Without Brandi Passante’s charm and sharp wit, “Storage Wars” wouldn’t be the popular reality series that it is now. The show is largely based on the age-old idea of a treasure hunt; Brandi and the rest of the cast search for the figurative (and occasionally physical) riches in abandoned storage facilities. The thrift store owners Brandi and her then-partner Jarrod Schulz were the show’s own undiscovered gems; their witty banter and funny antics immediately cemented them as fans’ favorites. They became known as the “Storage Wars’ Young Guns.”
When it comes to finding hidden wealth, Brandi is one of the “Storage Wars” contestants who is most loud and daring, but her private life is far more secretive and, in some ways, heartbreaking. The reality TV personality has previously admitted that her adult life (as well as her upbringing) have been “tumultuous,” complete with employment difficulties, a painful breakup, and an assault allegation against her ex-fiancé Jarrod. Join us as we make an effort to comprehend the tumultuous events in her life and what has sustained her.
Brandi found Storage Wars too taxing, which led to her temporary exit from the show
Fame came into Brandi and Jarrod’s lives unexpectedly, but it wasn’t totally unwelcome. I really, honestly didn’t think that [“Storage Wars”] was going to go anywhere, Brandi even reportedly said in a comment. She was completely in error. However, the pair was woefully unprepared for the long hours and difficult jobs that came with the celebrity.
For example, Brandi went from working part-time and being a full-time mom to working 60 hours per week. The reality star was required to do everything, including taking long drives to the locations of the filming and rising at 4 a.m. Additionally, Brandi was forced to make a number of sacrifices due to the program, including missing some of her children’s most significant life events, like her daughter’s first day of kindergarten. She probably considered these difficulties while deciding to leave the program for a while with Jarrod by her side.
Her relationship with Jarrod became strained due to their constant togetherness
Brandi and Jarrod discovered that their personal and professional lives were coming together like never before while starring on “Storage Wars,” and it didn’t take them long to realize the drawbacks of being with each other constantly. According to Jarrod’s admission to the Times-Standard, the couple’s relationship suffered as a result of co-managing their joint enterprise, the “Now and Then” thrift store in Orange, California, as well as the demanding production schedules. Working as a couple every day is a challenging challenge to overcome, Brandi concurred. Every day of the week, we work together to try to make decisions for the company. She went on to say that the pair frequently got into fights.
The pair’s arguments and fights might have been portrayed in the show in a lighthearted and amusing way, but reality was far different. The show “makes our problems look a little less dysfunctional,” in Jarrod’s own bittersweet words.
Brandi and Jarrod scored their own spin-off show
Brandi and Jarrod established their own brands through their leading roles in “Storage Wars,” which allowed them to move on to the next natural step in their brilliant careers: their own spin-off show, “Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job.” The program followed Brandi and Jarrod’s experiences as parents, partners, and thrift store entrepreneurs. The couple ultimately fights their way to the altar while running their store and raising their two teenagers.
Given that their personal and professional lives became entwined for them, “Married to the Job” represented a significant change for the couple. This seemed to be a change for the better after “Storage Wars” had proven to be so difficult. Unfortunately for the team, the show did not succeed in gaining the same popularity as its parent series and was finally cancelled after a paltry eight episodes. Well, so much for progress.
Cracks in Brandi and Jarrod’s relationship first became visible on Instagram
Long before the two made it known that their romance was finished, Brandi and Jarrod were already divorced. Despite having broken up with Jarrod two years prior, Brandi revealed her separation from him in a candid interview with The Dad Diary in 2020.
Despite their initial quiet, it didn’t take much sleuthing to figure out that Passante and Schultz’s relationship was precarious in 2018. Passante’s numerous attentive admirers and press outlets quickly realized something was wrong when Schulz stopped appearing in her copious Instagram pictures. They also quickly concluded that they had broken up. Some media saw the celebrity in pictures without her wedding band and even noticed a new man (or two) on her arm. Schulz followed suit and made public his relationship with Rochel Beckman. It’s safe to say that viewers of the show weren’t the least bit surprised when Brandi revealed the breakup publicly given the overwhelming evidence of it.
Brandi and Jarrod continued to appear on Storage Wars, but separately
One of the major changes to “Storage Wars” occurred in season 13: the Young Guns would no longer compete as a group because they had broken up. However, those who believed that the former couple’s infamous fighting would lessen as a result of this shift couldn’t be more mistaken. Instead, fans were given to more drama than ever, even if it meant that Brandi’s mental stability suffered.
The pair’s tense on-screen interactions, which included bidding wars and stand-offs, were a result of their distant off-screen relationship. For example, Jarrod once said, “If Brandi bids on [an item], I’ll probably bid [again],” clearly intending to irritate his ex-partner. The conflict between the two ex-lovers also took place on the social media front lines. Before the Season 13 premiere, Brandi shared a “Storage Wars” promotional image on Twitter, in which Jarrod’s face just so happened to be hidden by an emoji of the devil.
Jarrod was charged with a count of domestic battery
Running into her ex-partner when attending auctions gave Brandi a lot of anxiety. You can only image how she felt when Jarrod showed up at the same friendly event that she was also attending. The argument between the two escalated from verbal to physical and violent when Jarrod allegedly shoved Brandi twice, shocking her. Since then, Brandi has hinted that their decades-long relationship may have ended due to similar fights. The word “Free” is tattooed on the actor’s body, symbolizing her freedom from a terrifying almost-marriage and her new path toward independence.
Even though Jarrod fiercely denies Brandi’s claims, he was charged with domestic assault for what happened that evening, and “Storage Wars” network A&E launched an investigation into Jarrod’s alleged actions. The network appears to have taken action against Jarrod given that he is glaringly absent from the show’s 14th season, even though the findings of that investigation have not yet been publicly disclosed, presuming it has even been finished.
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233 if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence. On their website, you can also discover further resources, information, and help.
Brandi’s currently ‘going with the flow’
Deep psychological scars from Brandi’s split prevented her from easily recovering and caused her to become “locked off,” as the star’s therapist put it. She recalled, “I wasn’t really permitted to have an identity for many, many years,” in an interview with Spirit Talk. I’ve been coming into my own and discovering who I am over the last few of years. After over ten years of living and working as one half of a pair, Brandi is now discovering and coming to terms with her uniqueness.
In the same interview from February 2021, the “Storage Wars” star last addressed speculations about her romantic situation, denying “having an attachment” with anyone at the time. Although she acknowledged having dates, she emphasized that she wasn’t actively “hunting out” a relationship. One look at her profile will tell you everything you need to know: She’s thriving and “going with the flow” despite the fact that none of the mystery men from her previous Instagram images appear to have established themselves as regulars in her life.
She’s a devoted single mother of two
Brandi took on the role of a single mother to their two children, Payton and Cameron, after she and Jarrod split up. However, the celebrity has admitted that she “always did a lot of [the parenting] on her own anyhow.” What some might consider a difficult chore, Brandi finds enjoyable. She claimed in a previous interview that balancing motherhood with career success had helped her become “a better mom.”
Brandi continues to be very respectful of her children’s privacy despite being well aware of the difficulties that come with fame, to the point where she avoids posting pictures of them on social media. The prevalence of “creepy dudes” online is a particular source of worry for the single mother. To that end, Brandi’s children completely concur with her and are content to be left out of the social media conversation. Brandi seems to have eased this rule recently, uploading a heartwarming picture honoring her son’s graduation.
She’s become heavily involved in charity work
Brandi may have achieved fame and wealth thanks to “Storage Wars,” but the reality star makes sure to give back in equal measure. Furthermore, she hasn’t let hardship stop her from carrying out deeply significant work; rather, she has dedicated her time, energy, and fame to helping other women who have experienced domestic violence in ways similar to her own.
Most notably, Brandi has volunteered her time and skills to Women’s Own Worth (WOW), a nonprofit that supports “victims of domestic violence and survivors of violent crime.” Notably, Brandi hosted the organization’s annual WOWapalooza fundraiser in 2019, assisting them in generating more than $100,000. The celebrity joined WOW after learning about its founder Jajuan Archer’s own moving tale at a Dallas event. Brandi stated, “I have encountered some things in my life, and it’s a really beautiful cause,” when asked about her affiliation with the group. I wanted to lend a hand in any manner I could because these are things that are required.
She’s recovering from a profound loss in her life
Brandi disclosed that her father had passed away in October 2020. She posted an unique homage to him on Instagram, along with the moving lyrics to “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” by Willie Nelson. The reality star seemed to have a very good relationship with her father; she spoke highly of his forgiving, patient parenting style. “I can’t remember a moment when you ever got furious at me or yelled at me,” Brandi said in her own words. I definitely took advantage of that.”
Brandi also said that she had experienced other losses in 2020 in addition to her father’s passing. She had posthumously remembered another loved one just a short time before publishing her father’s memorial post. Brandi begged the year to stop taking away the people she loved most with her deepest sadness. Fortunately, the cast member of “Storage Wars” has a fantastic support system in her followers, who filled her postings with heartfelt compassion and condolences right afterwards.
She contracted the coronavirus
The news of Brandi’s illness and the announcement of her breakup with Jarrod were announced simultaneously and via the same media outlet, “The Dad Diary.” Brandi had been under a strict quarantine for 12 days when she had her conversation with Danny Jordan. Despite being told she had COVID, the celebrity maintained a positive attitude and gave a detailed account of her experience fighting the virus.
Brandi described how she had gone through all of the COVID-19 symptoms, from taste loss to congestion. Additionally, she had been experiencing excruciating headaches, which fortunately stopped on the day of her tell-all interview. The reality star was attempting to recover from this illness, even consuming some “awful celery juice.” A few weeks later, Brandi appeared to have fully recovered and was moving around in excellent spirits, according to TV Shows Ace.
She’s been battling an autoimmune disease
Like with other significant life milestones, Brandi posted a significant update about her health on Instagram. It comes out that the reality star battled both the coronavirus and a chronic disease while keeping the information from viewers a secret. But the first people to catch on and realize something felt off were the “Storage Wars” diehards.
According to TV Shows Ace, when Brandi’s raspy voice on a recently released episode of the show sparked a question from an interested Instagram user, she decided to openly share the reason for it. She said that she suffers from Hashimoto’s Disease, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system misinterprets the body as a threat. She went on to say that the condition mostly affects the thyroid glands, which occasionally causes her voice to sound gravelly. The reality star made the decision to withhold information about her condition and medical care, but yet, fans expressed their concern and sorrow.
Brandi advocates for disability rights
Brandi frequently concentrates on significant subjects like disability rights while leveraging her big social media following to advance good causes. Brandi highlighted her family’s struggles in an interview with well-known disability advocate Danny Jordan, host of “The Dad Diary,” which is likely where her activism for disability rights derives from.
Brandi revealed information about her daughter’s congenital condition: Payton required surgery as a young child to treat her cleft palate and hearing loss, both of which were birth defects. While watching her young son Cameron, Brandi took care of Payton while she endured a 16-hour procedure and numerous sessions of speech therapy. It was especially difficult for the family at one point when her son had surgery to repair a dangerous kidney ailment.
Brandi frequently shares Danny’s social media postings about disability rights and actively promotes his children’s book series “The Capables,” which tries to give youngsters with disabilities a sense of empowerment. Drawing from her own experience.
She’s been teaming up with Bozek for Storage Wars Season 14
In Season 14 of “Storage Wars,” Jarrod’s absence was less noticeable thanks to the addition of Brandi’s newest colleague, Bozek, who was already a well-known character. Bozek’s brief appearance on the well-liked reality series was sufficient to establish his notoriety. Bozek is my Spirit Animal, the overarching topic of one particular episode, morphed into a running joke and effectively elevated the guest star to “Storage Wars” aristocracy. He undoubtedly received more screen time in the ensuing seasons as a result of his fame, and he finally teamed up with Brandi to look for storage units.
On “Storage Wars,” Brandi has frequently formed alliances with other players, but few of these partnerships have achieved the same level of success as the one between Brandi and Bozek. Their collaboration has paid off both literally and figuratively. After a particularly wise judgment by Bozek, Brandi made millions of dollars in one episode of Season 14. The three most hated words in the English language, “You were correct,” are even made her utter them.
She’s been regularly podcasting her experiences
Brandi has not only mastered the world of reality television, but also the world of podcasting. She frequently appears on the podcast “Happening Now Alongside Hammer” with producers Troy Davis and Hammer, with whom she quickly grew close after a fortuitous encounter at a dive bar, according to Outsider. The episodes of “Happening Now With Hammer” include a wide range of subjects, ranging from talks about the Hulu sensation “Pam and Tommy” to more solemn subjects like the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Even the lavish 4/20 celebration by Brandi and the crew is shown in another chapter.
Brandi has had such an impact on “Happening Now With Hammer” since she took over in June 2021 that the podcast is gradually starting to resemble “Storage Wars.” Hammer and Troy unlock a storage container in the opening scene and discover Brandi inside, a priceless prize! Even Kenny Crossley, a fan favorite from the “Storage Wars” cast, appears to have joined the reality star for many podcast episodes.
She’s gotten close with Storage Wars castmate Kenny
This “Happening Now With Hammer” episode’s viewers were the first to learn significant “Storage Wars” production-related details: The warm bond that Brandi and Kenny appear to have off-camera is as as genuine, if not more so. Brandi is more than pleased to add, “[He’s] one of my favorite humans,” when hosts Hammer and Troy praise Kenny. She continues by saying that Kenny texts or calls her almost every day.
In addition, Brandi says that Kenny would be a great guest on the show—an appearance that happened a year later. Since then, the pair has made their close connection social media official by posting selfies on Brandi’s Instagram and going on podcasting adventures together on “Hammer.” The pair’s friendly interaction is frequently caught on the “Storage Wars” cameras as well. In one episode, Kenny is shown assisting Brandi in organizing belongings in a disorganized storage unit in exchange for a delicious supper.
