As part of one of the most successful reality shows of the last decade, it doesn’t come as a surprise that “Storage Wars” stars give us a lot to talk about. Whether the topic is about their storage findings, their businesses or even their personal lives, the fame acquired by our favorite storage bidders is impressive, despite the show’s inestimable airings in recent years.
That being said, cast members such as Brandi Passante aren’t just popular, but also quite unforgettable due to their charisma and easiness in attracting fans.
So what is Brandi doing nowadays? Is she still on TV, or has she left the bidding business? Is she still with Jarrod Schultz? Keep with us to know all details about this memorable “Storage Wars” star!
What Is She Doing Now?
Regardless of leaving TV for a couple of years, “Storage Wars” returned on air with new adventures to share, and already known faces in its cast, which fortunately included Brandi Passante. The show’s renewal was warmly welcomed, for not only bringing back some of the audience’s favorite bidders, but also for letting us see how Brandi dealt with her business alone, following her break-up from her-now former husband Jarrod Schulz in 2019.
Despite coming back with her daily biddings from “Storage Wars” 13th season onwards, it’s actually unknown what happened to her antiquity-centered Now and Then Thrift Store. As it happens, the business social media accounts have been inactive since 2020, and its official website is down, raising suspicions of it closing.
While the Now and Then Thrift Store’s fate remains unknown, Brandi continues quite actively on social media, but limits her posts centered on “Storage Wars”, her public events, and casual outings with friends. All in all, Brandi seems to be doing well nowadays, regardless of the many changes her life has been through lately.
Why Did She and Jarrod Separate?
Everyone who watched the first “Storage Wars” 12th seasons knows well that the dynamic between Brandi and Jarrod Schulz was quite interesting. While it was usual for them to argue about their biddings and sometimes judge each other’s choices on the job, the so-called “Young Guns” were known as a power couple, and gave off the appearance of a pretty stable marriage.
However, more often than not, what we see on TV is not a real reflection of what actually happens in real life. As “Storage Wars” entered a prolonged hiatus from TV in early 2019, Brandi and Jarrod used the break to definitely split as a couple, even though the reason behind it is unknown.
What Happened to Brandi and Jarrod From 'Storage Wars'? – Newsweek https://t.co/Gm9dwRZUSR #RealityTV #StorageWars #brandipassante #jarrodschulz pic.twitter.com/QBYUIQ9gPU
— URBANTIAN™ (@URBANTIAN) April 22, 2021
Used to not revealing much about their personal endeavors, most fans didn’t know about Brandi and Jarrod’s separation, kept low until she announced in “Storage Wars” premiering 13th season episode. However, those who followed the couple more closely knew the relationship was no longer, as Jarrod started posting pics with his new girlfriend in late 2019.
Regarding their children, Brandi apparently retained custody: ‘I have them all the time, 24/7 they’re here with me, so I have to navigate that’, she revealed in a 2020’s interview with The Dad Diary on Facebook.
Are They On Good Terms?
Given how low profile their divorce was, there were initially no hints of animosity between the former couple, until Brandi covered Jarrod’s face with emojis on “Storage Wars” reboot’s promotions on her social media. Although the show let us see that they were at least on speaking terms, Brandi in an interview with PopCulture, later described Jarrod as “obnoxious and never stops talking”, which only served to confirm fans’ fears.
Even if some people took Brandi’s actions as a publicity stunt, to attract people to tune inro the show’s comeback, it turns out the bad blood was indeed real, and worse than it seemed, as their post-separation relationship hit rock bottom when he assaulted her in April 2021.
According to TMZ, Brandi was hanging out at a California bar when Jarrod arrived at the place, an argument ensuing which ended up with him allegedly pushing her a couple of times with her friends as witnesses. Although police apparently arrived when Jarrod was no longer in the bar, he was later approached by authorities and denied the claims, but was ultimately charged with “misdemeanor domestic violence battery”.
While neither Jarrod or Brandi openly discussed the issue, the incident was allegedly investigated by A&E, making it not far-fetched to assume this eventually caused Jarrod’s exit from “Storage Wars” 14th season, premiered a couple of months later.
Who Are They Dating Now?
According to social media posts, Jarrod has been dating a Californian woman named Rochel Beckman for a couple of years. Although it’s unclear when the pair’s relationship officially started, we saw them together for the first time on a Facebook pic shared by Rochel in July 2019. It wasn’t until January 2020 that Jarrod shared a pic with Rochel, but it was enough to confirm that he and Brandi were no longer together.
On her part, Brandi’s romantic life post-divorce is less eventful. Back in 2020, she told The Dad Diary that despite her then newly acquired single status, she wasn’t actively seeking a new partner: ‘I’ve definitely dated and things like that, but right now it’s not something I’m really trying hard to seek out. I’m waiting until I can feel an attachment to someone’.
After an incredible amount of research, I just learned that Brandi and Jarrod from Storage Wars are no longer a couple. And that she’s dating a guy named Uncle Scooby!
So…that’s how my Saturday night is going.
— Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) April 26, 2020
While it’s been a while since her divorce, Brandi’s current dating life remains a mystery, due to how carefully she protects her privacy from the public’s scrutiny.
What Happened To Their Show?
Despite the messy outcome of Brandi and Jarrod’s marriage, things were dramatically different for the now-former couple only a couple of years ago. Back when “Storage Wars” was at its peak of popularity, the network made good use of it by premiering several spin-off series’, including “Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job” in 2014.
Although they were famous for their biddings endeavors, their show “” was almost completely focused on Brandi and Jarrod’s personal life, showing the audience what it was like to live in their household, how they dealt with their usual disagreements, and more importantly, the many changes their relationship was going through, as they planned their upcoming wedding after being together for more than a decade.
All new #StorageWars tonight pic.twitter.com/WgxckdwZ7y
— Brandi Passante (@Brandipassante) April 21, 2021
However, regardless of the interest surrounding their nuptials, “Married To The Job” ended on a sour note, as not only was it canceled, but Brandi and Jarrod didn’t tie the knot.
Dealing With Fame and Parenting
Even if it’s not rare for celebrities to strongly protect their privacy, Brandi Passante’s reasons for not revealing much about her family on social media, were truly understandable. Ever since “Storage Wars” premiered in 2010, taking care of her children, Payton and Cameron was increasingly difficult, missing some of their most important milestones, in addition to making their life hard while in school: ‘They didn’t like it all. The kids gave them a hard time at school, and I think they were more annoyed by it than anything’, she told The Dad Diary in 2020.
Nowadays, both Payton and Cameron are in their late teens, but that doesn’t mean it’s become any easier for them. As Brandi also admitted, years prior to their separation, she and Jarrod were pushed to move their family into a gated community due to the increasingly odd behavior from people, who allegedly sent their kids odd letters. More recently, Brandi also warned her Instagram followers against leaving ‘gross’ comments about her daughter, and ultimately refraining from regularly posting pics of her kids.
While Brandi has openly admitted to not wanting their children to follow her and Jarrod’s steps in the thrifting business, and the entertainment world, in the end that depends solely on Cameron and Payne’s choices.
What Did Brandi Do Before The Show?
Before fame came knocking at her door, Brandi Passante had quite a normal life. In the early 2000s she worked as a carpet cleaning assistant, a job which led her to meet the shop’s manager, Jarrod Schulz.
While it’s unclear when exactly their love story started, in 2003 she gave birth to their son Payton. Approximately at the same time, she and Jarrod left the carpet cleaning business to start their Now and Then Thrift Store, which she managed from home, after Jarrod unsuccessfully tried to start a mortgage company.
Regarding her career and how she dealt with working and raising her kids prior to the show, Brandi admitted to not feeling guilty about putting her best effort into her work, despite how it sometimes kept her away from her children: ‘I used to be a stay-at-home mom, and it was very difficult for me. I love my kids, but I felt alienated and depressed when I didn’t have a career’, she told MyLifeTime in 2013, adding that she felt ‘a better parent’ for working.
Life On Set
To end up in the entertainment world was unexpected for Brandi and Jarrod. He was first approached during an auction by some A&E producers, but it wasn’t until “Storage Wars” was shooting in his store that he was asked about Brandi: ‘They asked me, ‘Who’s the girl up front? Would she mind being on TV?’,’ he affirmed in an interview with Orange County Register.
Unsurprisingly, the show’s rising success had many effects on their private life. Their lifestyle was ‘uplifted’ in the financial sense, but it also put their relationship in a bad place: ‘When we were first starting out, we would have rock-star fights! It was exhausting, so we had to make the decision not to bring what happened on the show home’, as Brandi confessed to MyLifeTime.
Though both ultimately grew used to fame, they weren’t on great terms with some of their fellow “Storage Wars” stars. As Brandi told The Saline Courier in 2019: ‘We’re not buddies. We don’t go hang out afterwards’, but some of her relationships on set are better than others. For one, she hasn’t refrained from describing her former co-star Dave Hester a ‘real jerk’, while also admitting Mary Padian is her ‘forever friend’.
Scandal & Lawsuit
Unsurprisingly, the entertainment world sometimes brings too many enduring situations to those involved with it. As it happens, in 2012 a website called Is Anyone Up shared an adult video claiming Brandi starred in it, even tagging her on Twitter.
As court papers stated, Brandi was ‘horrified, hurt and ashamed’ to see the website’s content, as not only was it false, but also deeply ill-intentioned. She didn’t take long to file a lawsuit against the web’s owner Hunter Moore, who she claimed fabricated the photographs and videos: ‘Passante never made any such video, has never had any contact with Mr. Moore, and did not send him sexual images’, the lawsuit’s papers read, which also stated that Brandi had suffered emotional distress product of the whole situation.
Despite the gruesome nature of the situation, Brandi fortunately found justice, as in July 2013 Brandi won the lawsuit. Though she wasn’t granted the $2.5 million in damages, Moore was obligated to delete the content from his website, pay her court fees, and fined an unrevealed amount for trademark infringement. As expected, Moore wasn’t very happy about the verdict, and even bad mouthed her on social media, but ultimately had to accept the decision.
Staging Allegations
Brandi Passante doesn’t have a good relationship with her former co-star Dave Hester, though their beef goes beyond their on-screen rivalry. Although Dave’s personality was often deemed as problematic by other “Storage Wars” cast members, in 2012 his popularity hit rock bottom when he slashed against the network, resulting in his firing.
Storage Wars star Brandi Passante has lost her fans as allegations against her turned out to be true. She even admitted that she has "no regrets"
— TeddyFeed (@TeddyFeed) December 8, 2021
Dave later filed a lawsuit against A&E, saying he didn’t want to be part of the ‘charade’ that was the show, claiming it was fake and producers ‘regularly plant valuable items or memorabilia’, in addition to allegedly faking the entire content of some storage rooms, in addition to accusing them of unfair business practices and wrongful termination.
Although the issue was resolved under unrevealed terms and Dave took his place back in the show for the fifth season, Brandi didn’t stay quiet about the situation, and denied Dave’s claims: ‘They’re public auctions. It would be collusion, which is against the law, to tamper with any of the storage units’, she told The Sun.
While she affirmed some storage units weren’t featured in the show for lacking interesting articles, that didn’t mean that the show was faked, though it’s well known that the skepticism regarding the show and many other reality TV projects is unavoidable.
In the end, Brandi did well at defending “Storage Wars”, as she is as committed to it as she is with her businesses, and most importantly with family.
