Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is hoping to set the record straight when it comes to Grace O’Malley’s alleged salary with the company prior to her exit.
“Grace went on Theo Von’s podcast and sort of insinuated like we didn’t pay her fairly, so I figured I’d just say what she made here so people can decide for themselves,” Portnoy, 47, wrote via TikTok on Tuesday, January 7. “She was in the last year of a 3-year deal.”
According to Portnoy, O’Malley’s base salary was $175,000 a year. In addition, she received 70 percent “of anything that we were able to sell on her personal socials.”
“She got another $75,000 in 2024 that way,” he also claimed. “[Her interview] could have been cut up, misconstrued a little bit, but it does bother me when people make it seem like they’re not getting paid fairly. I think we treated — as I’ve said from the beginning — Grace great.”
Dave Portnoy and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia’s friendship has come a long way over the years. Portnoy, 47, founded Barstool Sports in 2003, but LaPaglia, 25, didn’t join the team until much later. She got her start with the podcast network in 2020 as an intern. The organization contacted her via social media after her videos […]
While appearing on the Monday, January 6 episode of the “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” podcast, O’Malley opened up about her experience with Barstool Sports before she signed a deal with “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper‘s Unwell Network.
“I didn’t make anything when I was there. I had a salary and that was kind of it,” she alleged. “I had the option to leave and I took it.”
O’Malley also insinuated that her former podcast cohost, Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, made more money than her.
@stoolpresidente Grace went on Theo Von podcast and sort of insinuated like we didn’t pay her fairly so I figured I’d just say what she made here so people can decide for themselves. She was in the last year of a 3 year deal.
♬ original sound – Dave Portnoy
“My buddy was paid a little bit more — a lot of bit more,” she said. “I never made any money off [the podcast tour]. Barstool took it. I also didn’t care. I was happy to be there. I was stoked to just have the job.”
In response to O’Malley’s remarks, Portnoy said she was referring to her “PlanBri Uncut” podcast cohost Lapaglia, 25.
“I know she’s like, ‘My friend made a lot more.’ She’s referring to Bri,” Portnoy said. “Bri was a much bigger personality, way more followers, bigger everything, and really, obviously, Grace’s star has risen recently with the blowup and everything happening, but you know, that is why Bri got paid more.”
Grace O’Malley has entered the chat. The Barstool Sports podcast host spoke out after continued questions about her friendship with Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia. “Now that I have your attention: This last year & however many has been quite the whirlwind for Brianna and I’s friendship. Yes. There’s no denying that,” O’Malley, 26, shared via Instagram […]
Portnoy also pointed out that once Barstool makes back your base salary, “we will split every dollar moving forward fifty-fifty.”
“I just don’t like it when people make it seem like we scam our creators, because we f—ing don’t,” he added, “and that’s why a lot of them have been with us for over a decade.”
Us Weekly has reached out to O’Malley’s team for comment.
