sucks” but also asserted that “it is just life.”
Brianna also encouraged Brielle to “go try make a better job for yourself.”
Brielle later responded to Brianna and Dave’s comments on her video. With class disparities often magnified on social media, Brielle shares that she was “disappointed” with how the co-hosts seemingly brushed off the topic.
“To sit there and say ‘that’s life’ when nobody can afford doctors appointments, people literally work from the moment the sun rises to the minute the sun sets… you have no idea the struggle that most people in America face,” she begins. “To sit there and not acknowledge that, with the platform you have, is so disappointing because that shouldn’t be life.”
She specifically takes issue with Brianna’s comments, pointing out that having the flexibility to set hours and being self-employed is a privilege many people cannot afford.
“To sit in your little influencer tower and be able to experience more in a year paid-for than the average American working will in their entire lives… to just sit there and laugh…” Brielle says in disbelief. “Do you know how much it costs to start a business… the majority of the working class can’t even pay for their prescriptions…”
The BFFs co-hosts addressed Brielle’s response in the following podcast episode— with Dave even calling the TikTok creator “crazy” for her reaction.
“I don’t know… my parents worked doubles and never complained a day in their life,” Brianna adds. “Everyone in that comment section is sitting there like we made fun of working people… all we said is that it is crazy to get on f—ing social media and like sh—t on us for it. It’s not our fault that this is our job.”
After this reaction, many TikTok users have reaffirmed their belief that influencers are “out-of-touch”— with many full-time content creators unable to comprehend the current struggles of working a corporate job and the demands of the 40-hour workweek.
“[Brianna, Dave and Josh] are out-of-touch, you need help,” Chloe of the @fifthyearpodcast TikTok account said in a recent video. “You want to sit here and say that everyone has the choice of where to work as if most people in America aren’t living paycheck to paycheck.”
Other TikTok users, like @valiaandry1, remain particularly frustrated with Brianna and Dave because of the way they immediately went on the defensive.
“They are not even responding to the argument… the argument is that it’s not the 9-5 that is the issue. The issue is we are not reaping the benefits,” Valia says. “The issue that everyone is feeling, right now in 2023, is that we are working those 9-5 [jobs] on top of other jobs and still can’t even afford healthcare, cannot afford groceries…”
In her latest video responding to the BFFs Pod, Brielle touches on the ongoing discourse around the co-hosts’ commentary. She questions why Dave and Brianna came down so strongly on her when their “ignorance” is a point that many people have noted.
“The weirdest thing is, is that I didn’t even start the whole ‘out-of-touch’ thing, like all the comments did… because they see it too,” Brielle says of the BFFs co-host’s reaction to her response video. “I’m not the only one who made this wild assumption…”
As the majority of TikTok users align with Brielle, it appears that the anti-influencer sentiment, which has been gaining momentum over the past few weeks, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.